High-poverty schools' high achievers had roughly even odds of above-average growth, and 75th-percentile growth would be needed to close the readiness gap¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r1–r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2018: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students attending a high-poverty school in the sample had a 45% probability of above-average growth in mathematics and a 50% chance in reading. → Michael Dahlin and Beth Tarasawa 2013 q2 i? The report estimates 75th percentile growth would be required of high-poverty schools to eliminate the current college readiness rate gap between high- and low-poverty schools. → Michael Dahlin and Beth Tarasawa 2013 (2)

Evidence¶

Michael Dahlin and Beth Tarasawa 2013¶

Michael Dahlin and Beth Tarasawa. (2013). A Level Playing Field? How College Readiness Standards Change the Accountability Game. Northwest Evaluation Association. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/a-level-playing-field-college-readiness-standards-whitepaper/

q2 · i? · associational · r1

Growth analysis of the high-poverty school cohorts reports that such students would have "a 45% probability of achieving above-average growth in mathematics and a 50% chance" in reading, indicating growth in high-poverty schools was largely on par with wealthier counterparts. These probabilities are descriptive percentages, not effect sizes.

"students attending one of the high-poverty schools in the sample would have a 45% probability of achieving above-average growth in mathematics and a 50% chance of above average growth in reading."

Michael Dahlin and Beth Tarasawa 2013 (2)¶

Michael Dahlin and Beth Tarasawa. (2013). A Level Playing Field? How College Readiness Standards Change the Accountability Game. Northwest Evaluation Association. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/a-level-playing-field-college-readiness-standards-whitepaper/

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Based on the observed between-school growth distribution, the report projects that "75th percentile growth would be required of high-poverty schools to eliminate the current gap in college readiness rates", a benchmark the foreword notes many high-poverty schools meet or exceed.

"Evidence from the current study suggests that 75th percentile growth would be required of high-poverty schools to eliminate the current gap in college readiness rates between high- and low-poverty schools."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Sixty percent of the highest-poverty schools also have above-average student growth — related
• Lowest-income schools show more variable growth than highest-income schools, with more schools both below the 50th and above the 82nd growth percentile — related
• Most high-achieving middle schoolers were on track for college readiness, but students in wealthy schools were more often on track than those in poor schools — related
• Growth rates varied tremendously between schools regardless of poverty, with top-quartile schools producing more than double the growth of the worst quartile — related