Revealing the variation in performance of Hawai'i’s Asian Pacific Islander subgroups on the English Language Arts Smarter Balanced Assessment: Implications for policy and practice

Abstract This study reports accurate estimates of the achievement gap patterns on the Common Core State Standards-aligned English language Arts Smarter Balanced Assessment adopted by the Hawai'i State Department of Education. It employs a multilevel framework to examine the reading achievement gaps between White students and their peers comprising the Asian Pacific Islander (API) subgroups: Asian, Filipino, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander. The results shed light on the need for reporting disaggregated performance of the subgroups that make up the API group. Previous studies in Hawai'i have shown the persistent achievement gaps between Native Hawaiian and White students, but this is the first study in Hawai'i that examines existing patterns across all four subgroups that make up the traditional API group.