Westside school report cards show room for improvement

WESTSIDE — Northwest Arkansas’ public schools received relatively high marks this year in the state’s annual release of school letter grades. In Benton and Washington counties 70% of the schools received either an A or B grade, whereas 47% statewide did the same. Northwest Arkansas accounted for three of the 150 D-rated schools and none of the 38 schools that got an F.

The A-to-F grades are based on each school’s federal ESSA Index Score, a numerical score of 1 to 100 calculated using factors such as achievement on the standardized ACT Aspire tests given in grades three through 10 and gains on the tests compared to the past. ESSA stands for the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.

The letter grade is used for state accountability. The ESSA Index Score is used for federal accountability.

Two of the three schools that received a D are in Decatur, the region’s smallest school district with an estimated 525 students. The high school and middle school got D’s for the third straight year. There are signs of improvement: The high school’s ESSA score rose five points from last year while the middle school’s score increased seven points, leaving both schools just short of a C.

Decatur Superintendent Steven Watkins pointed to emphasis on academic interventions with students and a commitment to the state’s new Reading Initiative for Student Excellence program, which trains teachers on the science of reading and instructional strategies.

“It’s a process, but I believe our curriculum is solid, and we have a great group of teachers working hard every day,” Watkins said. “Are we satisfied? Absolutely not. We’ll continue to work to improve.”

Arkansas law requires the state Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to publish on its website an annual performance report for each public school in the state. The report is to be easily understood by parents who are not professional educators.

Schools are neither punished nor rewarded for the grades they receive. However, the grades are indicative of which schools are likely to receive additional money through the Arkansas School Recognition Program, which provides financial awards to those schools placing in the top 10% in achievement and growth on the state assessments.

Schools among the lowest-performing 5% on those assessments are identified for comprehensive support and improvement.

Gentry Schools

Gentry Middle School received a B. The high school, intermediate school and primary school all received C grades on the current report card.

Gravette Schools

Gravette High School and Gravette Middle School received A’s on their report cards. The Upper Elementary School and Glenn Duffy Elementary School received a C grade.

Decatur

Northside Elementary School earned a C grade. Decatur High School and Middle School received D’s.