Latest news with #achievementGap
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Indicators 2025: Understanding and addressing Pennsylvania's achievement gaps
Jun. 28—WILKES-BARRE — Jill Avery-Stoss, president of The Institute, said gaps in academic achievement are widely recognized and have complex causes. "They arise from a combination of personal, systemic, and structural factors," Avery-Stoss said. "They also result from disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute's Education and Workforce Development Task Force recently completed a study exploring the achievement gap — the trending disparity in academic performance across different student populations. It suggests that some students have fewer chances to succeed in school than others. Avery-Stoss said achievement gaps are most evident when comparing various groups, such as boys and girls, students from lower-income and higher-income households, and individuals of different racial or ethnic backgrounds. Such comparisons must also be considered carefully because people rarely fit neatly into one category. Avery-Stoss stated that overall access to education across the Commonwealth is considered above average compared to national benchmarks. Still, the achievement gaps between Pennsylvania student groups are among the country's largest. In some cases, gaps may occur in schools with fewer resources than other schools. In other cases, however, gaps emerge among students who attend the same schools. "The pandemic also contributed to the issue," Avery-Stoss said. "Students lost a great deal of learning time — particularly in math and reading — and many faced the additional challenge of limited internet access. They also took fewer tests, which complicates understanding about how much help is needed and where it is needed most." The Pennsylvania Department of Education published a research brief with Mathematica to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young learners in the state. The study explored academic proficiency rates among students in grades five through eight, using a predictive model to adjust for factors such as assessment participation rates, test administration timing, and instructional modes. The findings show that in math and language arts, grade six seems to have experienced the highest predicted impact from the pandemic, and the predicted pandemic impacts were consistently larger in math. The numbers in math proficiency impact range from a loss of 12 to 15 percentage points. In English language arts, the numbers range from a loss of 7 to 12 percentage points. The brief also found that students from vulnerable backgrounds and in fully remote learning environments had lower assessment participation rates compared to their peers, and that the overall academic proficiency across the state was reduced in 2021 due to the pandemic. Negative academic impacts were evident across most student groups, and even more so for vulnerable groups that had lower proficiency rates prior to the pandemic. Avery-Stoss said that although the academic environment plays a key role in student outcomes, research shows that education alone is not the primary cause of the achievement gap. Solutions must extend beyond traditional schooling and require coordination between policymakers, educators, and communities to tackle structural, economic, and historical inequities. "Recommendations for closing the achievement gap involve access to high-quality preschool programs, culturally responsive teaching, inclusive curriculum, establishment of community partnerships and programs, and data-driven policy change," Avery-Stoss said. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hitting the Books: Gov. Polis pays special visit to 'Blue Ribbon' Skyview Middle School
Only four schools in Colorado and 356 schools in the nation can claim the title of 2024 National Blue Ribbon School. Skyview Middle School, 1047 Camino DeBravo in Pueblo West, is one of them. While representatives of the school had already visited Washington D.C. on Nov. 8, 2024, to receive a Blue Ribbon School award in the "Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools" category from the U.S. Department of Education, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis visited Skyview Middle School on May 19, 2025, to congratulate the school once more. "It's amazing to see the magic that goes on here at Skyview, how they're preparing students for success, and I'm glad to help lend our state recognition to the important national recognition of the Blue Ribbon," Polis said during the visit. Polis also praised the school's career and technical education offerings, including criminology, in a conversation with the Chieftain. Skyview Principal Wendy James told the Chieftain on May 19 that the school receiving a Blue Ribbon Award is a result of the work the school has done to "meet students where they are academically." "It's a combination of meeting kids where they are if they need enrichment or if they need educational support," James said. "We are constantly looking at data every week, and it's fluid, especially our students that are in support classes — if they're showing growth and they're able to maintain that, then we pull that support away to see if they can maintain that on their own." The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has presented Irving Elementary School, Minnequa Elementary and Sunset Park Elementary School with 'Center of Excellence" awards — an honor bestowed upon schools with at-risk populations of at least 75% that demonstrate significant longitudinal growth. "It's always inspiring to see schools leading the way with innovative approaches and a deep commitment to their students,' CDE Commissioner Susana Córdova said in a Pueblo D60 news release. 'The awards for these schools remind us what's possible when educators, families, and communities work together to create meaningful opportunities for every learner.' Principals Jaime Schwab of Irving Elementary, Katie Harshman of Minnequa Elementary, and Amber Hertneky of Sunset Park Elementary accepted the Center of Excellence awards at Colorado State University's Spur campus on May 16. GOAL High School, a statewide alternative education campus founded in Pueblo, has received 2025 Denver Post Top Workplace Culture Excellence awards in three categories — "Culture Excellence," "Purpose & Values" and "Work-Life Flexibility." The awards were based on anonymous feedback from an employee engagement survey 'We are incredibly honored to receive these awards," GOAL CEO Constance Jones said in a news release. "Our staff's commitment to a positive and supportive environment enhances our mission. As a woman-led organization, we take immense pride in promoting leadership, diversity and inclusivity." Graduations: 2025 graduation season is here. Here's where ceremonies are happening in Pueblo Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Polis visits Skyview Middle, Pueblo schools get state awards and more
