The goal of the Arkansas School Performance Report is to disseminate statistical performance information to students, parents and interested community members so that they can work with their schools to ensure that Arkansas provides every student with access to an extraordinary education.

View Performance Reports

From the NORMES School Performance site, you can view an on-line version of the performance report for the state, or view and compare by district or school.

Arkansas Ranks 8th in Nation on the 2008 Annual Quality Counts Report Published by Education Week

• The U.S. Department of Education in 2007 recognized Arkansas as being at the forefront in implementing rigorous learning standards for students. In a study mapping standards for proficiency on the Arkansas Benchmark Exam to the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) standards for fourth and eighth grade literacy and mathematics, Arkansas ranked as high as fourth and consistently ranked in the top 10 for all four tests. In a June 2007 Op-Ed piece, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings wrote: “States that have shown true leadership, such as Arkansas and Massachusetts, can inspire others to act.”

• Arkansas is recognized as a leader in the high school redesign movement, being one of 10 states to receive a $2 million matching grant from the National Governors Association.

• The College Board touts the “Arkansas Model” for the state’s policies regarding Advanced Placement classes. Arkansas requires that all high schools offer AP classes in the four core areas – math, English, science and social studies — by the 2008-2009 school year. The state also pays for AP exams at the end of courses for students. These measures prompted Arkansas to have the largest increase in students taking AP exams in AP history (a 108 percent increase from 2004 to 2005). In 2006, only New Hampshire tied with Arkansas for having the largest increase in students scoring a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams on the 1-5 scale. Participation rates and the number of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams continued to climb in 2007.

• The National Math and Science Initiative awarded Arkansas in August 2007 a $13.2 million, six-year grant to allow schools to implement research-proven training and incentive methods to improve the performance of students in Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-AP courses so that they are better prepared for college-level work in math, science and engineering. Only seven states received the NMSI grants.

• Arkansas is considered a leader in terms of implementing technology in the education system, being one of the first states to develop individual student identifiers. This process provides a longitudinal tracking system for academic achievement as well as electronic transcripts that follow students through Arkansas public schools into the state’s higher education system. Arkansas was one of 14 states selected to receive a U.S. Department of Education grant ($3.2 million) to further these efforts and was lauded for achieving the majority of the 10 elements the department said were necessary for a quality data system.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Charity Smith, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Public School Academic Accountability
Arkansas Department of Education
Four Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-4207

Or, contact your local school administrator.

Dear Parents:

The Arkansas Department of Education is pleased to provide the 2007 Arkansas School Performance Report. This publication contains detailed statistical information about Arkansas’ public schools. The purpose of this report is to provide you with reliable information about the performance of your child’s school, as well as other schools in your community, state and nation. I encourage you to carefully review the information and contact your school with specific questions or concerns.

It is the intent of the Governor, the Arkansas General Assembly and the Arkansas State Board of Education to showcase performance and accountability in our schools, and we hope that this report will empower parents to become more engaged in the process.

The majority of the data presented in the report is a result of requirements contained in the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP). ACTAAP has been the most important blueprint for educational reform in our state and is anchored by two initiatives – Smart Start (Grades K-4) and Smart Step (Grades 5-8).

If you need additional information about the Arkansas School Performance Report, please contact your local school administrator.

T. Kenneth James, Ed.D.
Commissioner
Arkansas Department of Education