214 state teachers earn certification
A total of 214 Arkansas teachers earned national certification in their teaching fields this year from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, making them eligible for an annual, state-paid bonus of $5,000 for up to 10 years.
To date, 2,778 Arkansas teachers have achieved the certification, which can take up to three years to acquire, according to the Arkansas Department of Education.
To earn the national certification, teachers must demonstrate their understanding of national, rigorous teaching standards and their ability to implement research-based educational practices.
The directory of National Board Certified Teachers shows that 247 Little Rock School District teachers hold national certification, including 20 who earned it this year. The Pulaski County Special district has 67 nationally certified teachers, including four who earned it this year. The North Little Rock district has 78 nationally certified teachers, including two additions in 2014.
Cabot has 90 nationally certified teachers, including 11 who earned it this year. Fort Smith has 111 nationally certified teachers, including seven who received the credential this year. Bentonville has 118, including seven who received the credential in 2014. Fayetteville has 81, including 10 who acquired it this year. Jonesboro has 43 nationally certified teachers, including four who earned it this year.
The complete directory of nationally certified Arkansas teachers is available on the organization's website: nbpts.org.
UA ranks schools by improvement
North Little Rock's Seventh Street Elementary ranks first in the state for improvement on the Arkansas Benchmark Exam in elementary mathematics, going from an average 44 percent of students scoring at proficient and advanced levels several years ago to an average 72 percent scoring proficient or better in more recent years.
Union Elementary School in Texarkana is the state's most improved elementary school in literacy, going from 40 percent to 80 percent proficient and advanced over the course of several years, according to the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Every year, the Office for Education Policy highlights excellent school performance on state-required exams in math, literacy and science with its Outstanding Educational Performance Awards.
The top 20 schools in each of several categories are honored. Those statewide categories are: high-achieving overall schools; high-achievement elementary, middle and high schools; high-achieving schools serving low-income communities; and most improved schools.
Schools are also honored for performance by regions of the state: central, northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest.
In addition to Seventh Street Elementary, others ranked in the top five in elementary math improvement were Union Elementary, Mayflower Elementary, Little Rock's Wilson Elementary and Marvell-Elaine Elementary.
In addition to Union Elementary, others ranked in the top five in elementary literacy improvement were Marvell-Elaine; Little Rock's Wilson and Hot Springs' Oaklawn Magnet Elementary, which tied for third; and North Little Rock's Lynch Drive Elementary.
All the rankings and explanations on the calculations are under the "OEP Publications" link on the Office for Education Policy website: officeforeducationpolicy.org.
Summer program gets judge's praise
U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. last week praised the initial success of a summer program designed to help Pulaski County Special School District graduates get a good start in college.
Marshall, the presiding judge in the 34-year-old Pulaski County school desegregation lawsuit, noted that 61 of 63 recent high school graduates who participated in last summer's Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Scholars Academy are now enrolled in a some kind of post-secondary education program.
"That's an excellent rate of return," Marshall told Amber Smith, the program's director.
The Pulaski County Special district is spending $10 million from its state desegregation aid over three years for the academy, which includes a three-week summer, residential program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for recent high school graduates.
The graduates work to improve their math and literacy skills to raise their scores on the ACT college entrance exam and possibly avoid remediation courses once they are enrolled in college. They also receive coaching on how to be successful in college.
The Donaldson Scholars who complete the summer program and enroll at UALR or Philander Smith College are eligible for scholarships.
Other components of the scholars program include Saturday activities for current high school students.
Marshall said last week that he was disappointed with the low turnout of students for that part of the program. Smith assured him that recruiting efforts are ongoing, expanding and getting some traction.
Marshall said he sees the Scholars Academy as one of the "great hopes" in the desegregation efforts undertaken by the Pulaski County Special district.
Metro on 12/21/2014