What is the achievement gap in special education?

This meta-analysis of 23 studies found that on average, students with disabilities performed more than three years below their nondisabled peers. This achievement gap suggests that students with disabilities still have limited access to the instruction needed to succeed in school.

What is an example of an achievement gap in education?

Students in different groups perform differently on tests, earn different grades, take different courses, dropout at different rates, and demonstrate different college completion rates. These differences make up the achievement gap.

How to close the achievement gap for students with disabilities?

What are the equity gaps for students with disabilities?

Equity gaps highlight ableist, racist, classist, and other identity-based biases that entrench inequitable treatment of SWDs, despite attempts to include them in general education classrooms, leading to inequitable outcomes for this historically marginalized student population.

What is the achievement gap theory?

Herein, achievement gaps are operationally defined as any measured difference between how children learn and grow (actual learning growth) and how children could learn and grow under ideal circumstances (desired learning growth).

Closing the achievement gap | IN 60 SECONDS

What causes the achievement gap in schools?

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, an achievement gap occurs when “one group of students (e.g., students grouped by race/ethnicity, gender) outperforms another group, and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant.”¹ While achievement differences between ...

How does the achievement gap affect students?

In addition, lower-income students go to schools with insufficient funding and resources: quality teachers or the lack thereof increase the inability to provide for these students adequately. The achievement gap affects students by increasing dropout rates.

What is the disability gap and why is it important?

Disabled people typically have lower employment rates than those who are not disabled. This trend, which is found across the world, is referred to as the disability employment gap and it forms a key indicator of disability-related inequalities in the labour market.

What is an example of equity in special education?

A common example of equity in schools is the existence of special education services. Based on specific needs, students with disabilities qualify for services or accommodations such as specialized instruction, extended time to complete assignments, audiobooks, or a sign language interpreter.

How do you promote equity in special education?

Equity in Special Education Means Creating Broad Representation in Your Materials. Representation means that teachers, principals, and other leaders reflect the demographics of the student body in the schools they serve. We can also incorporate representation into our materials.

What can teachers do to close the achievement gap?

What is the most important thing teachers can do to close the achievement gap?

Set high standards. Rather than “teaching down” to students, having high standards enables students to achieve at high levels. Schools that promote cultures of high expectations and strong teacher-student relationships tend to have the smallest gaps.

What does equity mean in special education?

Fair outcomes, treatment, and opportunities for all students. Ensuring equity in education is a necessary component in narrowing the achievement gap. Teachers and school leaders ensure equity by recognizing, respecting, and attending to the diverse strengths and challenges of the students they serve.

What is the biggest contributor to the achievement gap?

Five main factors contribute to the achievement gap between white and black students: neighborhood segregation, socioeconomic status, parent influence, school discipline and standardized testing.

What is the problem of achievement gap?

California's gap demographics

Black and Latino students significantly trail white and Asian American students in meeting the state's reading and math standards. In some instances — say, performance in reading and math between white and black students — the difference in achievement is more than two-fold.

What is the difference between a learning gap and an achievement gap?

It's important to understand the distinction between a learning gap and an achievement gap. An achievement gap means an inequality in educational opportunities whereas a learning gap is focused on what a student should know by a certain point but doesn't.

Is an IEP an example of equity?

Legislation can help with equity in today's classrooms by allocating funds for Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities. IEPs provide resources for educators to supplement individualized attention to the student, or students, who need it.

How does the IEP connect to equity?

The IEP team must determine if the general education classroom truly is Page 10 EQUITY IN A FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION 9 the best place to meet the needs of the student with special needs or if there would be a more appropriate and preferable environment for the student's education to be provided.

Is equity the same as equality in special education?

equity in the classroom. If equality means giving everyone the same resources, equity means giving each student access to the resources they need to learn and thrive.

What is a disability gap?

AS: The disability divide, in the simplest of the explanations, is the equity gap between disabled and able-bodied people. Accessibility, and disabled people, for that matter, are regularly an afterthought.

Why is the employment gap for people with disabilities so consistently wide?

Disabilities themselves

Non-disabled people tend to view the negative effects of disabilities as much worse than they really are. And disabled people still struggle to be seen as capable and valuable employees. On the other hand, most disabilities really do make at least some things harder to do.

What is the disability perception gap?

It's what we've identified in this report as the disability perception gap: the difference between the attitudes of non-disabled people and the reality of disabled people's experiences.

What is another name for the achievement gap?

Though it's often called the “achievement gap”, at Close the Gap, we intentionally use the term “opportunity gap” instead.

How can teachers address the achievement gap?

Closing the achievement gap in the classroom is key to providing students with the necessary education. By engaging students, spending more time on instruction, getting to know students, providing access to high-quality materials, and encouraging collaboration, you help students reach their full potential.

What are the main causes that factor into the achievement gap?

Factors such as inequitable levels of school funding, unequal distribution of highly qualified and experienced teachers, harsh disciplinary policies, minimally articulated core curriculum, and lack of consistent instructional support can result in a system that causes vulnerable students to continue falling further ...