DECATUR — Schools in Gravette, Decatur and Gentry were all rated as meeting or exceeding standards under the Performance School Rating System which measures overall student achievement.
The new Performance School Rating System simplifies Benchmark and End-of-Course test scores into ratings on a scale of 1, indicating a school “in immediate need of improvement,” to 5, indicating “a school of excellence,” making it easier for parents to compare schools.
Act 35 of the 2003 special legislative session created the new rating system, but this is the first year it hasbeen available on school report cards published on the Arkansas Department of Education website, arkansased.org.
The Gravette high school, middle school and upper elementary were all rated 4, indicating the schools are “exceeding standards.”
The Decatur high school and middle school rated 3, indicating the schools are “meeting standards,” while the elementary school rated 4 for “exceeding standards.”
“That is good news,” said Decatur Northside Elementary School Principal Leslie Sharp.
The Gentry high school, middle school and elementary school also all rated 4 for “exceeding standards.”
"I was pleased with the rating because I think it reflects the hard work our staff does in preparing our students to succeed in life. Naturally it challenges us as a district to move up into that top category. It’s not the honor we would be seeking but rather the feeling that we have given our students the very best we had to offer," said Gentry superintendent Randy Barrett.
The scores are based on the results of 2009-2010 Benchmark Exams for grades three through eight, and the End-of-Course exams in algebra I, geometry and 11th-grade literacy.
According to the ADE, ratings are calculated by multiplying the number of students who earnedadvanced scores on the exams by 4, the number of students who earned proficient scores by 3, the number of students who earned basic scores by 2 and the number of students who earned below basic by 1.
Those totals are added together and divided by the total number of test takers in the school. The results are a “cut score” ranging from 1 to 4.
The Arkansas Department of Education set the rating for the cut scores. For example, schools earning a cut-score in the range of 2.21-2.78 are assigned a rating of 3 for “meeting standards” and schools that receive a rating of 2.79-3.22 are assigned a rating of 4 for “exceeding standards.”
Ninety-seven percent of Arkansas schools received a ranking of 3 or higher. A total of 506 Arkansas schools received a ranking of 4 and 246 received a ranking of 3. Only 19 received a ranking of 2 and six received a ranking of 1.
Decatur superintendent Larry Ben explained that the majority of schools rated 4, because it is the average for state achievement. Using the mathematical formula for calculating ratings, the state would have a score of about 3.95 or very close to 4 overall, he explained.
The ratings are very broad, dividing schools into only four categories. Decatur High School, for example, had a cut score of 2.6 while the Decatur Elementary School hadan average of 2.9. Even though the two schools were very close, one fell in the range of a 3 and the other a 4.
“The status score is good,” said Ben, explaining there is always room for improvement.
“It’s just one piece of the picture. That’s the most important thing to remember.” he said.
For a complete list of Arkansas school ratings, visit nwaonline.com/2010schoolratings/ or follow the school performance link at the bottom of the Arkansas Department of Education web site, ArkansasEd.org.
Cynthia Howell of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette contributed information to this article.
School News, Pages 11 on 02/15/2012