State education department publishes draft of accountability plan

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Education has published the first draft of the Arkansas Accountability System plan.

The draft is available online at https://goo.gl/dwn7Ov. Input regarding the first draft can be emailed to ade.essacomments@arkansas.gov.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act, states are given the opportunity to develop an accountability system that best measures their students’ academic performance. The Arkansas Department of Education announced efforts to develop Arkansas’ plan in August 2016.

The ADE held 10 community listening forums around the state and administered surveys seeking feedback. The Vision for Excellence in Education and Arkansas Accountability System Steering Committee meets monthly to provide input regarding the development of Arkansas’ plan and multiple ambassadors around the state have collected input.

Collaboration continues with stakeholders to obtain input and feedback, which will be added to the first draft. A second draft will be posted online May 15 for public comment, with final submission to the U.S. Department of Education in September.

The ADE asked readers to consider if clarifications are needed, what supporting information or additional details will make the plan more informative, how sections of the draft can be more cohesive and what changes to the draft will help the public better understand the plan.