How do districts measure and address achievement gaps when deciding on program funding?

• A. Analyze disaggregated student data, fund targeted interventions, monitor progress, and adjust allocations based on effectiveness and equity considerations.
• B. Increase funding uniformly to all programs regardless of data.
• C. Rely solely on state test scores to allocate funds.
• D. Use age of students as the primary factor for funding.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that districts use disaggregated data to identify who is falling behind and then steer funding toward targeted, evidence-based interventions, while continually monitoring outcomes and adjusting allocations based on effectiveness and equity.

Districts examine performance by subgroups—such as race/ethnicity, income level, English learners, and students with disabilities—to see where gaps persist. They fund specific supports aimed at those groups, like tutoring, extended-learning options, or specialized instruction, and track progress over time. If data show gains, funding continues for successful approaches; if not, resources shift to more effective strategies and to the groups most in need, ensuring resources support equitable outcomes. This contrasts with uniformly increasing funding across all programs, which can miss where gaps exist, and with relying only on state test scores or using age as the primary funding factor, both of which fail to address broader indicators of learning or the varying needs across student groups.