Glossary of terms

A set of rigorous, statewide academic standards and tests, systems of incentives and interventions tied to academic results. These expectations are clearly outlined for students, teachers, schools and district leaders alike, who understand they will be measured against them.

Landmark legislation passed in 2003 and supported by the Arkansas business community, education leadership organizations and legislators, to trigger the release of the state’s education system from court control. Act 35 offers a multi-year commitment to assessing the annual learning gains of all students in Arkansas public schools through longitudinal tracking. The act, crafted to be the single-most important piece of educational legislation ever passed in Arkansas, also measures the performance of teachers, schools and school districts. The comprehensive assessments, along with easy-to-understand performance rating models and accountability systems provide meaningful data for parents, educators and other interested parties.

The level of academic progress required of public schools and districts on the state-mandated assessments and/or other indicators, as required in the Arkansas comprehensive testing, assessment and accountability legislation. Such indicators comply with all state and federal laws.

An organization founded to provide assistance and support to advancing high quality, open-enrollment public charter schools and providing legal, financial, technological and student learning support to traditional public schools committed to accountability.

An assessment comprised of both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced items sufficient to provide valid and reliable measures on the level of student performance relative to Arkansas Learning Standards in the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks. The assessment is discipline-based and clearly describes what students must know and be able to adequately perform in each academic content area, relative to a randomly sampled national comparison.

An assessment instrument customized around the academic standards in the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks and, developed by a committee of Arkansas teachers, with support from the Arkansas Department of Education and the testing contractor.

The result of a lawsuit filed by Lakeview School District in Phillips County that prompted the Arkansas Supreme Court to declare the state’s education system to be unconstitutional in 2003. The court ruled it was the state’s responsibility – not that of the school districts – to resolve the issues of inequitably and inadequacy. This and other catalysts, such as the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, led to the development of the comprehensive education reform legislation known as Act 35, intended to be the single-most important piece of educational legislation ever passed in Arkansas.

A system that uses standardized test scores to track the progress of individual students from year to year, and from grade to grade, regardless of whether he/she moves from one school to another, or one district to another. Educators use the system to target students who are not making appropriate academic gains. Longitudinal tracking also helps assess the effectiveness of individual teachers in the classroom and can provide information for quality professional development.

In 2002, President George Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. This legislation signified the most extensive federal education reform in the United States in decades and addresses accountability, assessment, teaching quality and more.

A standardized exam used to measure a student's exposure to and comprehension of a variety of topics, compared to a national sample of students at the same grade level. Examples of norm-Referenced Tests are Stanford 9 or 10, Terra Nova and the Iowa Basic Skills Test.

A level of performance in the student assessments determined by the standard-setting process of the Arkansas Department of Education. This applies only to the high stakes tests (Algebra I and English II) for receiving course credit, establishing the level that must be obtained for students to gain credit. In all other state testing, those scoring below “proficient” must have an Academic Improvement Plan and participate in remediation.

The term used to refer to the four levels of student achievement on the state's Criterion-Referenced Test. The four levels are Advanced, Proficient (Grade Level), Basic and Below Basic, as described below:

• Advanced students demonstrate superior performance, well beyond their current grade level. They apply established reading, writing and math skills to solve complex problems and complete demanding tasks on their own. They make insightful connections between abstract and concrete ideas, and provide well-supported explanations and arguments.
• Proficient students demonstrate solid academic performance for their current grade level and are well prepared for the next level of schooling. They use established reading, writing and math skills, and demonstrate an aptitude to solve problems and complete tasks on their own.
• Basic students show substantial skills in reading, writing, and math. However, they only partially demonstrate the ability to apply these skills.
• Below Basic students fail to show sufficient mastery of skills in reading, writing and math at their current grade level.

In a value added system, schools will be prepared to identify students struggling in their studies early enough to intervene and provide those students with the necessary tools to compete with their peers.

A school must meet Adequate Yearly Progress criteria both overall and for each of the following subgroups (meets the minimum group size as determined by the Arkansas Department of Education and United States Department of Education):

• Students with disabilities
• Students who are English language learners
• Economically disadvantaged students
• Ethnic subgroups, including Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic

Statistical analyses of the educational impact of an individual school’s instructional delivery system on individual student learning, using a comparison of previous and post achievement gains.

Value Added Education is a way to measure each student’s academic progress from year to year. These programs let principals and teachers know how much educational value a student has gained within a single school year. As part of Act 35, Arkansas tracks student academic achievement from one year to the next to determine if the school is attributing to growth over time. Grades are assigned for this as well, but are represented by a 1-5 number rating system rather than with grades.