EL DORADO — Test scores, retention rates and college enrollments have increased in the El Dorado, Ark., public school system, according to a new study.
The Office of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas conducted a five-year study that tracked students eligible to receive the El Dorado Promise Scholarship, a program that provides college tuition to all graduates of El Dorado Public Schools enrolled since the ninth grade.
Researchers followed El Dorado students who were in third grade in the 2005-2006 academic year until their seventh-grade year. The study matched El Dorado students with identical students based on test scores, income level and other criteria from similar school districts in southern Arkansas. While each group had similar test scores in third grade, the El Dorado students scored better five years later than their matched peers – and better than the Arkansas average – in both math and literacy.
Researchers also found more students enrolling in Advanced Placement classes and making higher scores on the final AP tests. They also noted an increase in the retention rate and college enrollment of the El Dorado students.