Madison Superintendent Dan Nerad recently proposed a plan to reduce the achievement gap in Madison School District.

Nerad gave a speech Monday night at the Fitchburg Public Library and encouraged community participation and feedback regarding the current proposed plan, Madeline Hafner, the Minority Student Achievement Network executive director, said.

The achievement gap typically refers to the achievement level between students of color and their white peers, but gaps exist between a variety of demographic indicators including gender, socioeconomic status or other diverse qualities.

“Everyone is encouraged to come out, look at the plan, and provide feedback and dialogue about the plan’s different elements,” Hafner said.

According to Nerad, the preliminary plan for reducing achievement gaps presents six main areas of focus: focusing on academic instruction and support; developing college and career readiness; expanding culturally responsive practices; assuring safe and positive classroom and school environments; enhancing family engagement and recruiting; and selecting and retaining a diverse workforce.

“Reducing the gap will really involve looking at the academic achievement level of one group in comparison to high levels of achievement,” Hafner said. “We want everyone to be excelling.”

Within the six categories, Nerad outlined specific courses of action, such as ensuring students can read at their grade level, introducing an active intervention system to prevent student failure before it occurs and expanding the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) college preparation program, Hafner said.

Michael Johnson, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County executive director, expressed interest in Nerad’s program and said the AVID program has benefited students in the club.

“Kids in our AVID program go to school more, their GPAs are higher, they graduate from high school and go to college,” Johnson said. “You’ll see because of that success, part of the plan [Nerad] laid out yesterday talked about the expansion of the AVID program.”

The preliminary plan for reducing achievement gaps has a proposed budget of about $105.6 million, Nerad said.

Plans to fund the program in its first year involve utilizing unused tax levy authorities from past years.

“Our kids are in need to advance their learning,” Nerad said. “These resources will be a source of funds to accomplish that.”

Nerad said the plan is in its preliminary stages and the school district plans to have extensive conversations with the community for more input and revision.

Hafner emphasized that the question of funds need not be addressed until the plan is further developed.

“People always get focused on the funds first, and I think in order to not stop this conversation we have to avoid that conversation until later,” Hafner said.

She also said the school district must look at the core principals of the plan, which are teaching and learning environments for the district’s children.

It will take the cooperation of non-profit leaders, parents and the business community to close the gap and ensure all Madison children are learning and graduating, Johnson said.

“We need to invest in our kids to make sure they are going to school, that they’re inspired to be someone and to be great, and ultimately they graduate and go to college or begin a career,” Johnson said.