LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

achievement gap

Learn more about achievement gap

To know them is to teach them
We must maintain high standards and expectations, incorporate students' experiences into the curriculum, and use culturally relevant materials.
By Barbara Rush.
Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools
These articles provide background on Latino immigrants in North Carolina, administrative challenges in binational education, and strategies through which teachers can build on what Latino students bring to their classrooms to create a learning environment that meets the needs of all students.
Format: series (multiple pages)
e-Learning for Educators - Classroom Assessment Enhanced by Technology: Online course syllabus
Syllabus for e-Learning for Educators - Classroom Assessment Enhanced by Technology, an online course which explores principles of classroom assessment and a range of assessment methods supported by technology.
Format: syllabus
Formative assessment
This reference article discusses the history, concept, and application of formative assessment.
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
Climbing the school ladder: A challenging task for immigrant Latino students
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 1.1
Teachers play a critical role when helping immigrant children adjust to a new school life. Because immigrants' backgrounds and experiences are so diverse, it is important for teachers no to make assumptions and to get to know individual children.
By Magda Corredor.

Find all 11 resources in our collection.

Gaps in standardized achievement measures between students from different racial and ethnic groups and between students from poor and non-poor families. Research shows a significant gap between the performances of African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and low-income students and their white, Asian, and economically advantaged peers.

Additional information

Raising Achievement Closing Gaps is NCDPI’s site detailing the state’s initiative to assist schools and systems in identifying and developing programs to help close the achievement gap. According to NCDPI,

Closing the academic achievement gap that exists between white and minority (African American, Hispanic and Native American) students is a top priority for the North Carolina State Board of Education. North Carolina is working to close the gap by requiring local schools systems to develop annual plans for closing gaps, increasing funding, developing resource centers and pilot programs, encouraging community/school collaboration, and implementing other initiatives to ensure that the achievement gap closes.

Examples and resources

The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) explores issues related to the achievement gap in detail, including bibliographies and perspectives of key stakeholders in achievement gap issues.