Smart Start: Arkansas' K-4 Initiative

Teaching is more for tomorrow than today. Unless all of us believe that all children can learn, we chart our future tethered to an anchor of mediocrity.

The Smart Start initiative is based on the premise that "all children will meet or exceed grade-level requirements in reading and mathematics by Grade 4." Smart Start represents a comprehensive plan for student achievement and is not simply another fad or new innovation to which teachers and students have so often been subjected. It focuses on strong accountability with an emphasis on well-defined, high educational standards in reading and mathematics. These standards are clearly communicated to each school district, its administrators, teachers, students, parents, and the voting public.

To fully realize and appreciate the potential impact of this program, it is necessary to view its components, not only in terms of the intensive efforts for these five grades, but as one part of a comprehensive program for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. When reading and mathematics achievement is increased at the lower grade levels, the stage will be set for greater academic success through the middle and upper grades.

The success of Smart Start necessitates the coordination of the following four areas:

• Standards -- Represented by the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks, these standards are rigorous and well defined. At Grades K-4, they serve as the basis for the expected levels of proficiency demanded in reading and mathematics, including a very specific definition of what is meant by "meet or exceed grade-level requirements in reading and mathematics by Grade 4." At Grades 5-12, they become the blueprint for enhanced student performance, increasing the basic foundation laid earlier in breadth and depth.
• Professional Development - Focused on both teachers and administrators, all activities promote the mission of Smart Start and emphasize topics related to subject matter content, curriculum alignment with the Frameworks, analysis of assessment results, incorporation of a variety of instructional strategies and techniques, utilization of technology, distance learning, and other local district needs.
• Student Assessment - Aligned with the Frameworks and classroom instruction, testing is standards-based and emphasizes conceptual understanding and application of knowledge.
• Accountability - Designed to improve student learning, schools are accountable for student achievement.

If Arkansas students have any real chance to achieve and maintain academic success commensurate with the rest of the United States and the world, then the state must insist that the standards in the Frameworks be adopted for all students in every district. While maximum control of the details remains at the local level, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) demands stronger accountability for performance from its schools which, in turn, must demand stronger accountability from their students.

For more information, please contact:

Debbie Coffman, Education Associate Director
Arkansas Department of Education
K-12 Literacy
Four Capitol Mall, Room 401-B
Phone: 501-682-4232