Message from the Commissioner

The Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP) has become the single most important blueprint for education in our state for the foreseeable future. Anchored by the two initiatives Smart Start (Grades Kindergarten - Four) and Smart Step (Grades Five - Eight), ACTAAP holds great promise for significant improvement in student achievement for all children.

ACTAAP is not a 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, writing and mathematics. These standards have been clearly communicated to administrators, teachers, students, parents and the general public in each school district.

Arkansas classroom teachers have been at the center of these reform efforts. The teachers, principals, superintendents, and curriculum supervisors have taken advantage of numerous professional development offerings featuring some of the finest, most successful educators in Arkansas and the United States.

With the focus on high expectations for our students, it is imperative that the general public, particularly parents, understand that their involvement and support within their local districts are crucial. Reading, writing, and mathematics are key skills that all of our children must master early and continue to master throughout their educational experience. We continue to see evidence that our efforts through Smart Start and Smart Step are paying great dividends in helping to achieve the goal of 100% of Arkansas' children acquiring grade level performance in these three areas. While we have a long way to go, more of our educators now believe the state is serious in its expectations and that accountability for results are real and here to stay.

We will continue to be successful if we truly believe that 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.