Closing the Performance Gap

Gering Public Schools, a small district in northwest Nebraska, used to experience a reading achievement gap. In 2004, 36 percent of all Hispanic second-grade students met fluency benchmarks, compared with 59 percent of all white students in the district’s three elementary schools. Low literacy performance was also a problem at the district’s sole junior high school.

That was before the district implemented the comprehensive Direct Instruction model with the support of the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). The achievement gap in reading has now been closed. Over three-fourths of all students meet second-grade fluency benchmarks, with a higher percentage of Hispanic students meeting benchmarks than white students! At the junior high school, the need for remedial reading programs has declined drastically as students are much better able to comprehend content-area texts.

This 20-minute video, Closing the Performance Gap: The Gering Story, portrays the district’s transition from one with literacy problems to one in which all students receive an education that meets their literacy needs. The video describes the changes in instruction, progress monitoring, and professional development resulting from the implementation of the comprehensive Direct Instruction model.