FARMINGTON -- Recent legislative attempts to change what students learn and how their knowledge is assessed demoralized educators, a Northwest Arkansas school official told two state Board of Education members this week.
"We just want the policy makers to tell us what the devil they want," said Paul Hewitt, superintendent of the Fayetteville School District. "It has a real effect on morale. When the next new reform comes out, what will our teachers be saying? If you did this to an athletic team, they'd never win."
State Board of Education
The Arkansas Board of Education consists of nine members. Kim Davis of Fayetteville, appointed in August, is the board’s newest member. His term expires in 2021. Mireya Reith of Fayetteville was appointed to the board in 2011. Her term expires in 2018. The board meets monthly.
Source: Staff Report
Hewitt and other Northwest Arkansas school district leaders had a chance to ask questions and discuss concerns with state Board of Education members Kim Davis and Mireya Reith during Thursday's meeting of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative Board.
Davis and Reith both live in Fayetteville. They are the only members of the state Board of Education who live in Northwest Arkansas.
"This is an opportunity to hear from you all," Reith told school officials at the meeting.
Part of the discussion concerned the state and national controversy on Common Core educational standards and the exams Arkansas uses to assess how well students are learning.
Some Arkansas lawmakers pushed last month to replace those exams, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. The effort failed, though legislators passed a bill preventing the state from renewing its participation in the tests for more than a year at a time after the 2015-2016 school year.
The test's association with Common Core caused legislators some concern. Other concerns had to do with how the test was given, the cost of the exam and the terms of the state's contract with Pearson PLC, the nonprofit testing company.
The tests were administered online in Arkansas schools for the first time beginning last month. Several Northwest Arkansas school district officials said the process went smoothly.
"It was very successful for us," said Megan Witonski, an assistant superintendent for Springdale schools. "It will only get smoother from here. Online assessments should not be something to be afraid of."
Hewitt said he expected many parents to pull their kids out of testing, but only a few did.
"Our kids reported it was fun," he said. "Honest to God, they said it was fun."
Reith said the state board has no desire to alter its approach on either Common Core or the assessment tests. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has assembled a task force to review Common Core. The state board inquired about getting one of its members on that committee, but it didn't happen, she said.
The discussion Thursday also covered charter schools. There are 18 open-enrollment charter schools in the state. There are three in Northwest Arkansas, with two more set to open this fall.
Charter schools are publicly funded and open to any student at no cost. They are often viewed as competing with traditional public schools. Groups wanting to open a charter school must be approved by the state Department of Education. A panel interviews applicants and decides whether to permit them.
"We are seeing more demand for alternatives," Reith said.
That demand is high in Northwest Arkansas despite the fact the traditional public schools are performing relatively well, she said. She added the state board always considers how a charter school will affect local traditional schools, and the state has always put the burden on charter applicants to show they could do a better job than their local public schools.
"I don't think anyone making a charter school application has ever told us it's easy," Reith said.
Janie Darr, Rogers superintendent, asked whether the state considers what kind of students charter schools are serving, including special education students and those learning English as a second language. Darr noted traditional schools must take every student who walks through the door.
Charter schools also must accept all students who apply, assuming they have enough space. If they don't, a lottery is used to determine admission. The state is making a better effort to insist charter school officials reach out to their entire community to diversify their applicant pools, Davis said.
"We have definitely seen an increased amount of questions to ensure all kids are being served," Davis said.
A school's success isn't truly worth celebrating if it relies on attracting only the best and brightest students, Reith said.
Charles Cudney, director of the Education Service Cooperative, said traditional public schools lack the same freedom charter schools are granted.
"We want to compete," Cudney said. "All we ask for is a level playing field."