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The Legislation
As parents, businesspeople and taxpayers, we have a voice to influence the future of public education in Arkansas. This is evidenced by recent legislation and can be viewed in the related links. Please continue to contact your legislators and let them know you support accountability, transparency and choice. We recommend that any additional educational legislation contain these five basic principles:
Student Assessment
Annual testing and longitudinal tracking allows for a value added process that measures how well academic goals and performance standards are met at all necessary levels - student, teacher, school, district and state. In addition, value added systems allow for remediation programs for students and targeted individual professional development for teachers.
Intervention and Academic Support for Low-Performing Students
Students working to meet the academic standards required of children in their grade level must have academic support through tutoring and/or after school programs. As teachers and schools identify children who are not meeting proficiency expectations, intervention will be the key to helping these students make academic progress.
Accountability in Terms that the Public Can Understand
Education terms such as "proficient," "adequate," "below proficient" and "needs improvement" are terms not commonly used by parents and guardians. The terms used for grading schools must be spelled out in ways that allow parents, guardians and taxpayers to understand how their child's school is performing.
Rewards for High-Performing Schools
Monetary rewards should be given to schools that meet or exceed adequate performance. These rewards will encourage well performing schools to continue improving and provide incentives for low-performing schools to make academic progress.
Consequences for Low-Performing Schools
Just as rewards can be a motivator, consequences for schools that are low performing can also provide a powerful incentive for schools to improve. |
Related Links:
Summary of Act 35
Glossary of Terms
The Omnibus Act
Summary of the Omnibus Act |
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