SPRINGDALE — A University of Arkansas report touting Springdale’s place among state schools highlights the need to replace state education standards, local educators say.
The university’s Office of Education Policy, a resource body that collects and analyzes school information such as student test scores, listed 10 Springdale schools among Arkansas’ top 20 in various subjects and categories. Half of the recognized schools are on the state Department of Education’s school improvement list, which notes schools that failed to meet state standards through standardized tests for consecutive years.
The university’s report listed Central Junior High School as the state’s third most improved junior high school in math scores. The number of students passing standardized math tests increased double-digits, from 59 to 69 percent, in one year.
At A Glance
Excelling Schools
The University of Arkansas’ Office of Education Policy named 10 Springdale schools as excelling in various subject areas.
• Hunt Elementary School: Literacy
• Tyson Elementary School: Literacy
• Walker Elementary School: Literacy
• Young Elementary School: Literacy
• Helen Tyson Middle School: Algebra
• Hellstern Middle School: Algebra
• J.O. Kelly Middle School: Math
• Central Junior High School: Biology
• George Junior High School: Biology, geometry, literacy
• Southwest Junior High School: Biology, geometry
Source: University of Arkansas Office of Education Policy
Melissa Mensch, Central math department head, said school administrators are proud of the recognition, but they acknowledge their work is not done.
“We know we’re not there yet. We’re still in school improvement,” Mensch said. “What we’re doing is helping.”
The improvement fell short of the state mandate requiring 73 percent of students to pass the exam, leaving Central in its third year of school improvement despite making major gains.
Gary Ritter, the UA’s education policy chair, said the report is a more accurate depiction of overall school quality than the state system overseen by federal No Child Left Behind guidelines.
State education officials have asked the federal government for a waiver from No Child Left Behind, but Arkansas schools will still be beholden to it until the waiver is granted.
Instead of isolating student groups, the university’s report aggregates the student groups and grade levels together to find a school’s overall quality, also taking into account trends in the testing data over the last few years.
The methods show clearer the value added to schools each year, Ritter said.
“How do you look at a school and tell if it’s healthy or not? How much value is being added by the school? Look at growth, growth, growth,” he said.
Developers have said new standardized tests set to take effect following the granting of the No Child Left Behind waiver will probably be growth-based.
The specific student breakdown of No Child Left Behind guidelines is still valuable for targeting specific groups who might need some extra academic help, Ritter said.
The university report listed George Junior High as one of the top 20 impoverished junior high schools in the state in literacy, geometry and biology. The school is mired in the fourth year of school improvement.
George’s recognition is because school teachers and administrators molded classroom instruction and extra help for students who would otherwise be falling behind, said Principal Don Hoover.
“There’s not a one size fits all. It’s meeting the kids where they are and growing from there,” Hoover said. “Some of our students need extra pushes along the way.”
Seventy-three percent of George students receive free or reduced-cost lunch.
School administrators created specialized courses for teachers to assist students in smaller groups. The school also utilizes some double-block classes for core subjects.
Southwest Junior High was named one of the state’s top 20 schools for biology.
Josh Granderson, biology teacher, said he often takes his classes outside to study plants and animals firsthand. When students get a real-world look at class material, they better understand it and can transfer their knowledge to the test, Granderson said.
District administrators are encouraged by the report and will use it as a tool to guide some of the future curriculum and instruction, said Marsha Jones, associate superintendent for curriculum.
“The more data we have, the more we know how a school is doing,” Jones said. “There are some really good things going on.”
Although she is pleased by the report, Mensch said educators have higher hopes than appearing on a top-20 list. She said they have not given up trying to catch state standards, especially while 10 of the district’s 25 schools still occupy the education department’s school improvement list.
“That’s not where we want to be at all. We still have a ways to go,” Mensch said. “What we can see is it really is possible to improve.”