Generally speaking, 

learning gap refers to the relative performance of individual

students—i.e., the disparity between what a student has actually learned and what he or
she was expected to learn at a particular age or grade level. Achievement gap refers to
outputs—the unequal or inequitable distribution of educational results and benefits—
while opportunity gap refers to inputs—the unequal orClosely related to achievement
gap and opportunity gap, a learning gap is the difference between what a student has
learned—i.e., the academic progress he or she has made—and what the student was
expected to learn at a certain point in his or her education, such as a particular age or
grade level. A learning gap can be relatively minor—the failure to acquire a specific skill
or meet a particular learning standard, for example—or it can be significant and
educationally consequential, as in the case of students who have missed large amounts
of schooling (for a more detailed discussion, see learning loss).

One of the more consequential features of learning gaps is their tendency, if left
unaddressed, to compound over time and become more severe and pronounced, which
can increase the chances that a student will struggle academically and socially or drop
out of school. In addition, if foundational academic skills—such as reading, writing, and
math, as well as social and interpersonal skills—are not acquired by students early on in
their education, it may be more difficult for them to learn these foundational skills later
on.
 As students progress through their education, remediating learning gaps tends can
become more difficult because students may have fallen well behind their peers, or
because middle school or high school teachers may not have specialized training or
expertise in teaching foundational academic skills. For these and other reasons, many
educators, school reformers, researchers, and policy makers have called for greater
investments in early childhood education, including universal access to prekindergarten
programs.

Analysing data
Methodical analysis of assessment data provides the evidence a practitioner needs to
improve teaching and learning for the group and individuals within it. Accurate
interpretation of the data analysis enables the practitioner to understand where learners
are in the learning and to set the goals and learning intentions for the next steps in the
learning process and plan the learning program.
Analysing assessment data

Any one assessment should not be used in isolation to determine the achievement level of a
learner. A range of assessments will provide more reliable evidence of learning from which the
practitioner can make an on-balance judgement about learner achievement.

Including learners in the analysis of their assessment results encourages them to take ownership
of their learning and adds motivation for them to set their own learning intentions.

Sources of data
Knowing cohorts, knowing learners

Measuring learning over time

Measuring learning involves comparing assessment results between two or more points
in time. Learning becomes evident when a learner’s achievement increases over time
demonsA common reference is required if assessment results are to be compared to measure
learning. AusVELS is the Foundation to Year 10 curriculum that provides a single, coherent and
comprehensive set of prescribed content and common achievement standards which schools
use to plan student learning programs, assess student progress and report to parents. The F-
10, eleven level, structure of the AusVELS outlines what is essential for all Victorian students to
learn and is intended to better cater for personalised learning.trating they are making
progress along the learning continuum.

Measuring learner understanding

To measure learning practitioners can create their own assessment tools or use instruments developed
by others. Accurate records of learner performance at each assessment need to be maintained to enable
analysis of learning gains and identify learning needs. They also provide the evidence for providing
feedback to learners and parents.

Measuring learning involves conducting an appropriate assessment and analysing the data to identify
strengths and learning needs. It is not sufficient to only look at the total number of correct responses or
observations – sometimes called percentage correct – for each assessment. Simply comparing
percentage correct can conceal important aspects of learning. For example, a learner with an average
percentage correct may excel at certain aspects of the curriculum and perform quite poorly on others.
Such learning gaps need to be addressed to help the learner make progress in their learning

Measuring relative growth in learning

The relative growth is a measure of how much a learner's achievement improves over a specified period
of time. This growth can vary and depend on factors including the age of the learner, the level of
achievement at the start of the period being considered, and the aspect of curriculum being assessed. For
example, learning can be fast for some aspects of the curriculum during the early stages of schooling
when compared to the later stages of schooling. Further, learners starting with a high achievement level
may learn at a slower rate than those with a lower achievement level or their learning may progress
consistently or may accelerate.

For NAPLAN, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority uses the concept called Relative
Growth to analyse and compare the learning of individuals. Learn more about measuring relative growth
with this online tutorial. 

Large-scale assessments

Large-scale assessment programs collect a lot of data about learning. These programs generally
reference curriculum but because they operate over many jurisdictions, each with their own curriculum,
these programs generally develop their own scale for reporting achievement.

Australia has a population based National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). It
also includes a number of sample based assessments that are conducted every three years in the areas
of Science Literacy, Civics and Citizenship, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Literacy.

Using assessment data with cohorts

Practitioners need to know and understand how their learners are performing as a group to effectively
plan learning activities for that group. For some cohorts performance may be relatively even while for
others performance may vary exceptionally or be bunched at different levels along the learning
continuum. Valid assessment data can provide the required insights to effectively plan for a cohort.

Assessment data collected for one purpose can also provide insights for another. For example, VCE final
exam data is made available to schools by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) in
a variety of report formats to allow schools and teachers to gain insights into the strengths and
weaknesses of their programs. While no longer relevant to the cohort for whom the assessment data was
collected, VCE assessment data can provide schools with insights to inform planning for the next cohort
of VCE students.

Using assessment data with individual learners

Most learners progress through learning as a member of their cohort. When an individual learner
encounters a difficulty or carries a misunderstanding or is finding the work not challenging the effective
practitioner addresses these particular learning needs as soon as possible. Sometimes a practitioner may
need to refer a learner to another practitioner with specialised skills for further assessment and
evaluation.

Using Assessment Data - Online Tutorials

Effective teachers have positive relationships with their students and a belief in
their students' ability to learn. Research also shows that effective teachers make
appropriate use of assessment data. 1

Assessment data can be collected in several ways. Most assessments are

conducted by teachers in their classrooms. There are also large scale
assessments, such as NAPLAN and VCE, which can provide a context for what
teachers already know about their students, their abilities and their school as a
learning community. Teachers and school leaders can also use this type of data
to improve their teaching, and, equally as important, their review and
enhancement of school programs.

These online tutorials are designed to assist teachers and school leaders, by
providing guidance on how to effectively use large-scale assessment data in an
appropriate context. The tutorials complement the face-to-face support currently
provided to schools by the VCAA.

How is achievement data linked to student learning?

Interpreting data allows teachers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
an entire class as well as individual students. As they examine the data,
teachers can develop hypotheses about factors that
affect students' learning and ways to improve instruction to help
all students achieve.

Gaps may be defined as the difference between “the way things are” and “the
way they should be”. The easiest gaps to identify are those relating to
knowledge. Knowledge gaps can be identified by means of questionnaires or
review of test scores from in training or board examinations. Why is data
analysis important in education?
Data analysis consolidates information to provide the big picture of trends
and patterns for higher education leadership teams that can be used to
evaluate and streamline processes, create efficiencies, and improve the
overall student experience. ...Feb 25, 2018
hat causes learning gaps?
As you can see, learning gaps are caused when concepts at the foundation
level are not fully learned by a student and they continue to struggle as new
concepts are taught on top of previous ones. When a student starts to fall
behind, it's important that we address these gaps early on.Jun 23, 2019

Interims + Playlists + Digital Library =

Powerful Instruction
April 22, 2019
NOTE: The Smarter Balanced Digital Library was decommissioned. Please
visit Tools for Teachers, the new home for instructional resources and
professional learning.
How to Use Assessment Data to Identify Gaps in Learning

Elizabeth Johnston, Guest Blogger

English Language Arts Teacher (7th Grade)
We are getting into testing season and everyone wants to make sure their
kids have learned what they need to learn. A great way to check for gaps is to
use assessment data from previous tests. Hopefully, you had the opportunity
to give interims this year and you can use the data from those to determine
next steps. If not, you can also use your students’ assessment data from last
year’s test* to see where they may have some gaps in learning.
Smarter Balanced has made sure that teachers have input and a role in the
development of the test questions, the playlists, and instructional resources.
Because of this, there are many great lessons that have been used in other
teachers’ classrooms to target students’ areas of need.
Assessment Data
Interims are the best way to get assessment data from your students in
smaller, more manageable chunks. One of my favorite tools from the interims
is the reporting system available in Washington State* that shows me the
questions my students struggle with the most and the questions they can do
the best.

Interim
reports the 5 Items on which students performed the worst and the 5 items on
which students performed the best.
Once you have this assessment data, the playlists that are available in the
Digital Library will link you with resources that will touch on those areas of
need.
Not only that, but this is a great opportunity to have teachable moments with
your students. You and they can analyze why they struggled the most with the
5 lowest and brainstorm strategies to improve or tackle those types of
questions. It is beneficial to notice patterns in the questions they struggle with.
I like to have groups tackle the questions and offer rationale for why they think
the right answer was right as well as why the wrong answers were not as
good.
Another way to get assessment data is to look at how your students
performed on the summative assessment. I like to look at areas where they
struggled on this test, as well as the interims we have done throughout the
year, to see what I may need to cover more thoroughly or add to my lessons
during the year.
Summative reports look different in each state (as determined by individual
reporting systems) but will always provide insight into trends so educators can
adjust instruction.

Target data for your

students will show performance ratings based on proficiency (passing the
test), as well as the rating compared to how well your specific student group
did on the assessment.
If available, looking at the Target data for your students will show performance
ratings based on proficiency (passing the test), as well as the rating compared
to how well your specific student group did on the assessment. This
information is organized by the target strands and is a great source of
information.
PLAYLISTS + Digital Library Lessons
Playlists are part of the Digital Library collection of instructional supports. 
There are professional development resources and lessons to support your
instruction, while incorporating the formative assessment process in the
classroom.  If you have not explored the Digital Library, or have not explored it
since early on, you should definitely go back.  So much has been added and
the ease of navigation is greatly improved.
Once in the Digital Library you look at the playlist for the claim area you are
focusing on, the level your students are working at, and then the target(s) they
struggle with.  For example, my students this year struggled with literary text
structure.  I would go to 7th grade reading, below or at/near standard, and then
specifically look at the resource(s) linked for text structure.
Once in the Digital Library you look at the playlist for the claim area you are
focusing on, the level your students are working at, and then the target(s) they
struggle with.
There are many lessons in the library.  When I modified my Library search
results to show Grade 7 ELA: Claim 1: Target 6, I ended up with 6 different
resources. So in addition to using the resources on the Connections Playlists,
you can use the search features in the Digital Library to identify instructional
resources to support student learning gaps. Additionally, you may find that a
resource gives you an idea of something else you want to develop to address
your students’ specific learning needs.
As one of my education professors told me, you don’t need to recreate the
wheel when many different ones have already been made.  Use the time to
make something perfect for your kids as opposed to starting from scratch. 
There are great resources available in the Digital Library to make your
instruction even more powerful.
* NOTE: Member states may be using their own reporting systems and
therefore software may look and function differently. My experience is based
on Washington State’s testing and reporting system.

About our Guest Blogger

Elizabeth Johnston is a secondary certified, middle-level 7th grade teacher in

Shelton, WA, a rural community with a diverse population. She has taught
high school and middle school for over a decade. She has her M.Ed. and
certifications in ELA, ELL, Drama, and Middle Level Humanities. After moving
to the Northwest as a child, she cannot imagine living in a more beautiful
place (but sometimes wishes for a little more sunshine).
Elizabeth Johnston can be found on Twitter at @ejohnstonteach

6 STEPS TO A MORE EQUITABLE AND CULTURALLY

PROFICIENT DATA ANALYSIS
1. Research identity: We can’t consider equitable outcomes
if we don’t know who students are. Using tools such
as surveys , calls home, and classroom team-building
activities, we need to hear students’ stories.

One group of teachers at my school realized how little they

knew about a small group of students who were struggling.
They each made a research plan for getting to know three
kids, designing questions and topics to explore in the coming
week. When they next met, they shared their learnings. They
were surprised about how much students shared about their
home lives, career aspirations, and more. As one teacher
said, “Wow—we need to start asking these questions in the
first weeks of school.”

Educators bring our own history and perspective to this

work, so we also need to know ourselves and our implicit
biases. In order to heighten your self-awareness, take
Harvard’s Implicit Association Test  or complete the Diversity
Awareness Profile . Research systemic racism and implicit
bias, and reflect on your own identity and various forms of
privilege. It also can be helpful to spend some time
completing and reflecting on these activities with your team
prior to looking at data.

2. Preempt implicit bias: Research suggests that priming

your team  with positive representations of different groups
can influence their perspectives. For example, you might
read an article by a Latina woman or look at pictures of
successful black leaders prior to reviewing writing samples
by students sharing similar identity markers. You can
explicitly tell the team that we carry biases into data
analysis, and that one research-based approach to
counteract those biases is to read about, discuss, or
highlight examples of, for example, a racial minority group
that portray that group in a positive light.

Additionally, create a low-stress space where you’ll do your

data analysis. Although easier said than done in many
buildings, when possible have snacks, calm lighting, the right
temperature, and regular breaks. Happier conditions will
mitigate the chance of implicit bias.

3. Frame and challenge: What are your team’s ground rules

for looking at data? Many teams I support use the norm,
“Talk about students the way we talk about our own
children.” Be wary of the data analysis meeting where
everyone reads through student writing samples and shares
the “funny” ones aloud.

Facilitators need to be prepared to calmly challenge

assumptions and stereotypes. We can’t sit silently when we
hear a colleague blame home circumstances, the previous
year’s teacher, or a learning disability as reasons a student
can’t make the same progress as everyone else. When
possible, respond with “I don’t see it that way” or “Can you
explain what you mean by that?” to start a dialogue that
unpacks people’s perspectives. It will likely take time to
dismantle a deficit mindset, but doing so is essential for
promoting equity.

4. Set intentions: Have each participant name an

intention  prior to analyzing data to generate personal
accountability. One team member might set the intention to
“prioritize student strengths,” while another might intend to
“leave with a plan for better supporting the Latinx students in
my class.” Whatever the intention, this focus will help give
direction and purpose to the analysis, as well as promote a
positive mindset.

5. Pick the right data: Standardized assessments should not

be your only metric. There’s plenty of research reminding us
that standardized tests were born out of the eugenics
movement  and to this day contain significant bias favoring
affluent white students. Make sure your team spends time
with varied types of assessment data, like essays, short
stories, projects, science labs, and notes from classroom
discussions. Additionally, consider flexibility when creating
scoring rubrics—do they only include “have to” criteria, or do
they provide space for student choice? The goal should be
for all students to have the opportunity to shine.

6. Strategically sort: Disaggregate data so that it’s broken

down by race, gender, IEP status, home language, etc. You
should be able to see outcomes for groups of students and
 quickly call out disparities, if any exist. Sometimes this is in
a spreadsheet, and other times it simply means putting exit
tickets into different piles.

Conversely, sometimes hiding students’ identities at first can

help. For example, cover up student names when reviewing
writing samples in order to counteract assumptions based on
what you already “know” about a student’s academic level.
This also helps us avoid applying a student’s negative
behaviors to their academic performance.

It’s easy to depersonalize data, but every data point is a

child. Ultimately, equity-driven data analysis means doing
whatever it takes to remove bias and stereotypes. Taking
even some of the small steps above will not only strengthen
the quality of data analysis, but will begin to dismantle
systemic inequity in the school community.
SHARE THIS STORY

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 Education Equity

EDUCATION EQUITY

How to Support First-Time Honors Students in AP

Classes
Steps teachers can take to help ensure that
students who are new to honors coursework
succeed in their AP classes.
By David Tow
November 11, 2020

Nearly 10 months into the global pandemic and almost seven

months of teaching online, cracks are starting to show . Many
students adapted with impressive speed , but now anxiety
and a sense of alienation are increasing . For students who
are already struggling, socioeconomically disadvantaged,
subject to systemic oppression or bias, or marginalized
because of language or ability, this stress is even greater.

Today’s complicated landscape demands that we refine

curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in a way that does
not add to the net anxiety that students and communities are
already experiencing but still ensures that students have the
core proficiencies for the next step in their intellectual
journeys.
Read Full Story

EDUCATION EQUITY

Pedro Noguera: The Work Is Not Yet Done

Unequal schools have been a fact of American life
long after Brown v. Board. In the midst of another
great awakening on race and equity, can we
summon the will to change them?
By Emily Kaplan
September 30, 2020

When Dr. Pedro Noguera first began studying race and

equity in American public schools 40 years ago, the nation’s
educational landscape had little in common with today’s.
School accountability was not yet part of the national
conversation. Policies like No Child Left Behind and Race to
the Top, as well as voucher programs and charter schools,
were not yet in place. Our K–12 public education system was
only a few decades removed from Brown v. Board of
Education, Noguera says, but most of the nation’s policy
makers were insistent that the days of racial and educational
inequality were in the past. American students of all ethnic
and economic backgrounds, they claimed, benefited from
equal opportunity.

Over the following years, Noguera—as a scholar, professor,

and frequent contributor to publications like The New York
Times, The Nation, and Education Week—was instrumental
in exposing the countless ways in which the battle for equal
rights in schools was just beginning. As the author of such
influential bestsellers as The Trouble With Black Boys... and
Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public
Education  and later City Schools and the American Dream 2:
The Enduring Promise of Public Education  (an updated
edition of which is now available from Teachers College
Press), Noguera laid bare how our schools, like the broader
culture in which they operate, continue to come up short on
issues of racial, economic, and social justice.
Read Full Story

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Strategies to Encourage Students to Turn Their

Cameras On
Incorporating SEL approaches, playing games, and
giving students options can inspire them to show
their faces.
By Liz Byron Loya
November 10, 2020

While there is a tremendous amount of value to being able to

see your students’ faces during distance learning, we can’t
force them to be on camera, just as during in-person
teaching, we can’t force unengaged students to lift their
heads or remove hats or hoodies that obscure their faces.

With experimentation and persistence, however, you can

arrive at strategies that work. Whether they need options,
encouragement, or trust in order to turn their cameras on,
there’s likely a solution that is the right fit for your classroom,
circumstances, lessons, and students.
Read Full Story
TEACHING STRATEGIES

6 Exercises to Get to Know Your Students Better—

and Increase Their Engagement
Celebrating your middle and high school students'
unique identities can bolster connections and
improve performance in school.
By Nora Fleming
November 12, 2020

Hindered by video screens, fluctuating schedules, and health

regulations, teachers are up against the odds this school
year when it comes to getting to know their students.

“It’s hard to really get to know your students through a

webcam," @mark_bevacqua wrote on Twitter, while
@cheri_cheralex shared her struggles of seeing students in
masks or “with eyes only.”
Read Full Story

ONLINE LEARNING

5 Ways to Support Kids With ADHD During

Remote Learning
Without the rules and structure of the classroom,
students with ADHD are struggling. Here’s how
teachers can help.
By Katy Reckdahl
November 12, 2020

Tears and tantrums—popular words among parents who’ve

taken to social media to describe remote learning for their
kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Without the usual support from teachers or the familiarity of
classroom rules and structure, the struggle to stay organized
and keep up with lessons and homework has suddenly
become overwhelming.

“My son needs to be hands-on,” says New Orleans mother

Sydney Ray, whose sixth-grade son has ADHD and anxiety.
Because of the frustration he’s experiencing during online
classes, he’s begun blurting things out unexpectedly,
interrupting both his peers and Ray’s meetings as she works
from home. “School from home plus ADHD is complete,
ahem...hell,” writes Ray via text message.
Read Full Story

ASSESSMENT

4 Assessment Strategies for Distance and Hybrid

Learning
A few ways to set up formative and summative
assessments that provide an accurate picture of
what students know.
By Kyleen Gray
November 20, 2020

The question of how to authentically and fairly assess

distance learners is one that educators, administrators, and
school districts have been struggling with since the spring. In
my district, a list of suggested methods of online assessment
was released after significant pressure from teachers, but
few of them were very specific or plausible. My guess is that
many teachers are in the same boat regarding a lack of
direction in regard to assessment and have been left to work
it out on their own.

Below are four assessment strategies that I’ve tested in my

digital/physical classroom. Although every subject area has
unique assessment needs, I think most teachers will be able
to find something in this list that could work for them,
whether they are teaching in person, online, or in a hybrid
format.
Read Full Story

TEACHING STRATEGIES

4 Criteria for Effective Directions

Directions that are observable, timed, clear, and
concise can help ensure student compliance.
By Rachel Fuhrman
December 1, 2020

One of the most important, yet initially harsh seeming,

pieces of advice my principal gave me was this: If multiple
students aren’t following the directions, it most likely isn’t
their fault, it’s yours. It quickly made me reevaluate the ways
in which I gave directions to my students during class.

Luckily, the principal who made me realize that it might be

my directions that were the problem was the same principal
who helped me figure out how to fix it. A major piece of the
fix was in creating criteria for my directions and ensuring that
every time I asked my students to do something, these
criteria, outlined in detail below, were met.
Read Full Story

SCHOOL CLIMATE

Taking the Heat Out of Politically Charged

Classroom Discussions
A social studies framework can help create a school
environment where political discussions are fact-
based and respectful.
By Scott Kercher
December 1, 2020

In our polarized country, the civic mission of our schools can

become a political minefield where teachers dare not tread.
Public, political, and parental pressures can easily
overwhelm novice and veteran teachers alike and dissuade
them from engaging in critical conversations.

Without consistent and full-throated support, teachers often

choose to avoid politically sensitive topics rather than court
community backlash from the right or the left. In
consequence, our classrooms fail to model civil discourse,
and our students mirror the bad behaviors perpetuated in the
self-selected echo chambers of their social and news media
outlets.
Read Full Story

TEACHING STRATEGIES

5 Ways to Help Students Transfer Their Learning

to New Situations
As students gain content knowledge, their next step
should be applying it to new problems and across
academic disciplines.
By Michael McDowell
November 30, 2020
As teachers, we all want our students to solve problems that
incorporate content we just taught them. Or, we want them to
illustrate how they can take knowledge from another
discipline and apply it to our class. Often we are bogged
down with suggestions from books or experts that are too
time-consuming or take us away from the course content that
we know is critical for students to learn. However, with a few
simple adjustments, we can get students to engage in
applying their learning in short order.

While it may seem counterintuitive, getting students to apply

their learning is the polar opposite of what they need to do
when learning new content-based information. Applying
learning is all about range—seeing across problems,
evaluating multiple situations, and learning how to take what
we already know and seeing where it may be helpful in real-
world situations. Learning content knowledge is all about
depth—defining and describing facts, comparing and
contrasting those ideas to better understand key principles
and practices within a discipline.
Read Full Story

ASSESSMENT

How to Help Students Focus on What They’re

Learning, Not the Grade
 Work that emphasizes students’ developing skills
instead of a graded product reminds them to see
learning as their goal.
By Sarah Schroeder
November 30, 2020

Remote and blended instruction have forced an

unprecedented review of teaching and learning practices.
The result: an increased awareness of what works and what
doesn’t and a renewed interest in what learning looks like
and how we assess it.

Questions that learners ask about an assignment are telling.

How long should it be? How do I get an A? What do you
want us to turn in? When is it due? These questions focus on
the grade, not the learning outcomes. They highlight the
assessment trap, or a focus on “What do I have to produce?”
versus “What am I learning from this assignment?”
Read Full Story
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