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PARCC results present achievement gap among black and white students in District 204

PARCC results present achievement gap among black and white students in District 204

By Nikki Roberts
Online Writer
Graphics by Anastasia Bicolli

District 204 held its bi-monthly school board meeting Jan. 11, where African American parent group, Waubonsie Parents Advocating for the Greater Enrichment of Students (PAGES), took the floor to voice their complaints concerning the district’s evident achievement gap between African American students and their peers to both school administrators and the public audience.

According to its website, Waubonsie PAGES describes itself as “a newly formed parent group at Waubonsie Valley. PAGES was established to help close the achievement gap and advocate for the needs of the African American students at Waubonsie Valley.” This past Monday, PAGES advocated for far more than just a handful of students at Waubonsie Valley.

Parent representatives, along with the group’s president, spoke at the school board meeting, demanding a solution to the increasing achievement gap across all District 204 schools. Their concerns were prompted by the release of PARCC test scores this past December, which demonstrated a rapidly growing achievement gap between African American and white students.

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“I have been an Indian Prairie School District parent for at least the last 15 years. As I reviewed the District 204 2015 school report card, I found myself shaking my head, and I asked myself five questions. How, in 2015, is educational gap between African American students and white students growing? What happened to No Child Left Behind? What is going on with closing the achievement gap? What is the district doing to address No Child Left Behind and closing the achievement gap, and finally, what can I do,” Metea Valley parent Rev. Marilyn Barne, who plans to start a group similar to PAGES at Metea, said.

Barnes’ questions and concerns were consistent with her fellow members of PAGES, who also shared their disappointments, ideas, and goals with the school board. Their disapproval was not simply surrounding the lack of transparency in high school educational procedures; it encompassed education as early as elementary school. A few of the demands the troubled parents made included programs specifically aimed at minimizing the education gap with measurable, achievable goals, and a system that allows for both parents and students to be involved in the process. Along with their burdens, the group brought innovative solutions to the table as well. Solutions such as diversity training, collaborating with successful school districts, and greater parent involvement were suggested by many of the speakers.

District 204 aimed for a two to five percent decrease in the racial achievement gap. However, the recent administration of PARCC tests actually display a significant increase, as seen in the 2015 District 204 report card. While 54 percent of white students met or exceeded the PARCC’s ELA/Literacy readiness standards, only 31 percent of black students met or exceeded this standard. When comparing the gap in mathematics, 51 percent of white students met the standard, one percent of white students exceeded it, and 35 percent of black students met the standard, but not a single black student exceeded the standard.

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PARCC results present achievement gap among black and white students in District 204