Local results were mixed when the Arkansas Department of Education released the 2018 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Index and Accountability At-A-Glance reports on Friday.
Grades for Mississippi County schools ranged from an “A” to an “F.”
Manila Middle School had the lone “A” in the county, while Blytheville High School — A New Tech School was given the only “F.”
The reports include data from the 2017-2018 school year, including 2018 ACT Aspire results.
The grade ratings for PreK-5 are: A (80.35 and up); B (73.47 - 80.34); C (65.98 - 73.46); D (58.97 - 65.97); F (58.96 and below).
The grade ratings for 6-8 are: A (78.37 and up); B (72.58 - 78.36); C (65.93 - 72.57); D (56.24 - 65.92); and F (56.23 and below).
The grade ratings for 9-12 are: A (75.40 and up); B (69.58 - 75.39); C (62.78 - 69.57); D (54.48 - 62.77); and F (54.47 and below).
Blytheville Primary School received a “C” with a State Accountability score of a 66.31. Blytheville Elementary School received a “D” with a 61.77. Blytheville High School received an “F” with a 52.78, and Blytheville Middle School received a “D” with a 58.13.
“In my opinion, these letter grades do not represent our current reality,” Blytheville superintendent Bobby Ashley said. “We have good schools. Like all good schools, there is a lot of work to do. We have been doing work months prior to these grades from last year’s results and we will continue undeterred. I can promise you the BPS teams will work tireless to ensure all students have what they need to be successful in all of our buildings.”
“The state has moved to using multiple indicators to determine a school’s success, not just standardized test scores. The BPS team has developed plans to ensure we are providing a well-rounded education to all of our students. While it will take time, we’re putting pieces in place that promise to have long lasting positive effects. The work of education is the work of growth. I always say that if we aren’t growing we are dying. You can see Blytheville High School’s letter grade as a failure, I prefer to see it as a huge chance for growth.”
Gosnell High School received a “B” with a 71.59, which is the third highest of northeast Arkansas high schools and tops in Mississippi County.
“We are extremely proud to have one of the top performing high schools in not only the northeast corner but all of Arkansas,” Gosnell Secondary principal Len Whitehead said.
Gosnell Elementary received a “C” with a 68.71.
“The 2018 Accountability at a Glance Report and 2018 ESSA School Index report for all schools In the state were release today,” Gosnell superintendent Bonard Mace said. “The Gosnell School District is very proud of our success. The Secondary School received the letter grade “B” while the Elementary school received a “C”. A Special thanks to the faculty and staff for all their dedication and hard work.We will continue to strive for excellent in education.
Armorel Elementary (79.11) and. Armorel High School (68.32) both received “B” ratings.
“We are proud of the growth that we have made in the subpopulation. I am pleased with the work that the teachers are doing for the students that might not have scored exceeding or ready and we will continue to personalize learning. So, that we can work on and making sure that all students are reading at grade level,” Armorel superintendent Jennifer Barbaree said.
Armorel Elementary School principal Joey Carr added, “I’m appreciative of all that my staff and the students do that this makes us want to work even harder for that A. We have already looked at addressing what areas that need to be worked on a little harder. That we need to focus on a little more so for our grown.”
KIPP Blytheville Collegiate High School (57.95) and. KIPP Blytheville College Prep (60.68) both received “D” ratings.
Jacki Barnwell, school director at KIPP Blytheville Collegiate High School, said, “These latest ratings are a humbling reminder of the work that is ahead of us. The reality is our scores are clearly not where we want them to be, or where we expect them to be. While we are proud of our successes, such as the $7.8 million in college scholarships earned by our inaugural senior class last spring, the bottom line is we have work to do to provide the overall education our students deserve. We have already made several shifts. We have implemented what we call the “Core 12,” a collection of 12 principles that form the core of our work. These are tied to our strategic anchors of Love, Literacy, and Leadership. We have been intentional with staff turnover, to ensure we have team members who are committed to upholding our KIPP values. And we have introduced new curriculum across our schools and subject areas. We remain humble, vigilant, and focused on results. We are confident that the shifts we have made will garner results over time.”
Meanwhile, Manila Elementary received a “B” with a 73.41; Manila High School earned a “B” rating with a 69.86; and Manila Middle School was awarded an “A” with a 77.44.
Rivercrest Elementary School received a “C” with a 71.79;. Rivercrest High School received a “C” with a 61.2.
Osceola High School received a “D” with a 55.4; Osceola Stem Charter received a “D” with a 59.29.
Previously, school performance data was released in April in the year following administration of the statewide assessment. In response to stakeholder feedback, ADE worked diligently to shorten the timeline for the data release to allow schools to use the latest information to make data-driven decisions to impact student learning this school year.
"As we seek to lead the nation in student-focused education, it is essential that our educators, parents and community members have timely data and information that will help drive their education decisions," ADE Commissioner Johnny Key said. "We listened to our stakeholders and are pleased to release this important information sooner than we ever have before. I am extremely proud of the ADE team for valuing the input from our stakeholders and for working hard to make the data available six months earlier."