0.1 Reading and math differences between hispanic and white students  (Page 7/10)

Trends

Reading. For the 16-year time period, the trend concerning the differences in passing rates in reading between Hispanic students and White students in elementary school revealed a continuous achievement gap. Passing rates in reading for White students averaged 6.73% to 30.87% higher than the average passing rates for Hispanic students over the 16-year time period. The differences in passing rates in reading between Hispanic students and White students were evident in the initial 1993-1994, 2002-2003, and 2004-2005 testing years. During the 1992-1993 school year within the state of Texas, differences may be explained with the transition of TAAS testing from the fall to the spring, as well as the implementation of the TAAS tests for students in grades 4 through grades 8, and a new accountability measure for districts and campuses alike (http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/studies/testingtimeline.pdf).

Differences in passing rates between Hispanic students and White students were also discernible during the 2002-2003 school year, which coincided with the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act. As mentioned previously, this law was enacted to bring stricter accountability for school campuses and districts, as well as 100% passing rates for all students by the 2013-2014 school year. The greatest difference in achievement between Hispanic students and White students was evident during the 2003-2005 school years. This wide discrepancy in passing rate between students corresponded with the administration of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test (http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/studies/testingtimeline.pdf). By the 2005-2006 school year, the mean difference between both groups began to decline and continued to decline through the 2008-2009 school year. The smallest gap occurred during the 2001-2002 school year (4.06%). Readers are referred to Figure 1 for the trend that was present concerning the difference in passing rates in reading between Hispanic students and White students in elementary school, across a 16-year time period.