BY MELANIE BUCK –
The Arkansas Department of Education has released their School Performance Report for 2014 and several of Polk County’s schools have passed with flying colors. Acorn High School scored the highest of the County’s schools, with 282 points and letter grade “A.” Holly Harshman and Louise Durham Elementary schools also received “A’s” with 273 points each.
Van-Cove and Wickes Elementary both just missed the “A” mark with 269 and 267 points, respectively, and finished with a “B” grade. Acorn Elementary received 260 points and Mena High School scored 241 points, rounding out the County’s “B” ratings. Mena Middle School received a “C” mark with 215 points and Cossatot River High School received the County’s only “D” mark with 202 points.
In 2013, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 696 to clarify the public school rating system on annual report cards for parents. Each year the Arkansas Department of Education pulls data from all public schools in the state and ranks them, although it has been difficult, at best, for parents to understand the ranking system.
With the passage of Act 696 of 2013, beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, parents can now see the report card grade of their child’s school on a scale of A, B, C, D, or F. The A-F grading scale is a widely accepted way to identify how well a student is performing in school, especially on tests and assignments, so it is only natural that the state chose this way to rank public schools in a quickly identifiable way for parents. The letter grades represent the following categories: A=270-300 points, exemplary; B=240-269, achieving; C=210-239, needs improvement; D=180-209, needs improvement focus; F=less than 180 points, needs improvement priority.
Although not all data is included in these particular grades, it does give an overall average and it helps parents and the public better understand how well a school is performing. The grading scale represents how well students are performing in math and literacy on statewide tests such as the Benchmark and End of Course exams; whether schools are meeting yearly student performance goals and showing improvement or expected growth for all students; whether schools are meeting graduation goals for all students and at-risk groups; and whether the school has an achievement gap and if that gap is sizable.
The State Department of Education said some of the things not included in the grading system are, it does not measure how well an individual student or teacher is doing; it does not take into consideration other things the school may be doing well, such as meeting students’ nutrition and health needs or how well students are performing in other subject areas.
The Department of Education encourages parents to become aware of how well schools are performing in the community; talk with teachers and school officials about how to help the school; volunteer at school and engage in areas that need improvement; and ensure your children have excellent attendance, complete all assignments, and are engaged in learning.
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
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