The Arkansas Department of Education on Thursday afternoon released school, district and state results from the spring ACT Aspire exams that were given to about 300,000 students in grades three through 10.
Statewide results from the tests in English, reading, math and science were mixed, with some grades performing better in the 2017-18 academic year than the same grades did in the 2016-2017 school year, while achievement percentages dipped in other grades.
[SEARCH: See ACT Aspire exam results by school and grade across Arkansas]
"The results show we still have work to do to improve education in Arkansas," Education Commissioner Johnny Key said in announcing the results.
But he also said the results reflect the hard work of students and teachers and the positive effects of the state's recent emphasis on reading and computer science instruction.
"I am confident that as we move toward the implementation of Arkansas' Every Student Succeeds Act plan this fall, we will lead the nation in student-focused education," Key said.
That plan is Arkansas' response to the federal school accountability law and to state law requiring that schools and school districts be held responsible for student learning.
Results on the ACT Aspire tests are reported in terms of percentages of students achieving at "ready," "exceeding ready," "close" and "in need of support" in knowing the skills and concepts appropriate for their grade levels. Students who score at "ready" or better levels as they move through the grades are on track to meet benchmarks on the ACT college entrance exams that indicate their readiness for college-level work.
The results will be used in multiple ways by schools and districts. Student achievement and achievement gains on the test, for example, are significant components in the annual calculating of a school's A-to-F letter grade.
Additionally, the results are factors in determining whether schools are eligible for state financial awards for high achievement and high growth over time.
The results also will be used to determine a school's classification as a campus in need of different levels of school district and state support under the state's Every Student Succeeds Act plan.
In math, the percentages of Arkansas students scoring at the desired "ready" or "exceeding ready" levels moved upward in grades three and in eight through 10, according to an Education Department analysis of the results. But the percentages of students scoring at ready or better declined in grades four through seven.
Fifty-nine percent of the state's third-graders scored at "ready" or exceeding levels in math, the highest percentage for the subject area. Just 28 percent of 10th-graders did the same.
In English, the percentages of students scoring at ready or exceeding-ready levels were stable or improved in all but grades six, nine and 10.
Reading test results mirrored the English test results -- showing declines in the percentages of students scoring at ready or exceeding-ready levels in grades six, nine and 10. Better than 51 percent of the state's eighth-graders scored at "ready" or better levels in reading. In 10th grade only about one-third of test-takers -- 34 percent -- reached the "ready" or exceeding-ready level in reading.
The reading and English results are combined with a writing score to produce the percentages of students who are "ready" or exceeding-ready levels in literacy or English/language arts.
While the individual subject area results for 2018 -- reading and English -- are comparable to the 2017 results, the calculation for the combined literacy scored was altered this year. As a result, the percentages of students scoring at "ready" or exceeding-ready levels in 2018 in the English/language arts category are not comparable to the 2017.
Percentages of students achieving at the "ready" or exceeding-ready levels in science fell in grades four, five, six, seven and 10 in 2018 compared with 2017, the state report showed.
Kimberly Friedman, spokesman for the Arkansas Education Department, said the results released Thursday are preliminary and remain subject to some corrections depending upon outcomes from any appeals made by the districts.
"Schools should use the information to drive conversations with their communities and stakeholders," Friedman said about the data. "This is just one data element to show student achievement and student progress. It is one piece that schools can use to help guide conversations on how to improve schools. Even schools that are doing extremely well -- there is always room for improvement."
The Aspire results for the schools, districts and state are available for public viewing at the "My School Info" link on the Arkansas Department of Education's website: http://www.arkansased.gov.
The direct link to the My School Info is https://myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov.
The My School Info site includes an instructional video on how to access the different test result reports, including results for all students or subgroups of students.
State comparisons to national Aspire results were not readily available on that link Thursday night, although reports comparing schools and districts to one another and to the state are possible to generate.
Data for the Little Rock School District, for example, show that students on average achieved below state averages in terms of percentages of students scoring at "ready" or exceeding-ready levels. The Little Rock district is the state's largest district and has been operating under state control since January 2015 because of low achievement at that time at six campuses.
In the English/language arts category, the percentages of Little Rock district students scoring at ready or better levels were 10 to 15 percentage points below the state percentages. Little Rock's sixth grade was the highest-performing grade with 35.1 percent of students scoring at "ready" or exceeding-ready levels in literacy. That compared with 46.8 percent of pupils doing the same statewide.
In the combined category of math and science, Little Rock's third-graders were the highest-performing with 16.6 percent of children scoring at "ready" or better levels. Statewide, fourth-graders outperformed the other grades with 21.1 percent of students scoring at preferred levels.
A Section on 07/06/2018