Title page of Thursdays and Fridays speech

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Accelerating
Achievement
2007 January Conference 1/11/07 1/12/07
Dr. Terry Bergeson Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction
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Thanks to all of our sponsors!
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
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Conference Goals

• Celebrate our successes and face our challenges
• Explore the next steps of education reform
• Develop insights that help us break the link
  between race, poverty, and low achievement
• Network with colleagues
• Re-commit to our mission for kids and for our
  community

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Good news on achievement and policy

• In the new Quality Counts 2007 from Education
  Week, Washington is tied for fourth in the nation
  in K-12 achievement
• The reports P-20 emphasis affirms the policy
  direction of Washington Learns

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Good news about NAEP rankings
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Good news on the achievement gap
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Good news on fourth grade math
The percent of students meeting standard has
almost tripled.
100.0
90.0
80.0
59.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
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The challenges we face (I)

• Mathematics
• Science
• Secondary Literacy
• Support for English Language learners
• Professional development
• Compensation
• Funding
• Closing the achievement/opportunity gap
• Involving parents and communities in meaningful
  ways

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The challenges we face (II)

• The Achievement/Opportunity Gap
• Why does it persist?
• How can it be closed?
• What is the scale of the problem?

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2006 WASL All students
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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2006 WASL White students
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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2006 WASL Asian/Pacific Islander students
Asian/Pacific Islander students meeting standard
in one or more subject areas
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2006 WASL American Indian students
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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2006 WASL Black students
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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2006 WASL Hispanic students
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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2006 WASL ELL students
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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2006 WASL students in special education
10th-grade students meeting standard in one or
more subject areas
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Why is it imperative toclose the gap?

• The economic imperative
• The moral imperative
• The civic imperative

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Our role

• We cant do this alone
• We have to do our part
• We have to reach out for partners to support our
  work
• We have to be partners in working for equity in
  our communities and our nation