What is the Gap?
- The gap between low-income and non-low-income students on the 4th grade reading test is 3.05 grade levels
- The gap between low-income and non-low-income students on the 8th grade reading test is 2.89 grade levels
It’s the difference in educational performance between Connecticut’s low-income and non-low-income students. This gap disproportionately affects minority students, primarily African-American and Latino children. In national progress tests given to 4th and 8th graders, results showed that low-income students in Connecticut performed at dramatically lower levels than non-low-income students—sometimes up to three grade levels behind.