Item saved to your backpack!

The National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education recently released a report providing detailed information on the achievement gaps between Hispanic and White public school students in fourth and eighth grade at the national and state levels.

The report, entitled "Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)," [PDF file] looks at how the achievement gaps have changed since the 1990s, and examines the performance of specific student demographic groups, such as those classified as English Language Learners (ELL) and those eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Key findings include the following:

• At the national level, the achievement gap between Hispanic and White students at grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and reading is about 20 points on the NAEP scale.
• Five states/jurisdictions have a smaller gap than the national average for both reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8, including Department of Defense Education Activity schools, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wyoming.
• California and Connecticut each had a Hispanic--White gap larger than the national average for grades 4 and 8 mathematics and for grade 4 reading.
• In 2009, the 15-point reading gap between grade 4 White and non-ELL Hispanic students was narrower than the 24-point gap in 1998. Scores increased for both groups but the increase was larger for non-ELL Hispanic students. At grade 4, the achievement gap was not statistically different from 1998 to 2009.
• In 2009, the 15-point reading gap between grade 8 White and non-ELL Hispanic students was narrower than the 22-point gap in 1998, but not significantly different in 2009 than the gap in 2007. Scores increased for both groups but the increase was larger for non-ELL Hispanic students. The reading achievement gap between non-ELL and ELL Hispanic students was 39 points at grade 8.

"Race and ethnicity shouldn't be factors in the success of any child in America," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement. "Hispanic students are the largest minority group in our nation's schools. But they face grave educational challenges that are hindering their ability to pursue the American dream. We must expand their educational opportunities at every level of the P-12 system to compete with the rest of the world."

For related news and other information from Schools.com, see:

• Are ACT scores an accurate indicator of college success?
• Justin Bieber joins with Pencils of Promise to raise money for schools
• CDC: U.S. high school students are out of shape
• New York State publishes high school graduation rates