After reading about the 46 Arkansas schools earning the bottom 5 percent tag, it is important to explain why the middle school of Little Rock Preparatory Academy (LRPA) made the list.
The "priority school" designation for the 46 schools was determined based on ACTAAP test scores in the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 years. This three-year period fell right in the middle of Little Rock Prep's effort to rebuild under new management. During that time, three of every four of LRPA's students enrolled in the Academy for the first time. That is important context when considering Little Rock Prep's listing as a "priority school."
Little Rock Prep's objective is not to selectively enroll students who are already high-achieving; it is to serve some of the roughly 7,000 school-age children in the Central Little Rock community who need and deserve college-preparatory educational options. When we measure student growth, we examine the progress that our students make on leading indicators of student engagement, behavior and achievement. Because our students typically start out scoring at low levels, it takes time to move them to high proficiency levels, and we are doing just that.
Last year, 75 percent of students in the middle school met their individual growth goals in reading, and 61 percent of our students met their individual growth goals in mathematics compared with a national average of 50 percent among all schools that take the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress. On average, our students grew from the 22nd to the 33rd national percentile in reading, and from the 26th to the 33rd national percentile in mathematics.
As the executive director of Little Rock Prep, I attribute these gains to our strong middle school team, and I'm proud of their hard work and dedication.
To put LRPA in a position to achieve its mission, our leadership team conducted a needs assessment, developed a strategic plan, and appeared before the state Board of Education in May 2011 to request charter amendments. At that time, we knew that major changes needed to be made, including the addition of grades K-4 and a new performance management system, to put Little Rock Prep and its students on a strong upward trajectory. The state board acknowledged our plan, and we began our effort to create an exemplary community public school.
Between 2012 and 2014, we relocated into two new buildings, secured two rounds of grant and loan financing, assembled a solid administrative team to manage two free-standing campuses, installed proven programs and systems, and, most importantly, developed a talented teaching faculty. At the same time, we increased our enrollment from 60 students in Grades 5-6 to 400 students in Grades K-8. Our model is working.
Several weeks ago, we requested that the Office of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville conduct an independent analysis of LRPA's achievement in the 2014-15 year. In that analysis, OEP's executive director writes, "In the majority of grades at LRPA, students begin the school year below the national average performance in reading and math, but end the year performing at a higher level than they began. This growth should be celebrated with teachers, students and the community."
As Arkansas considers the urgent need to improve the quality of public schools in many communities, we need to be realistic about the resources that are required, the challenges associated with building institutional capacity, and the central importance of attracting and supporting effective educators.
Public schools that seek to serve high-need populations will not be turned around overnight. By pursuing iterative cycles of continuous improvement and building momentum over time, we can realize great success with patience, resilience and dedication.
I hope that the charter authorizing panel, the State Board of Education and our community stakeholders will continue to support our cause, which may be the most important effort going on in Little Rock today.
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Benjamin J. Lindquist is the executive director of Little Rock Preparatory Academy.
Editorial on 09/04/2015