Our state’s low test scores are largely attributable to an achievement chasm between White and Latino students.
4 steps to bridge the gap
The percentage of Latino students who meet or exceed standards on Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards tests averages 21.2 points lower than for White students, from third-grade math through high-school science. Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress is equally dismal. Only one in 10 Latino adults have a college degree, compared with more than a third of Whites.
This isn’t unique to Arizona, or to minority groups. Black and American Indian students post similar scores, as do children from low-income households. None of this is acceptable.
