THE BIG PICTURE
By the time students leave high school, they should be prepared for post-secondary education or a career. College and career readiness begins as early as Kindergarten: students who attend full-day Kindergarten are more equipped to master the skills needed in first grade and beyond. We look at student achievement at various checkpoints throughout the K-12 continuum, examining student proficiency and achievement gaps at 4th, 8th, and 11th grades.
The achievement gap refers to the difference in academic performance or educational attainment between groups of students, examined here by student socioeconomic status, gender, and race/ethnicity. Achievement gaps are caused by a number of complex factors and there are no simple solutions, however, closing them is imperative. Addressing gaps as early as possible will improve student performance throughout the educational pipeline and prepare students for future careers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Proficiency has largely stayed flat for most grades and subjects over recent years. Detailed information on the performance of Maine students and by subgroup are below.
- Achievement gaps are especially large for students who are economically disadvantaged: they scored at least 23 points lower compared to non-economically disadvantaged students for all subjects and grade levels.
- Note: We use the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) to determine student proficiency in reading and math in 4th and 8th We use the SAT to determine student proficiency in high school. All Maine 11th graders take the SAT.