When the first wave of state achievement test results are released every year, educators have a stock answer for the vexing disparity in achievement between African-American and Latino students and their white and Asian counterparts: poverty.

But this year, new data in the Standardized Testing and Reporting program (STAR) shows that even when poverty is not a factor, the performance of black and Latino students still lagged behind.

"These are not just economic achievement gaps. They are racial achievement gaps," said Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. "We cannot afford to excuse them. We must take notice and take action."

Read more at the San Jose Mercury News.