A total of 67 of 1,066 public schools showed sufficient improvement on test scores to meet annual targets that were approved by the U.S. Department of Education and are designated as Achieving schools. Weiner Elementary (Harrisburg School District) is one of those schools. In 2012, Arkansas received flexibility from some of the NCLB requirements. Under the approved flexibility, all schools are required to meet Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs), or yearly targets, designed to reduce the proficiency, growth and graduation gaps by half by the end of six years. Test scores from 2011 were used to determine the proficiency, growth and graduation gap (based on 2010 data) to establish the targets for each school. Students are classified into two main categories: the All Students group and the Targeted Achievement Gap Group (TAGG), which includes students in one or more of the economically disadvantaged, English Learners and Students With Disabilities subgroups. Schools that do not meet their annual targets are classified as Needs Improvement schools. Also, to be Achieving, a school must test at least 95 percent of the All Students group and the TAGG for both literacy and math. In 2012, the Needs Improvement Focus designation was given to 10 percent of schools that showed the largest three-year gap between Non-TAGG student scores and TAGG student scores. Needs Improvement Priority schools, which represent the lowest 5 percent of schools based on proficiency over three years in both literacy and math, were identified in 2012 as well. Achieving schools in which every student subgroup meets the AMOs can be designated as Exemplary. If a Priority or Focus school meets requirements to be Achieving for two consecutive years, they are removed from the Priority or Focus list. The 2014 results show that 877 schools are identified in the Needs Improvement category. Many of these schools continue to show improvement; however, they did not meet their AMO for the year. There were 37 Priority schools and 85 Focus schools in 2014.To view the complete 2014 accountability results, go to https://adedata.arkansas.gov/arc/.
WES Wins 2 OEP Awards!
Each year, the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas creates a report titled the Outstanding Educational Performance Awards highlighting the highest-performing schools in Arkansas based on the Benchmark and End-of-Course exams. Weiner Elementary won two “Beating the Odds - High-Achieving Schools Serving Low-Income Communities” OEP awards. These awards are based on the OEP-created “school GPA,” calculated on the basis of the percentage of students that perform at a particular level on the Benchmark examinations in Math and Literacy and the End-of-Course (EOC) examinations in Algebra, Geometry, Biology and Grade 11 Literacy from the 2013-14 academic year (advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic). Weiner Elementary was recognized as the following: Top 5 "High Poverty" Elementary School in Northeast Arkansas Based on Benchmark Literacy Top 5 "High Poverty" Elementary School in Northeast Arkansas Based on Benchmark Math To learn more about how we determined the OEP award winners and to see the full list of award recipients, you can view the entire report here: http://www.officeforeducationpolicy.org/downloads/2014/11/beating-the-odds-high-achieving-schools-serving-low-income-communities.pdf
