Siloam Springs' six schools received grades ranging from an A to a D on this year's school report cards, which were released to the public on Wednesday by the Arkansas Department of Education.
The ADE has been issuing report cards for years, but this is the first year each school received a letter grade on the same A to F scale as students. The report cards also contain several pages of data, including each school's test scores, demographics, graduation rate, school environment, teacher quality and school funding.
The Siloam Springs High School received an A on the report, the Middle School received a B, the Intermediate School received a D, and Southside Elementary School, Allen Elementary School and Northside Elementary School all received a C, curriculum coordinator Connie Matchell reported at Thursday's school board meeting.
In Benton and Washington counties, 34 schools received an A, 45 received a B, 40 received a C, and eight received a D. None received an F.
The letter grades correspond with ranges of points schools receive on a 0 to 300 scale. Schools receive or lose points using a mathematical formula that takes into account three factors -- performance in literacy and math on standardized tests, whether the school is meeting it's individual performance goals or Annual Measurable Objectives, and the achievement gap between all students and Targeted Achievement Gap Group. The achievement gap group includes English-language learners, students with disabilities and students who receive free and reduced price meals. Graduation rates, and the gap in graduation rates between all students and disadvantaged students, are also figured into the the score for high schools.
"This is not the only way to look at how well a school is doing, it's one piece of data," Matchell said.
All six schools were rated as "Achieving but Needs Improvement" under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility rating. The same rating was also given to 793 schools in Arkansas. The ESEA waiver also measures schools by their Annual Measurable Objective, achievement gaps and graduation rates.
The Intermediate School received 208 points, just two points shy of a C. The school earned a weighted score of 89.9 out of 100 for performance in math and literacy. The school didn't meet any of its performance goals and lost six points for an achievement gap of 24.94 percent.
The Intermediate School was newly formed from fourth- and fifth-grade students in 2014, Matchell said. Because there was no historical data for the school, the Annual Measurable Objectives were set from districtwide averages, she said. The school is also working to establish its own culture and teachers are adjusting to the changes, Matchell explained.
"The things that matter most cannot be measured," said Tim Hornbuckle, Intermediate School principal. The school has a positive culture and a focus on doing what's best for students, he said. "Our big thing is relationships with kids matter the most."
Hornbuckle likened receiving the poor grade to practicing all summer long for the first football game of the season then getting beat.
"You go back out and get a different game plan," he said.
The high school earned a total of 270 points out of 300 to receive their letter grade of A. The school received a weighted score of 97.44 out of 100 for math and literacy achievement. It met three out of five goals for school improvements. The school has a graduation rate of 92.81 percent for all students and 88.89 percent for disadvantaged students, averaging a total graduation rate of 90.88 percent. It also earned three points for an achievement gap of less than 12 percent.
"It's very exciting to be a part of a school with such a high score," said Barry Hardin, assistant high school principal. "It is certainly a reflection of our kids and our teachers."
Hardin has only spent two of his 26 years in education at the Siloam Springs High School. "It's by far the best high school I've been to in all my years of education," he said. "Our kids here are just phenomenal. Our teachers are extremely professional and their focus is seeing the kids excel."
The high school also excels in areas that can't be measured on a report, such as the atmosphere and the way non-certified staff members look out for students, he said.
The Middle School received a total of 246 points, earning a B. The school earned a weighted score of 92.3 out of 100 for its performance in math and literacy. The school has met two out of four targets for school improvements but lost three points for an achievement gap of 20.43 percent.
Allen Elementary School, which serves first- and second-graders, and Northside Elementary School, which serves kindergartners, received the same grade as Southside Elementary School because they feed into the third- and fourth-grade school, Matchell said.
Southside Elementary School earned a total of 224 points, earning a C. It received 97.42 weighted performance points out of 100 for math and literacy test achievement; however, the school met none of its four Annual Measurable Objectives and lost three points for an achievement gap of 19.9 percent.
General News on 04/19/2015