Williams Named, Recognized As Top School For Fourth Year

FARMINGTON — For the fourth consecutive year, Williams Elementary School in Farmington has been named a top performing school in the state based on academic achievement and/ or academic gains on the 2016 state tests.

As part of the honor, the school will receive $19,500 in reward money.

Williams placed among the top 6-10 percent of schools for growth, or year-to-year achievement gains, on math and literacy exams given last spring. The honor was based on scores of the ACT Aspire test given to third graders at Williams Elementary.

Principal Kara Gardenhire said the school will use the money for technology and to purchase reading and math supplements.

She attributes the school’s success each year to hard work and dedication by the school’s teachers and the students’ efforts. She said support from families and the community also makes a difference at the school.

In all, the Arkansas Department of Education awarded almost $7 million in reward money to 150 public schools.

The money comes from the Arkansas School Recognition and Reward Program, established by state law to provide per formance-based incentives for outstanding schools.

Act 1429 of 2013, revised by Act 854 of 2015, authorizes the state to annually reward those schools that are ranked in the top 10 percent of the state’s more than 1,000 schools in terms of achievement and achievement gains on state-required math and literacy tests.

High schools with the highest graduation rates also are rewarded.

Schools ranked in the top 5 percent will receive $100 per student in reward money. Schools ranked as top schools in the 6-10 percent are eligible to receive $50 per student.

Reward schools are required to appoint a special committee to discuss how to use the money, with the state approving a school’s proposal.

The law specifies that the money must be spent on either nonrecurring bonuses to a school’s faculty and staff members, on the purchase of materials and equipment to maintain and improve student achievement or on the temporary employment of personnel to help maintain and raise student achievement.

Williams has received about $ 120,000 in reward money since the program started in 2014. Other Farmington schools have received reward money in the past. In 2016, Folsom received $15,526 for high performance and Farmington High received $33,777 for academic growth and graduation rate. These awards were based on 2015 test scores.

Gardenhire