Concerns and Considerations for How to Inclusively Discuss the Achievement Gap

Broadly speaking, the purpose of measuring achievement is to measure student learning and their progress towards their degree. Student grades are also used when students apply for jobs, scholarships, and advanced degrees. Grades and standardized test scores are therefore one of the most crucial gatekeepers for student success.

Unfortunately, metrics of achievement and standardized testing in particular may exhibit unfair biases towards certain groups. In his 2019 book entitled “How to Be Antiracist” Professor Ibram X. Kendi stated: “What if, all along, these well-meaning efforts at closing the achievement gap have been opening the door to racist ideas? What if different environments lead to different kinds of achievement rather than different levels of achievement?” He goes on to discuss how standardized testing originated from eugenicists and thrived upon racist ideas Standardized testing originated from eugenicists and thrived upon racist ideas. (Kendi, 2019). Carl Brigham, a lead developer of the SAT, believed that Blacks were less intelligent than Whites, and this was something he hoped his tests would reveal (Rosales & Walker, 2021). According to Professor Kendi, standardized tests like the SAT do not effectively measure intelligence or predict professional success, and that instead these tests have been used to exclude Blacks from prestigious schools even though it is “the tests, not the Black test-takers, [that have been] underachieving  (Rosales & Walker, 2021).

In addition to concerns about standardized tests, there are several other reasons to be careful when examining or reporting on achievement gaps. First, while achievement gaps are often reported between broad demographic groups, it is important to realize that each of these groups is heterogeneous and individuals within these broad categories often have different means and backgrounds (Kao & Thompson, 2003). For example, those classified as Black can come from many places within the US or from many different countries around the world, each with their own languages, cultures, and life experiences. While the broad demographic groups may be seen as underperforming or overperforming, this may mask important differences present within subgroups. Second, discussing academic achievement gaps is also challenging because doing so may inadvertently contribute to the association of students of color with poor academic performance, which can in turn feed into stereotypes and racist ideas. Lastly, there is a great temptation among scholars to refer to education as the ‘ultimate equalizer’, a panacea that can single-handedly combat racial inequality and poverty. Education can indeed be a powerful part of the solution but treating it as a ‘silver bullet’ can inadvertently imply that existing inequalities and performance differences are based on innate differences in ability and effort rather than the larger societal problems of racism and unequal access to resources (Merolla & Jackson, 2019). This line of thinking can also lead to the fallacious solution of only trying to ‘fix the students’ without adjusting instructor behaviors and educational policies. For all these reasons, discussing and disseminating information about achievement gaps should be done with care and consideration towards the intended recipients and those who might be affected (Gouvea, 2021). For example, broadcasting facts about the achievement gap in a college classroom may do more harm than good, while providing these same facts to researchers, instructors, and administrators could very well be beneficial. Despite concerns about how the achievement gap is reported, measuring and discussing the academic achievement gap in STEM can be used as a powerful tool to help document equity problems and motivate change.