Educators of deaf and hard of hearing students must close the gap that too often exists between a student's grade level and his or her actual achievement. Delays in developing and using English can lead naturally to delays in overall academic performance, and sometimes the gap between the student's grade level and his or her academic performance persists throughout the student's entire academic career (Scheetz, 2012). When a student who is deaf or hard of hearing does not have any concurrent disability, grade-level performance is attainable--and it is educators' responsibility to make sure their students attain it. This may not be easy. Sometimes students' achievement scores are several years below their grade levels, and teachers must make more than one year of progress in one year's time--and must do so continually. As a seasoned educator who has experienced success at closing the gap between grade level and achievement for many deaf and hard of hearing students, Kelly Metz offers perspectives on five factors responsible for successful student outcomes and closing the persistent but unnecessary gap between performance and grade level.