The New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension: Rethinking the Reading Achievement Gap.

Is there an achievement gap for online reading ability based on income inequality that is separate from the achievement gap in traditional, offline reading? This possibility was examined between students in two pseudonymous school districts: West Town (economically advantaged) and East Town (economically challenged; N = 256). Performance-based assessments were used within a simulation of the Internet developed as part of a larger project. Seventh graders completed two online research and comprehension assessments, which evaluated four skill areas (locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate) and two knowledge domains in science. Students also completed an assessment of prior domain knowledge and a short Internet use questionnaire. Standardized state reading and writing test scores served as measures of offline literacy skills. Results indicated that there was a significant achievement gap favoring West Town students in offline reading scores, offline writing scores, and online research and comprehension scores. A significant gap persisted for online research and comprehension after we conditioned on pretest differences in offline reading, offline writing, and prior knowledge scores. The results of the questionnaire indicated that West Town students had greater access to the Internet at home and were required to use the Internet more in school. These results suggest that a separate and independent achievement gap existed for online reading, based on income inequality. Current estimates of this gap, which rely solely on measures of offline reading, may underrepresent the true nature of the U.S. reading achievement gap in an online age. Policy implications are explored. Education and opportunity have long been linked to public policy in the United States ( Brown v. Board of Educ. , 1954 ; Mann, 1855 ; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers [NGA Center & CCSSO], 2010 ). Intertwined with this history, the ability to read at high levels has always been considered important, permitting an essential pathway to advancement for everyone, especially the least privileged (cf. Chall, 1967 ; Huey, 1908 ). Despite attempts at policy remedies, a substantial gap based on income inequality continues to exist in students’ reading achievement levels (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2011b , 2013 ), and evidence indicates that it is growing, over time (Reardon, 2013 ). In a society that professes egalitarian ideals and equal opportunity through education, a reading achievement gap based on income inequality should be a concern of every citizen. Reading has been shifting from page to screen (Goldman, Braasch, Wiley, Graesser, & Brodowinska, 2012 ; Hartman, Morsink, & Zheng, 2010 ), but analyses of reading achievement gaps have only evaluated Donald J. Leu