Closing the gap in student performance

 

The blue graph represents a learning curve of an average student

The red graph represents a learning curve of a student that has fallen behind

The gap between A and B / C and D represents how the gap grows between two students over time.

If nothing is done, the red student falls further and further behind the blue student.

To bridge students from A to B or from C to D requires a level of intervention - doing something beyond classroom teaching. Either focus on blue students and allow red students to fall further behind, focus on red students and slow the curve of blue students or differentiate and allow both to progress.

• Students need to do more (not less) work to catch up
• It needs to be focused on developing current skills required and addressing gaps in skills
• Intervention available needs to be targeted to where formative assessment identifies issues and pre-prepared resources are available to address common issues outside of classtime

Streaming and Differentiation (typically applied as mutually exclusive strategies) attempt to address the issues faced by a teacher of students with different learning requirements.

One method of addressing the needs of both groups is to ability stream, putting students together of like abilities.  It can reduce the load for a teacher in a classroom by reducing what needs to be taught to a narrower band.  One issue with this approach is the low expectation/low ability bias - students that are behind have lower abilities so we should have lower expectations - thus learning is slower and below ability levels.  Overcoming this bias is difficult but can be done.  

Deficits of streaming

• Tendency for lower expectations
• Fewer positive role models/peer support
• Re-inforcement of the difficulties faced rather than successes
• Normalising absences/poor behaviour/low effort
• Lower classes typically given to less able teachers
• Transition between streams can be problematic (difficultly leap, unsupported during transition, infrequent restreaming)
• Typically delivers to the bottom/middle of the class
• Individualised support is not a focus (the focus is identifying work at level for the class) thus bridging the gap is less likely to address issues at a student level
• Little/No support in Research to support an increase in learning for streamed students in average schools (Hattie)

Differentiation is a possible alternative where students are covering same topic in class but at different levels.  Rather than a structural/environmental change, this is a change in approach of the teacher.  This requires a higher level of teacher skill, organsation and discipline to do effectively.  Signs that this is being done:

• Strong communication between teacher/student/parent.
• Diagnostic assessment completed prior to each topic
• Identification of gaps and remedies identified for gaps
• Students completing different work based on ability
• Assessment provided at multiple levels
• Addressing students that have gaps with clear measurable strategies typically outside of the classroom
• Requires advanced knowledge of scope and sequence of topics beyond year level
• Safe learning environment where all students are confident to ask questions
• Results of the group as a whole are increasing (fewer failing students)

It is possible to do both at the same time, but needs recognition that streaming alone does not address closing the gap between students - to do this requires going further than teaching bottom/middle of the class given and that differentiation when the gap is large in Mathematics is load intensive. That is streaming requires less work (class instruction is more targeted as there is smaller variation between students) and differentiation more work (increased variation between students decreases the effectiveness of traditional class based instruction).  Given class based instruction is the preferred delivery mode in schools, reluctance to differentiate can be considerable.

Intervention is the process of moving a student from the bottom curve to the top curve through action at a group or individual level (eg. from B to A or from D to C). This could include:

• Pastoral support to assist in managing issues at home or incidental mental health needs
• Tutoring outside of class time
• Addressing individual needs within the classroom to increase learning beyond the average speed in the class
• Catch up classes over the holidays
• Work sent home to parents aimed at addressing gaps in learning
• Acceleration of programmes of work
• Changing focus of existing programmes to address student needs
• ICT applications aimed to assist particular types of students
• Withdrawal from options classes or creation of options classes to focus on Literacy and Numeracy or Extension (eg Period 25, Period 6)
• After school classes

A major feature of intervention is that it is above what is done for the average student and is able to be stopped once the student has caught up.  This allows catch up (rather than falling behind) as students are still progressing to a greater or lesser degree with the rest of the class (as opposed to a withdrawal/differentiated/streamed model.  Students are doing more in order to catch up and once on the curve are able to stay on the curve as the reason for learning more slowly than the rest of the class is overcome and the intervention is able to stop and be redirected to another student.   Where it can't end with the student on the leaning curve without ongoing intervention to prevent falling behind again, the strategy I think it should be defined as differentiation as it is an ongoing need of the student.