Rigor Gap Poses Threat to Students' Future Success

A research paper produced by Florida’s Council of 100, a non-profit and private nonpartisan organization that’s dedicated. To improving the quality of life for Floridians through the pursuit of effective, business-driven public policy, shows that there is a statewide gap between students’ classroom grades and the actual mastery of skills they have achieved based on their scores on standardizes tests.

This gap is called the Rigor Gap.

Critics are alarmed at the gap, citing that it could potentially signal a disconnect between the grades that students are receiving from their teaches and what is expected by them from the standards placed by the state.

In response to the findings, the Florida Council of 100 argue that “this data is a clear sign that Florida can do more to align efforts on student growth by helping students and families in real time.” Moreover, the Council expressed that “the data clearly illustrates that Florida can do better in accurately communicating academic achievement to students and their parents before it is too late to empower the students to grow and thrive in their unique scholastic ways.”

In the findings, the Council discovered “that almost three-quarters of high school English 2 students and more than half of Algebra I students who failed the corresponding EOC exam earned a classroom grade of C or higher” while “more than one-third of English 2 students and 12% of Algebra I students who failed the relevant EOC earned a classroom grade of B or higher.”

In a statement by Chris Corr, the Chair of the Council of 100, Corr commented that their “analysis concludes that if teachers, leaders, and administrators hold students accountable throughout the school year for the standards they’ll be evaluated on at the end of the year, their grades and test scores will be closely aligned.” However, “the rigor gap we see instead indicates the contrary, the result being that students are less prepared for success at the postsecondary level or in the workplace.”