WESTSIDE — Local public schools received their letter grades based on test scores and graduation data from last year, and the grades would seem to indicate room for improvement in Gentry, Gravette and Decatur schools. But, while improvement is always the goal, the grades released this year may not be the best measure of actual school performance.
In Gentry, the high school and middle school received Bs, and the intermediate and elementary schools received Cs. The middle school grade was up from a C to a B over grades released last year based on 2014 data. The rest remained unchanged. The numeric scores were Gentry High School - 262, Gentry Middle School - 249, Gentry Intermediate and Primary Schools - 239.
In Decatur, the high school and elementary schools received Cs on the most recent report card, up from Ds last year. The new middle school received a D and had no comparison grade last year. Decatur's numeric scores were: Decatur High School - 216; Decatur Middle School - 197; and Northside Elementary School - 210.
In Gravette, the middle and high schools received Bs, and the upper elementary and elementary schools received Cs. The middle school improved from a C to a B, and the two elementary schools dropped from grades of A to C. Gravette's numeric scores were: Gravette High School - 249; Gravette Middle School - 244; Gravette Upper Elementary and Glenn Duffy Elementary - 224.
The grades reflect student performance on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, given for the first and only time in 2015. Students the previous year took state benchmark and end-of-course exams. This year, students are taking the ACT Aspire.
Other factors, such as graduation rate and whether a school is performing above expectations, also are taken into account in the calculation of school grades. Graduation rates, though somewhat out of the control of the individual schools, hurt area high schools in their grades.
According to the Arkansas Department of Education website, the school grades represent: how well students are performing in math and English/Language Arts on state assessments; whether students in the school are meeting annual expected growth in math and English/Language Arts; whether high school students are graduating on time; whether students who receive additional educational services are graduating from high school at a similar rate to other students; whether there are large differences or gaps between the achievement levels among students, especially students who receive additional educational services; and whether a school is performing above expectations.
According to the website, the grades "do not measure how well an individual student or teacher is doing," and "do not take into consideration other things the school may be doing well, such as meeting students' nutrition and health needs or how well students are performing in other subject areas."
Each school received a numerical score in addition to a letter grade from the state Department of Education. Letter grades are assigned based on points earned on various measures. Schools with 270 points or more receive an A. Schools with fewer than 180 points receive an F.
No school in Northwest Arkansas received an F. The closest was Springdale's Jones Elementary School, which had a score of 181.
Out of the 129 schools in Benton and Washington counties, 25 dropped at least two letter grade levels -- from an A to a C, for example -- between last year's and this year's report cards. Only 12 area schools improved grades from last year.
With grades generally falling across the state, the improvements in Gentry and Decatur in the most recent school report cards could be viewed as positive.
Dave Perozek contributed to this article.
General News on 05/11/2016