Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 005 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Division 19 - Division of Academic Accountability ***
Rule 005.19.12-001 - Rules Governing the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program and the Academic Distress Program
Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 005.19.12-001
Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
1.0 Regulatory Authority
1.01 These Rules shall be known as the
Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing the Arkansas Comprehensive
Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP).
1.02 The State Board of Education promulgated
these Rules pursuant to implementation of Ark. Code Ann. §§
6-11-105,
6-15-401 et seq.,
6-15-2009, and
25-15-204.
1.03 These Rules have been amended to reflect
the decision of the United States Department of Education (USDOE) to grant
flexibility to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) from certain
provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). As indicated
throughout these Rules, certain provisions of these Rules shall only apply
during time periods designated by the USDOE for which the ADE receives
flexibility from certain provisions of ESEA.
2.0 Purposes of Rules
2.01 To develop a single comprehensive
testing, assessment and accountability program, which applies to and governs
all public schools and public school districts in Arkansas.
2.02 To develop a single comprehensive
testing, assessment and accountability program which utilizes the most current
and effective testing, evaluation, and assessment research information designed
to achieve the following purposes:
2.02.1 Set
clear academic standards that are periodically reviewed and revised;
2.02.2 Establish professional development
standards for all administrators, teachers and instructional support
personnel;
2.02.3 Establish
expected achievement levels;
2.02.4
Report on student achievement and other indicators;
2.02.5 Provide evaluation data;
2.02.6 Recognize academic success and
failure;
2.02.7 Apply awards and
sanctions; and
2.02.8 Comply with
current federal and state law and State Board rules and regulations.
2.03 To ensure that all students
in the public schools of Arkansas have an equal opportunity to demonstrate
grade-level academic proficiency through the application of knowledge and
skills in the core academic subjects consistent with state curriculum
frameworks, performance standards and assessments.
2.04 To improve student learning and
classroom instruction and to support high academic standards for all students,
including identifiable subgroups, by establishing the provisions, procedures
and requirements for the student assessment program.
2.05 To require point-in-time intervention
when it is determined that a student(s) is not performing at grade
level.
2.06 To outline testing and
assessment security and confidentiality requirements.
2.07 To establish a program to identify,
evaluate, assist and advise public school districts in academic
distress.
3.0 Definitions - For the purpose of these Rules, the following terms mean:
3.01 "Academic Content Standards" - standards
that are approved by the State Board of Education and that set the skills to be
taught and mastery level for each grade and content area.
3.02 "Academic Distress:"
3.02.1 A classification assigned to any
public school district:
3.02.1.1 In which
49.5% or less of its students achieve proficient or advanced in math and
literacy on the state-mandated criterion referenced assessments administered in
that district for the most recent three (3) year period; or
3.02.1.2 Has a Needs Improvement (Priority)
school within the school district that has not made the progress required under
the school's Priority Improvement Plan (PIP).
3.02.2 The ADE shall re-establish the
threshold listed in Section 3.02.1.1 of these Rules when the Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments become
fully operational.
3.03
"Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)" - a plan detailing supplemental or
intervention and remedial instruction, or both, in deficient academic areas for
any student who is not proficient on a portion or portions of the
state-mandated Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program. Academic improvement
plans shall be created and implemented by appropriate teachers, counselors, and
any other pertinent school personnel. All academic improvement plans shall be
reviewed annually and revised to ensure an opportunity for student
demonstration of proficiency in the targeted academic areas on the next
state-mandated Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program. A cumulative review
of all academic improvement plans shall be part of the data used by the school
in creating and revising its comprehensive school improvement plan. All
academic improvement plans shall be subject to review by the Department of
Education.
3.04 "Adequate Yearly
Progress" - the level of academic performance required of public schools or
school districts on the state-mandated augmented criterion-referenced, or
norm-referenced assessments and other indicators as required in the Arkansas
Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and Accountability Program, which shall
comply with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized in the
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
3.05 "Alternative Education Intervention
Program"-Aspecial instructional program for students who have been retained for
two consecutive years. The program shall include research-based learning
opportunities and instructional strategies.
3.06 "Approved Early Reading Assessments" -
Those assessments that identify students' strengths and weaknesses in all of
the elements of reading as described in the Report of the National Reading
Panel.
3.07 "Approved Intensive
Reading Program" - Programs of high-quality instruction that include the
essential elements of reading described in the Report of the National Reading
Panel.
3.08 "Annexation" - The
joining of an affected school district or part of the school district with a
receiving district under Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-1401 et seq. or §
6-13-1601 et seq.
3.09 "Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment
Program" -The testing component of Arkansas Comprehensive, Testing, Assessment
and Accountability Program, which shall consist of:
(1) developmentally appropriate, augmented,
criterion-referenced, or norm-referenced assessments in kindergarten through
grade twelve (K-12) as determined by the State Board;
(2) Any other assessments as required by the
State Board;
(3) other assessments
that are based on researched best practices as determined by qualified experts
that would be in compliance with federal and state law; and
(4) end-of-course examinations for designated
grades and content areas, and the high school literacy assessment.
3.10 "Arkansas Comprehensive
Testing, Assessment and Accountability
Program" - a system of measurement and reporting designed to ensure that all students in the public schools of this state demonstrate academic achievement through the application of knowledge and skills in core academic subjects consistent with state curriculum frameworks and performance standards. During the time periods designated by the USDOE for which the ADE may receive flexibility from certain provisions of ESEA as set forth in Section 13.00 of these Rules, the measurement system will ensure that all students in the public schools of Arkansas demonstrate performance and growth toward College and Career Readiness.
3.11 "Arkansas Comprehensive School
Improvement Plan (ACSIP)" - the individual school's comprehensive plan
developed by a local school team and based on priorities indicated by
assessment and other pertinent data and designed to provide an opportunity for
all students to demonstrate proficiency on all portions of the state-mandated
Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program. This plan shall be reviewed annually
by the district and monitored by the Arkansas Department of Education in
accordance with Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-426.
3.12 "Augmented Test" - An assessment
required by state statute, rule or regulation which combines both
criterion-referenced and norm-referenced instruments.
3.13 "Awards" - financial or other
recognition of a public school structured to recognize schools that demonstrate
and maintain high performance over time and to recognize schools that
demonstrate growth on the state-mandated indicators. Awards also can be used to
highlight individual schools so that their practices can be adopted in other
schools and districts across the state.
3.14 "Benchmarks/Grade-Level Benchmarks" -
Academic Content Standards and/or grade-level statements of what a student
should know and be able to do. The Grade-Level Benchmarks provide guidance to
classroom teachers in planning instruction aligned with the Academic Content
Standards.
3.15 "Board" - The
Arkansas State Board of Education.
3.16 "Consolidation" - The joining of two (2)
or more school districts or parts of the school districts to create a new
single school district under Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-1401 et seq. or §
6-13-1601 et seq.
3.17 "Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT)" - an
assessment required by state statute, rule or regulation which is designed by
the State to measure student performance/achievement on the State's Academic
Content Standards.
3.18
"Department" - The Arkansas Department of Education.
3.19 "District Improvement Plan" - a
district-wide plan coordinating the actions of the various comprehensive school
improvement plans within a school district. The main focus of the district
improvement plan shall be to ensure that all students demonstrate proficiency
on all portions of state-mandated Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment
Program.
3.20 "Early Intervention"
- short-term, intensive, focused, individualized instruction developed from
ongoing, daily, systematic diagnosis that occurs while a child is in the
initial, kindergarten through grade one (K -1), stages of learning early
reading, writing, and mathematical strategies to ensure acquisition of the
basic skills and to prevent the child from developing poor problem-solving
habits that become difficult to change. The goal is to maintain a student's
ability to function proficiently at grade level.
3.21 "Elementary School" - public school(s)
having some combination of grades kindergarten through four (K - 4).
3.22 "End-of-Course Exam" - a
criterion-referenced assessment taken upon the successful completion of a
course of study to determine whether a student demonstrates, according to a
requisite scale score established by rule of the Board, attainment of necessary
knowledge and skills. End-of-Course exams include both general end-of-course
assessments and high-stakes end-of-course assessments as further defined herein
and as further explained in the Arkansas Department of Education Rules
Governing End-of-Course Assessments and Remediation.
3.23 "Essential Elements - Early Reading"
Comprehension - Ability to understand and communicate; Decoding and Word
Recognition (Phonics) -Ability to match the letters of written language and the
individual sounds of spoken language in order to read and write words; Fluency
- Ability to read text accurately, and with expression, volume, phrasing,
smoothness and appropriate pace; Phonemic Awareness - Ability to hear and
manipulate the sounds of spoken language; Vocabulary - Ability to understand
words and their meanings in order to communicate and comprehend
effectively.
3.24 "Grade Level" -
appropriate grade classification indicated by the performance of a student (or
group of students) at the proficient or advanced level on state-mandated
Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program tests.
3.25 "General End-of-Course Assessment" - a
criterion-referenced assessment taken upon successful completion of a course of
study set by the State Board of Education:
(a)
to determine whether a student demonstrates, according to a requisite scale
score established by rule of the State Board, attainment of sufficient
knowledge and skills to indicate a necessary and satisfactory mastery of the
subject level content in that end-of-course assessment; and
(b) for which failure to meet that requisite
scale score requires sufficient remediation before a student is entitled to
receive full academic credit for the course.
(c) Further guidance concerning the
administration and remediation of general end-of-course assessments may be
found in the Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing Public School
End-of-Course Assessments and Remediation.
3.26 "High School" -grades nine through
twelve (9-12).
3.27 "High School
Literacy Assessment" - an end-of-level literacy assessment given to all
students in grade eleven (11).
3.28
"High-Stakes End-of-Course Assessment" - a criterion-referenced assessment
taken upon the successful completion of both the Algebra I and the English II
course of study under Ark. Code Ann. §
6-15-433(b)(3)(A)(iii):
(a) to determine whether a student
demonstrates, according to a requisite scale score established by rule of the
State Board, attainment of sufficient knowledge and skills to indicate a
necessary and satisfactory passing standard of the subject level content in
that particular end-of-course assessment; and
(b) for which failure to meet the requisite
scale score requires that the student shall not receive academic credit for the
course of study for which the assessment was taken until the student meets the
requisite scale score on the initial, a subsequent, or an alternative
high-stakes end-of-course assessment as allowed or required by Arkansas law or
by State Board rules.
(c) Further
guidance concerning the administration and remediation of high-stakes
end-of-course assessments may be found in the Arkansas Department of Education
Rules Governing Public School End-of-Course Assessments and
Remediation.
3.29
"Intensive Reading Improvement Plan (IRI)" -An intervention program for any K-2
student identified with substantial reading difficulties.
3.30 "Longitudinal Tracking" -tracking
individual student yearly academic achievement gains based on scheduled and
annual assessments.
3.31 "Middle
School" or "Middle Level"- grades five through eight (5 - 8).
3.32 "No Child Left Behind Act" - the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001 as signed into federal law on January 8,
2002.
3.33 "Norm-Referenced Test
(NRT)" - an assessment required by state law, rule or regulation to measure the
performance/achievement of Arkansas students relative to the achievement of
students who comprised the norm or standardization group for a particular
commercial instrument, including the assessments developed under the
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
(PARCC).
3.34 "Parent" - a parent,
parents, legal guardian, a person standing in loco parentis, or legal
representative, as appropriate, of a student, or the student if the student is
eighteen (18) years of age or older.
3.35 "Participation in Remediation" - The
amount of student involvement required in a student academic improvement plan
that addresses those deficiencies for that student.
3.36 "Pass Rate" - The pass rate for the
Benchmark Exams and the developmental appropriate assessments for K - 2 shall
be proficiency. However, the pass rate for end-of-course and high school
literacy shall be those scores established and independently approved by the
State Board of Education. (See 6.04 for the proficiency definition)
3.37 "Point-in-Time Intervention and
Remediation" - intervention and remediation applied during the academic year
upon the discovery that a student is not performing at grade level.
3.38 "Public School District/Public School" -
those school districts and schools (including open-enrollment charter schools)
created pursuant to Title 6 of the Arkansas Code and subject to the Arkansas
Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program specifically
excluding those schools or educational programs created by or receiving
authority to exist under §
6-15-501; §
9-28-205, and §
12-29-301 through §
12-29-310, or other provisions of
Arkansas law.
3.39 "Reconstitution"
- a reorganization intervention in the administrative unit or governing body of
a public school district, including without limitation the suspension,
reassignment, replacement, or removal of a current superintendent or the
suspension, removal, or replacement of some or all of the current school board
members, or both.
3.40
"Remediation" - a process of using diagnostic instruments to provide
corrective, specialized supplemental instruction to help a student in grades
two through four (2-4) overcome academic deficiencies. For students in grades
five through twelve (5-12), remediation shall be a detailed, sequential set of
instructional strategies, implemented to remedy any academic deficiencies
indicated by below-basic or basic performance on the state-mandated augmented,
criterion-referenced, or norm-referenced assessments. Remediation shall not
interfere with or inhibit student mastery of current grade level academic
learning expectations.
3.41 "Safe
Harbor" - An alternate method of demonstrating Adequate Yearly Progress under
the No Child Left Behind Act determined by decreasing the percent of students
not performing at the proficient level on the Criterion Referenced Assessments
by at least ten percent. Safe Harbor can only be applied if the school meets
the secondary indicator condition and tests 95% or more of eligible students.
Safe harbor shall not apply during the time periods designated by the USDOE for
which the ADE may receive flexibility from certain provisions of ESEA as set
forth in Section 13.00 of these Rules.
3.42 "Sanction" - intervention by the state
to assist teaching and learning at a public school or a public school district
that fails to meet expected performance goals on the state-mandated
criterion-referenced assessments and/or other indicators.
3.43 "School Improvement" - the initial
classification applied to a school that fails to meet adequate yearly progress
for two successive years. During the time periods designated by the USDOE for
which the ADE may receive flexibility from certain provisions of ESEA, the
classifications and interventions for schools in need of improvement shall be
as set forth in Section 13.00 of these Rules.
3.44 "Secure Examination or Assessment" - an
assessment instrument, materials or other student achievement evaluation method
required by State statute, rule or regulation that is administered to assess
student performance or achievement and takes place on the dates specified on
the testing/assessment calendar developed by the Commissioner of the
Department.
3.45 "Starting Point" -
a specific figure for grade-level clusters K- 5, 6-8, and 9-12 in the content
areas of literacy and mathematics which was derived by determining the school
at the 20th percentile in the state based on total enrollment, among all
schools ranked by the percentage of students at the proficient level, using
data for the 2001-2002 school year or subsequent year for which there is a
recalculation.
3.46 "Substantial
Reading Deficiency" - a determination for first and second grade students who
score in the Below Basic Category on the State Reading Assessment in the
previous school year and for kindergarten students who are rated as Delayed in
both oral communication and written language on the Uniform Reading Scale
(URS).
3.47 Uniform School
Readiness Screening" - uniform, objective evaluation procedures that are geared
to either kindergarten or first grade, as appropriate, and developed by the
State Board and specifically formulated for children entering public school for
the first time.
3.48 "Value-Added
Computations of Student Gains" - statistical analyses of the educational impact
of the school's instructional delivery system on individual student learning
using a comparison of previous and post student achievement gains against a
national cohort.
4.0 Academic Content Standards
4.01 The Board
shall establish clear, specific, challenging academic content standards, which
define what students shall know and be able to do in each content area.
Instruction in all public schools shall be based on these academic content
standards.
4.02 The Board shall
establish a schedule for periodic review and revision of academic content
standards to ensure that Arkansas academic content standards are rigorous and
equip students to compete in the global workforce. For each review, the
Department will provide the following:
4.02.1
Study and consideration of academic content standards from across the nation
and international levels as appropriate;
4.02.2 Study and consideration of evaluations
from national groups or organizations as appropriate;
4.02.3 Revisions by committees composed of
Arkansas teachers and instructional supervisory personnel from public schools,
assisted by teachers from institutions of higher education;
4.02.4 Review and input by the Departments of
Higher Education and Career Education as well as community members;
and
4.02.5 Public dissemination of
revised academic content standards at the Board meeting and on the Department
web site.
4.03 The Board
shall provide for external review of academic content standards by nationally
recognized content experts in the discipline/area under
consideration.
4.04 The Board shall
establish a clear, concise system of reporting the academic performance of each
school on the state's mandated augmented criterion-referenced or
norm-referenced assessments, that conform with the requirements of current
state and federal law.
4.05
Academic standards for every level of the grades kindergarten through twelve
(K-12) education system and education financial resources shall be aligned with
student performance expectations at each level of the grades kindergarten
through twelve (K-12) education system.
4.06 The State Board voted to participate in
the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics
in July 2010. The Common Core State Standards can be found at:
The Common Core State Standards for ELA and Mathematics, as they existed on July 9, 2012, are hereby incorporated into these Rules by reference.
5.0 Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program
The Board shall establish a statewide assessment system for grades K through 12 to be implemented in each public school in the State by the Department. All districts shall comply with the requirements of the assessment system. Failure to do so shall result in a recommendation to the Board for Probationary status or loss of accreditation as set out in the Standards for Accreditation, or for other intervention or sanction as allowed or required by these rules, state or federal law. The Arkansas Department of Education shall transition to the PARCC assessments by the 2014-2015 school year.
School district boards of directors shall not establish school calendars that jeopardize or limit the valid testing and comparison of student learning gains.
5.01 Kindergarten,
Grade One and Grade Two
5.01.1 The Board shall
adopt and the Department shall implement a developmentally appropriate uniform
school readiness screening to validate a child's school readiness as part of a
comprehensive evaluation design The Department shall require that all school
districts administer the uniform school readiness-screening to each
kindergarten student in the district upon the student's entry into
kindergarten. Children who enter public school for the first time in first
grade must be administered the uniform school readiness screening developed for
use in the first grade.
5.01.2
Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2: The Department shall select a developmentally
appropriate assessment to be administered to all students in first grade and
second grade in reading and mathematics.
5.02 Criterion-Referenced Tests - Grades
three through eight and high school
5.02.1
The Department shall develop and implement an augmented, criterion-referenced,
or norm-referenced assessment as follows:
(1)
Grades three (3) through eight (8) which measures application of knowledge and
skills in reading and writing literacy and mathematics and science in Grades 5
and 7;
(2) End-of-Course testing
in Algebra I, Geometry and Biology;
(3) High school literacy that measures
application of knowledge and skills in reading and writing literacy;
(4) social studies as funds are available and
approved by the State Board of Education; and
(5) for the 2014-2015 school year and
thereafter, End-of-Course testing in English II.
5.02.2 All criterion-referenced assessments
shall be based on the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks and Academic Content
Standards.
5.02.3 All students in
Grades 3 - 8 as well as all students enrolled in courses for which
End-of-Course assessments are administered, shall take the criterion-referenced
assessments on the testing dates established by the Department. This
requirement includes the high school literacy assessment. This authority shall
include field testing and any other requirements needed to establish
fully-developed assessment instruments and methodologies.
5.02.4 Each school district shall administer
augmented criterion-referenced assessments to its students according to
procedures established by the Commissioner of Education and specified in the
applicable assessment administration materials.
5.02.5 Accounting for Students with
Disabilities and Limited English
Proficient Students
5.02.5.1 Each student in the specified grades
shall participate as outlined in the test coordinator's handbook. A student
shall participate in the Arkansas Alternate Assessment Program only upon the
formal determination of the student's individual education program (IEP)
committee, as documented in the student's individual educational
program.
5.02.5.2 The Individual
Education Program (IEP) committee shall determine whether participation in the
standard state assessment program is appropriate for students with lEPs.
Students with disabilities for whom it is deemed inappropriate to take the
standard state assessments (augmented benchmarks, General and High-Stakes
End-of-Course, and High School Literacy) with the established accommodations
shall participate in the Arkansas Alternate Assessment Program following the
guidelines established by the Board.
5.02.5.3 Scores for students with
disabilities shall be reported with other assessment results from the
school.
5.02.5.4 LEP students shall
participate in all required criterion referenced assessments. LEP students may
access state approved accommodations provided such accommodations have been
recommended by the language proficiency assessment committee and are used
regularly in classroom instruction and assessment.
5.02.5.5 LEP students with less than one year
in a U.S. school will not be required to take the State required literacy
benchmark test or the High School Literacy Assessment. Districts may exercise
this option. LEP students must take the appropriate mathematics and science
tests.
5.03
Norm-Referenced Tests
5.03.1 The Board shall
adopt a norm-referenced test to be administered in grade 3 through grade 9 in
mathematics and reading and in science at grades 5 and 7, which shall be
administered by the Department annually.
5.03.2 Each school district shall administer
the norm-referenced tests to its students according to procedures established
by the Department and specified in the applicable test administration
materials.
5.04 National
Assessment of Educational Progress
5.04.1
Selected schools shall participate in any and all components of the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
5.04.2 Any school that fails to participate
in the administration of any NAEP assessment shall be reported to the Board and
may be subject to probationary status as set out in the Standards for
Accreditation.
5.05 Test
Administration
5.05.1 The Department shall
establish mandatory training sessions for local district testing coordinators
and other appropriate school personnel to ensure understanding of the
administration of assessments and effective use of assessment reporting data to
improve classroom instruction and learning to provide program
evaluation;
5.05.2 The
superintendent or his/her designee in each school district shall be responsible
for coordinating all local assessment activities including:
5.05.2.1 Scheduling testing times of all
affected campuses according to the testing calendar developed by the
Department;
5.05.2.2 Ensuring that
security is maintained as specified in the appropriate testing administration
materials;
5.05.2.3 Ensuring that
all district personnel involved in the testing have been properly trained as
specified by the Department;
5.05.2.4 Ensuring that all testing
instruments are administered to all students according to the procedures
established by the Commissioner of Education and specified in the applicable
assessment administration materials;
5.05.2.5 Ensuring that all assessment
documents and student identification information are properly and accurately
coded;
5.05.2.6 Attesting whether
ALL students have participated in the appropriate grade-level assessments);
and
5.05.2.7 Recommending for
adoption by local school boards a school calendar that in no way jeopardizes or
limits the valid testing and comparison of students' learning gains.
5.05.3 The appropriate test
administration materials shall specify any allowable accommodations available
to students participating in the administration of standard state
assessments.
5.05.4 All students
enrolled in a State-tested grade shall be accounted for in the Arkansas
Comprehensive Assessment Program.
5.06 A Technical Advisory Committee composed
of nationally-recognized testing experts and psychometricians shall be selected
by the Commissioner of Education and shall advise the Department in all
technical aspects of the assessment system.
5.07 Test Security and Confidentiality
5.07.1 Violation of the security or
confidential integrity of any test or assessment is prohibited.
5.07.2 The Board shall sanction a person who
engages in conduct prohibited by this section. Sanctions shall be considered
and imposed in compliance with the Department's rules Governing Alleged Testing
Improprieties or in the Department's Rules Governing Background Checks and
License Revocation, as appropriate. Additionally, the Board may sanction a
school district or school, or both, in which conduct prohibited in this section
occurs. Sanctions imposed by the Board may include without limitation one (1)
or more of the following:
5.07.2.1
Revocation, suspension, or probation of an individual's license,
5.07.2.2 Issuance of a letter of reprimand to
a licensed individual to be placed in his or her state personnel
file;
5.07.2.3 Additional training
or professional development to be completed by a licensed individual within the
time specified;
5.07.2.4 Additional
professional development to be administered by the school district to all
licensed school district personnel involved in test administration within the
time specified;
5.07.2.5 Issuance
of a letter of warning to the school district; and
5.07.2.6 Establishment of a school district
plan containing strict test security guidelines that will implement procedures
to ensure the security and confidential integrity of all assessment
instruments.
5.07.2.7 Professional
development required pursuant to this section as a result of violating test
security or confidentiality may be in addition to professional development
required for licensure.
5.07.3 Procedures for maintaining the
security and confidential integrity of all testing and assessment instruments
and procedures shall be specified in the appropriate test or assessment
administration instructions. Conduct that violates the security or confidential
integrity of a test or assessment is defined as any departure from either the
requirements established by the Commissioner of Education for the
administration of the assessment or from the procedures specified in the
applicable test administration materials. Conduct of this nature may include,
but is not limited to, the following acts and omissions:
5.07.3.1 Viewing secure assessment
materials;
5.07.3.2 Duplicating
secure assessment materials;
5.07.3.3 Disclosing the contents of any
portion of secure assessment materials;
5.07.3.4 Providing, suggesting, or indicating
to an examinee a response or answer to any secure assessment items;
5.07.3.5 Aiding or assisting an examinee with
a response or answer to any secure assessment item;
5.07.3.6 Changing or altering any response or
answer of an examinee to a secure assessment item;
5.07.3.7 Failing to follow the specified
testing procedures or to proctor students;
5.07.3.8 Failing to administer the assessment
on the designated testing dates;
5.07.3.9 Encouraging or assisting an
individual to engage in the conduct described herein;
5.07.3.10 Failing to report to the
appropriate authority that an individual has engaged in conduct set forth is
this section;
5.07.3.11 Failing to
follow the specified procedures and required criteria for alternate
assessments; or
5.07.3.12 Failing
to return the secured test booklets to the testing company in a timely
manner.
5.07.4 The
superintendent of each school district shall develop procedures to ensure the
security and confidential integrity of all assessment instruments and test
items. The superintendent shall be responsible for immediately notifying the
Department in writing of conduct that violates the security or confidential
integrity of an examination or assessment.
6.0 Student Performance Levels
6.01 The Board shall establish four (4)
performance levels for each criterion-referenced assessment administered as
part of ACTAAP. The Board shall establish five (5) performance levels for the
Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities as part of ACTAAP. Those
performance levels shall be:
(1) Not
Evident;
(2) Emergent;
(3) Supported Independence;
(4) Functional Independence; and
(5) Independent. Performance levels shall be
established for mathematics, reading/language arts and science independently.
Additionally, the Board shall establish a pass rate for each high-stakes
end-of-course assessment.
6.02 The Board shall establish four (4)
performance levels for Grades K-2 for the norm-referenced assessment
administered as part of the Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program for
reading and mathematics. The following numerical scores define those
performance levels.
|
Mathematics Norm Referenced Assessment standard score cut scores* |
||||
|
Grade |
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
K |
0-120 |
121-128 |
129-136 |
137-400 |
|
1 |
0-134 |
135-146 |
147-159 |
160-400 |
|
2 |
0-148 |
149-164 |
165-181 |
182-400 |
*Lowest possible standard score value is 80
|
Reading Norm-Referenced Assessment standard score cut scores* |
||||
|
Grade |
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
K |
0-119 |
120-127 |
128-137 |
138-400 |
|
1 |
0-136 |
137-145 |
146-158 |
159-400 |
|
2 |
0-153 |
154-165 |
166-182 |
183-400 |
*Lowest possible standard score value is 80
6.03 All initial high-stakes end-of course
assessments for Algebra I shall be administered by grade ten (10). Beginning
with the 2014-2015 school year, all initial high-stakes end-of-course
assessments for English II shall be administered by grade ten (10). The Board
shall establish a requisite scale score of student performance on the
High-Stakes End-of-Course Algebra I Examination. The following numerical scores
define that performance level.
|
High-Stakes End-of-Course Algebra I Pass Scale Score |
|
|
Not Pass |
Pass |
|
158 and Below |
159 and Above |
6.04
The following numerical scores define the performance levels on the
criterion-referenced assessments and on the Alternate Assessments for Students
with Disabilities for Not Evident, Emergent, Supported Independence, Functional
Independence and Independent. Functional Independence and Independent are
considered to be grade level.
|
Mathematics Criterion Referenced Assessments (Augmented Benchmark Exams) Scale Score Ranges |
||||
|
Grade |
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
3 |
0-408 |
409-499 |
500 - 585 |
586 & above |
|
4 |
0-494 |
495 - 558 |
559 - 639 |
640 & above |
|
5 |
0-543 |
544 - 603 |
604 - 696 |
697 & above |
|
6 |
0-568 |
569 - 640 |
641 - 721 |
722 & above |
|
7 |
0-621 |
622 - 672 |
673 - 763 |
764 & above |
|
8 |
0-654 |
655 - 699 |
700 - 801 |
802 & above |
|
Literacy Criterion Referenced Assessments (Augmented Benchmark Exams) Scale Score Ranges |
||||
|
Grade |
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
3 |
0-329 |
330 - 499 |
500 - 653 |
654 & above |
|
4 |
0-353 |
354 - 558 |
559 - 747 |
748 & above |
|
5 |
0-381 |
382 - 603 |
604 - 798 |
799 & above |
|
6 |
0-416 |
417-640 |
641 - 822 |
823 & above |
|
7 |
0-425 |
426 - 672 |
673 - 866 |
867 & above |
|
8 |
0-506 |
507 - 699 |
700-913 |
914 & above |
|
Science Criterion Referenced Assessments (Augmented Benchmark Exams) Scale Score Ranges |
||||
|
Grade |
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
5 |
0-153 |
154- 199 |
200 - 249 |
250 & above |
|
7 |
0-151 |
152-199 |
200 - 249 |
250 & above |
|
General End-of-Course Algebra I Scale Score Ranges |
|||
|
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
0- 151 |
152- 199 |
200 - 249 |
250 & above |
|
General End-of-Course Geometry Scale Score Ranges |
|||
|
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
0-151 |
152-199 |
200 - 249 |
250 & above |
|
General End-of-Course Biology Scale Score Ranges |
|||
|
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
0-145 |
146-199 |
200 - 249 |
250 & above |
|
Grade 11 Literacy Scale Score Ranges |
|||
|
Below Basic |
Basic |
Proficient |
Advanced |
|
0-168 |
169-199 |
200 - 249 |
250 & above |
|
Mathematics Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities Scale Score Ranges |
|||||
|
Grade |
Not Evident |
Emergent |
Supported Independence |
Functional Independence |
Independent |
|
3 |
520 - 672 |
673 - 703 |
704 - 708 |
709 - 723 |
724 - 733 |
|
4 |
523 - 673 |
674 - 707 |
708-712 |
713-721 |
722 - 736 |
|
5 |
545 - 674 |
675 - 708 |
709-713 |
714-725 |
726 - 733 |
|
6 |
535 - 677 |
678 - 708 |
709-714 |
715-722 |
723 - 731 |
|
7 |
478 - 675 |
676 - 705 |
706-713 |
714-720 |
721 -731 |
|
8 |
484 - 697 |
698-717 |
718-725 |
726 - 727 |
728 - 738 |
|
Literacy Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities Scale Score Ranges |
|||||
|
Grade |
Not Evident |
Emergent |
Supported Independence |
Functional Independence |
Independent |
|
3 |
487-663 |
664 - 685 |
686-710 |
711 -730 |
731 - 734 |
|
4 |
503 - 672 |
673 - 692 |
693-712 |
713-727 |
728 - 733 |
|
5 |
545 - 664 |
665 - 692 |
693-717 |
718-730 |
731 - 735 |
|
6 |
518-637 |
638 - 684 |
685 - 709 |
710-721 |
722 - 732 |
|
7 |
464 - 620 |
621 - 674 |
675 - 708 |
709 - 722 |
723 - 736 |
|
8 |
442 - 622 |
623 - 690 |
691-719 |
720 - 726 |
727 - 742 |
|
Science Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities Scale Score Ranges |
|||||
|
Grade |
Not Evident |
Emergent |
Supported Independence |
Functional Independence |
Independent |
|
5 |
563 - 700 |
701 -718 |
719-723 |
724 - 730 |
731 -736 |
|
7 |
490 - 670 |
671 - 688 |
689 - 705 |
706 - 720 |
721 -733 |
|
Grade 9 Mathematics Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities Scale Score Ranges |
||||
|
Not Evident |
Emergent |
Supported Independence |
Functional Independence |
Independent |
|
0-99 |
100-149 |
150-199 |
200 - 249 |
250 - 300 |
|
Science Grade 10 Alternate Assessment Scale Score Ranges |
||||
|
Not Evident |
Emergent |
Supported Independence |
Functional Independence |
Independent |
|
486 - 600 |
601 - 664 |
665 - 692 |
693-715 |
716-742 |
|
Grade 11 Literacy Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities Scale Score Ranges |
||||
|
Not Evident |
Emergent |
Supported Independence |
Functional Independence |
Independent |
|
483 - 595 |
596 - 655 |
656 - 680 |
681 - 692 |
693 - 740 |
7.0 Student Accountability
7.01 By the year 2013-2014 all students are
expected to perform at the proficient level or above.
7.02 Students identified as failing to
achieve at the proficient level on a) the state mandated CRT (as referenced in
Section 6.04 tables: Mathematics Criterion Referenced Assessments, Science
Criterion Referenced Assessments, Literacy Criterion Referenced Assessments),
b) students in grade K scoring delayed on either written language or oral
communications and scoring delayed in mathematics on the state mandated uniform
readiness screening (as referenced in Section 3.46 Uniform School Readiness
Screening); and c) students in grades 1 and 2 not scoring proficient on the
state mandated NRT(as referenced in Section 6.02 tables, Mathematics Norm
Referenced Assessment standard score cut scores and Reading Norm-Referenced
Assessment standard score cut scores), shall be evaluated by school personnel,
who shall jointly develop a remediation plan with the student's parents. The
remediation plan (AIP or if appropriate IRI) will assist the student in
achieving the expected standard and will describe the parent's role and
responsibilities as well as the consequences for the student's failure to
participate in the plan.
7.02.1 The AIP shall
be prepared using the format designed by the Department of Education. However,
the local school may adjust the format as deemed necessary.
7.02.2 The AIP shall be developed
cooperatively by appropriate teachers and/or other school personnel
knowledgeable about the student's performance or responsible for the
remediation in consultation with the student's parents. An analysis of student
strengths and deficiencies based on test data and previous student records
shall be available for use in developing the plan. The plan shall be signed by
the appropriate school administrator and the parent/guardian.
7.02.3 The AIP should be flexible, should
contain multiple remediation methods and strategies, and should include an
intensive instructional program different from the previous year's regular
classroom instructional program. Examples of strategies and methods include,
but are not limited to, computer assisted instruction, tutorial, extended year,
learning labs within the school day, Saturday school, double blocking
instruction in deficient areas during the school day, extended day
etc.
7.02.4 The AIP shall include
formative assessment strategies and shall be revised periodically based on
results from the formative assessment.
7.02.5 The AIP shall include standards-based
supplemental/remedial strategies aligned with the child's
deficiencies.
7.02.6 A highly
qualified teacher and/or a highly qualified paraprofessional under the guidance
of a highly qualified teacher shall provide instructional delivery under the
AIP.
7.02.7 The AIP should contain
an implementation timeline that assures the maximum time for remedial
instruction.
7.02.8 AlPs should be
individualized; however, similar deficiencies based on test data, may be
remediated through group instruction.
7.02.9 In any instance where a student with
disabilities identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that already addresses any
academic area or areas in which the student is not proficient on state-mandated
augmented, criterion-referenced, or norm-referenced assessments, the
individualized education program shall serve to meet the requirement of an
AIP.
7.03 Retention for
failure to participate in the Academic Improvement Plan
7.03.1 The public school district where the
student is enrolled shall notify the student's parent, guardian, or caregiver
of the parent's role and responsibilities as well as the consequences for the
student's failure to participate in the plan. This notice may be provided via
student handbooks issued to students.
7.03.2 A student in grades three (3) through
eight (8), identified as not passing a benchmark assessment and failing to
participate in the subsequent AIP shall be retained and shall not be promoted
to the next appropriate grade until the student is deemed to have participated
in the AIP or the student passes the benchmark assessment for the current grade
level in which the student is retained. The local district shall determine the
extent of the required participation in remediation as set forth in the student
academic improvement plan.
7.03.3
Any student required to take a general end-of-course assessment who is
identified as not meeting the requisite scale score for a particular assessment
shall participate in the remediation activities as required by the student's
individualized AIP in the school year that the assessment results are reported
in order to receive academic credit on his or her transcript for the course
related to the end-of-course assessment.
7.03.3.1 The individualized AIP shall include
remediation activities focused on those areas in which a student failed to pass
a general end-of-course assessment.
7.03.3.2 A student who is identified as not
meeting the requisite scale score for a general end-of-course assessment shall
not receive academic credit on his or her transcript for the courses related to
the general end-of-course assessment until the student is identified as having
participated in remediation through an individualized AIP. For the purpose of a
general end-of-course assessment, remediation does not require that a student
pass a subsequent end-of-course assessment in order to receive academic credit
for a course.
7.03.4
Remedial instruction may not be in lieu of English, mathematics, science or
social studies, or other core subjects required for graduation.
7.03.5 Any student who does not score at the
Proficient level on the criterion-referenced assessments in reading, writing
and mathematics shall continue to be provided with remedial or supplemental
instruction until the expectations are met or the student is not subject to
compulsory school attendance.
7.03.6 Any student that has an AIP and fails
to remediate, but scores at the Proficient level on the criterion-referenced
assessments, shall not be retained.
7.03.7 Students not proficient on the High
School Literacy Test shall participate in a remediation program.
7.03.8 A student who does not meet the
requisite scale score on the relevant high-stakes end-of-course assessment
shall participate in an individualized academic improvement plan.
7.03.8.1 An individualized academic
improvement plan shall include research-based remediation activities and
multiple opportunities for the student to take and pass subsequent high-stakes
end-of-course assessments as long as the student remains enrolled in an
Arkansas public school and has not reached twenty-one (21) years of
age.
7.03.8.2 If after two
subsequent high-stakes end-of-course assessments a student does not meet the
requisite scale score on the initial high-stakes end-of-course assessment, the
student shall participate in strand analysis or formative analysis remediation
provided and supported by the department before taking a third or subsequent
high-stakes end-of-course assessment.
7.03.8.3 Subsequent high-stakes end-of-course
assessments and associated remediation programs may be administered in
electronic format.
7.04 The results of general and high-stakes
end-of-course assessments shall become a part of each student's transcript or
permanent record. Each course for which a student completes the general
end-of-course assessment shall be recorded with the performance level
(advanced, proficient, basic or below-basic). Each course for which a student
completes the high-stakes end-of-course assessment shall be recorded with the
pass level (pass, not pass) and by performance level (Below Basic, Basic,
Proficient, Advanced).
7.05 The
Department shall implement a statistical system that shall provide the best
analysis of classroom, school, and school district effects on student progress
based on established, value-added longitudinal calculations, which shall
measure the difference in a student's previous year's achievement compared to
the current year achievement for the purposes of improving student achievement,
accountability, and recognition.
7.06 The approach used by the Department
shall be in alignment with federal statutes and developed in 2004-2005 to
collect data to allow research and evaluation of student achievement growth
models.
7.07 The approach shall
include value-added longitudinal calculations with sufficient transparency in
the model's conception and operation to allow others in the field to validate
or replicate the results and an assessment of the model's accurateness in
relation to other models.
7.08
Reading Deficiency for Students in Kindergarten through Grade Two
7.08.1 Any student who exhibits a substantial
deficiency in reading, based upon statewide assessments conducted in grades
kindergarten through two (K-2), or through teacher observations, shall be
provided intensive reading instruction utilizing a scientifically-based reading
program. The intensive instruction shall systematically, explicitly, and
coherently provide instruction in the five essential elements of reading as
defined in Section 3.23. The student shall continue to be provided with
intensive reading instruction until the reading deficiency is
corrected.
7.08.2 The State Board
of Education established performance levels for kindergarten, grade 1 and grade
2 that define substantial difficulties in reading based on the state-mandated,
developmentally appropriate assessment. The state-mandated Uniform Screening
Readiness (USR) instrument shall be used to determine substantial reading
difficulty for kindergarten students.
7.08.3 All kindergarten students exhibiting
substantial difficulties in reading will be evaluated by school personnel for
the purpose of diagnosing specific reading difficulties. This evaluation will
occur within 30 days of receiving the USR results.
7.08.4 Within 30 days of the beginning of
school, grade 1 and grade 2 students exhibiting substantial difficulties in
reading will be evaluated by school personnel for the purpose of diagnosing
specific reading difficulties. However, in those school years in which the
State Board of Education shall revise the performance levels schools shall be
allowed 30 days from the date of the final approval to conduct the
evaluation.
7.08.5 The evaluation
shall include the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills
(DIBELS).
7.08.6 School personnel
shall develop an Intensive Reading Improvement plan (IRI) that describes the
intervention program for any student identified with substantial reading
difficulty. The IRI shall be developed cooperatively by appropriate teachers
and/or other school personnel knowledgeable about the student's performance or
responsible for remediation.
7.08.7
The IRI shall contain an implementation timeline that assures the maximum time
for remedial instruction. The intervention shall occur during the regular
school day whenever possible, but may include extended day when appropriate.
The intervention shall supplement, and not supplant, core classroom
instruction.
7.08.8 The IRI shall
include valid and reliable progress monitoring assessments to measure student
growth toward the grade level benchmarks in each essential element of
reading.
7.08.9 The intensive
reading instruction provided under the IRI shall utilize strategies that are
aligned with scientifically-based reading research.
7.08.9.1 The intensive instruction shall
systematically, explicitly and coherently provide instruction in the five
essential areas of reading. The intensity and focus of the instruction shall be
based on the evaluation results, teacher observation, and data from progress
monitoring assessments. The intervention plan shall be revised periodically to
reflect student needs as indicated on progress monitoring
assessments.
7.08.9.2 The IRI
should be individualized; however, similar deficiencies may be remediated
through group instruction.
7.08.9.3
A highly qualified teacher and/or a highly qualified paraprofessional under the
guidance of a highly qualified teacher shall provide instruction under the
IRI.
7.08.9.4 The intervention
shall continue until the child has reached grade level benchmarks in all
essential areas of reading.
7.08.10 Student achievement in each of the
essential elements shall be monitored monthly after students complete the
intervention. Students who are not meeting current expectations shall be
provided additional interventions.
7.08.11 In any instance where a student with
disabilities identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Act has an IEP
that already addresses reading deficiencies, the individual education program
shall serve to meet the requirements of the IRI.
7.09 The parent or guardian of any student
identified with a substantial reading deficiency shall be notified in writing
to include the following:
7.09.1 That the
child has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in
reading;
7.09.2 A description of
the current services that are provided to the child; and,
7.09.3 A description of the proposed
supplemental instructional services and supports that will be provided to the
child that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading
deficiency.
8.0 School Accountability
NOTE: Consult Section 13.00 of these Rules for applicable ESEA flexibility provisions as approved by the USDOE on June 29, 2012.
8.01 The Department of Education shall
provide analyses of data produced by the Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment
Program and other reliable measures of student learning to determine classroom,
school, and school district academic performance.
8.02 Student performance trend data shall be
included in the components used in developing objectives of the school
improvement plan, internal evaluations of instructional and administrative
personnel, assignment of staff, allocation of resources, acquisition of
instructional materials and technology, performance-based budgeting, and
assignment of students into educational programs of the local school
program.
8.03 Each school shall
develop one (1) Arkansas Comprehensive, School Improvement Plan (ACSIP) focused
on student achievement. This requirement is intended to focus the school and
school district annually on the school's performance rate data for the purposes
of improving student performance based on data and the performance of students
on the state assessment system.
8.04 The purpose of ACSIP is to provide equal
opportunity for all students, including identifiable subgroups, to meet the
expected performance rate levels established by the Board on all State
assessments.
8.05 Consistent with
the No Child Left Behind Act, each school must make adequate yearly progress
(AYP), based primarily on the administration of the criterion-referenced
assessments described in Section 5.02. In order to make AYP, a school or school
district must-
* Demonstrate that at least 95 percent of all students and of students in each applicable subgroup, as provided in Section 8.06, at the tested grade levels, participated in the assessments;
* Meet or exceed the annual measurable performance levels described in Section 9.0, based on the percentages of students scoring proficient or above on the assessments, overall and for each applicable subgroup; or alternatively, if the total group or any subgroup does not meet the annual measurable performance levels, demonstrate that the percentage of students in that subgroup who did not meet the proficient level for that year decreased by 10 percent of that percentage from the preceding school year and that the subgroup made progress on one additional academic indicator; and
* Show progress for all students on an additional academic indicator, which shall be graduation rate for high schools and percent attendance for elementary and middle schools.
8.06 The following subgroups must be included
in the school/school district data disaggregation:
8.06.1 Students with Disabilities;
8.06.2 Students who are English Language
Learners;
8.06.3 Economically
Disadvantaged Students; and
8.06.4
Ethnic Subgroups;
8.06.4.1 Caucasian
8.06.4.2 African American
8.04.4.3 Hispanic
8.07 A school must meet AYP
criteria overall and for each of these subgroups that meets the minimum group
size as determined by the Department of Education and approved by the U.S.
Department of Education.
8.08 The
Department will determine AYP separately for mathematics and literacy, using
appropriate statistical treatments. Based on the single statewide starting
point described in this section, annual performance levels assure that ALL
students will reach proficient by school year 2013-2014.
8.09 The Department will determine for each
school in the state the percent of students performing at the proficient or
advanced levels. This percentage will be determined by computing the sum of
students proficient or advanced for the current year or the most recent three
years across each grade for which there is a criterion-referenced assessment.
That sum is divided by the total number of students assessed for that year or
across those three years and grades. This number shall include students taking
alternate assessments. The percentage shall be determined separately for
mathematics and reading/literacy.
8.10 The AYP starting point regarding percent
proficient on state assessments will be determined for grade-level clusters K-
5; 6 - 8; and 9-12 and separately for mathematics and
reading/literacy.
8.11 The AYP
starting point will be determined by ranking each school within the grade-level
by the percent proficient. Additionally, the ranking will include the total
student enrollment for those grades using October 1, 2002, data or October 1 of
a subsequent year for which there is a recalculation.
8.12 The goal of NCLB is for all students to
be proficient in language arts and math by 2014. Therefore, the Department of
Education will determine the "starting point" for AYP as set forth in Section
3.44 above.
8.13 The following
table establishes the starting point and projected performance level for each
year of the twelve years addressed by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Calculating AYP and Annual Expected Performance Levels
|
K-5 Math |
K-5 Literacy |
6-8 Math |
6-8 Literacy |
9-12 Math |
9-12 Literacy |
|
|
Year 05-06 |
40.00 |
42.40 |
29.10 |
35.20 |
29.20 |
35.50 |
|
Year 06-07 |
47.50 |
49.60 |
37.96 |
43.30 |
38.05 |
43.56 |
|
Year 07-08 |
55.00 |
56.80 |
46.83 |
51.40 |
46.90 |
51.63 |
|
Year 08-09 |
62.50 |
64.00 |
55.69 |
59.50 |
55.75 |
59.69 |
|
Year 09-10 |
70.00 |
71.20 |
64.55 |
67.60 |
64.60 |
67.75 |
|
Year 10-11 |
77.50 |
78.40 |
73.41 |
75.70 |
73.45 |
75.81 |
|
Year 11-12 |
85.00 |
85.60 |
82.28 |
83.80 |
82.30 |
83.88 |
|
Year 12-13 |
92.50 |
92.80 |
91.14 |
91.90 |
91.15 |
91.94 |
|
Year 13-14 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
8.14
Each year, in determining whether a school has met the target of percent
proficient for that school year as listed on the chart, the Department shall
compare the school's percent proficient in the appropriate grade-level cluster
and content area with the statewide projected goal for that year. A school
shall be deemed to have met AYP for a particular year for a particular
grade-level cluster and content area as long as the school attains at least the
statewide projected goal.
8.15
Individual Schools identified by the Department as failing to meet established
levels of academic achievement shall be subject to sanctions as specified in
school improvement or academic distress.
8.16 Schools/School Districts exemplifying
exceptional performance levels and/or growth patterns shall be recognized for
exemplary performance and will be eligible to participate in the rewards
program.
9.0 Accountability
NOTE: Consult Section 13.00 of these Rules for applicable ESEA flexibility provisions as approved by the USDOE on June 29, 2012. Sections 9.13 through 9.21 of these Rules continue to apply along with Section 13.00 of these Rules.
Schools failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress as determined under these Rules shall be classified subject to the following consequences.
9.01 A school will be
identified in alert status if it has not made AYP in the same subject
(Mathematics or Literacy) for one year.
9.02 A school will be identified as in
Improvement Status if it has not made AYP in the same subject (Mathematics or
Literacy) for two consecutive years.
9.03 A school in Alert Status or Improvement
Status that fails to make AYP, but does not fail to make AYP in the same
subject for two consecutive years, will remain in its existing status for the
following school year.
9.04 The
first year a school fails to meet expected performance levels, that school
shall be classified as on Alert Status. Any school classified on Alert Status
shall be required to review and/or revise the school's ACSIP Plan with special
attention given to State designated subgroup(s) which failed to meet expected
performance levels.
9.05 The local
school board president and the superintendent of a public school or school
district identified by the Department in school improvement shall be notified
in writing by the Department, via certified mail, return receipt requested, and
the school district shall have a right to appeal to the Commissioner of the
Department. The written appeal must be received in the Office of the
Commissioner of Education within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt of
notice.
9.06 The second year a
school fails to make Adequate Yearly Progress, that school shall be classified
as Year 1 of School Improvement. Any school classified in Year 1 of School
Improvement shall offer eligible students choice options to another school in
the district not in school improvement.
9.07 The third year a school fails to make
Adequate Yearly Progress, that school shall be classified as Year 2 of School
Improvement. Any school classified in Year 2 of School Improvement shall offer
eligible students supplementary educational services in keeping with federal
guidelines in addition to continued consequences from Year 1 of School
Improvement.
9.08 Should a school
fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress in the fourth year, the Board shall
advance that school into corrective action. Schools in corrective action must
continue to offer consequences from School Improvement Year 2, and the school
must implement a plan, with the approval of the Department, having specified
corrective actions.
9.09 Should a
school fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress in the fifth year, the Board shall
advance that school into restructuring. In restructuring the Department may
require the school to dismiss staff and administrators, annex the school to
another school that is not in school improvement, and/or take other such action
as deemed necessary by the Department and the Board.
9.10 Once a school has been identified in
school improvement, that school must meet the standard(s) for which it failed
to meet for two consecutive years to be considered for removal.
9.11 Schools that receive Title I funds must
meet all funding requirements as specified by federal guidelines. Schools that
do not receive Title I funds must implement programming in keeping with the
school's ACSIP Plan as revised.
9.12 Schools designated in year two or
greater of school improvement shall participate in a scholastic audit conducted
by the Department of Education (or its designees).
9.12.1 Results of the scholastic audit shall
be presented to the superintendent within four (4) weeks of completing the
scholastic audit. The audit shall make recommendations to improve teaching and
learning for inclusion in the comprehensive school improvement plan.
9.13 School Performance Rating
System and Performance Category Levels
9.13.1
The Department of Education shall prepare an annual report, which shall
describe the school rating system. The annual report shall designate two (2)
category levels for each school. The first category, annual performance, is
based on the performance from the prior year on the criterion-referenced test
and end-of-course exams. The second category, growth, shall be based on the
schools' improvement gains tracked longitudinally and using value-added
calculations on the criterion-referenced assessment
9.13.2 The initial annual report shall
identify schools as being in one (1) of the following annual performance
category levels, based on the criterion-referenced Benchmark exams, as defined
in 6-15-404(g)(1),
and defined according to rules of the State Board of Education:
(1) "Level 5", schools of
excellence;
(2) "Level 4", schools
exceeding the standards;
(3) "Level
3", schools meeting the standards;
(4) "Level 2", schools on alert; or
(5) "Level 1", schools in need of immediate
improvement.
9.14 For the years 2004-2005 through
2008-2009, school will not be assigned annual school performance category
levels, unless an annual performance category levels is requested by the
school.
9.15 Annual School
Performance Rating: Weighted Average Approach
9.15.1 Since the ACTAAP testing program in
Arkansas was designed as a criterion-referenced assessment system with
performance standards, the standards for student performance can be used to
develop a rating index of school performance.
9.15.2 Numerical values to be used as
weighting factors can be assigned to each student's performance category
(Advanced = 4; Proficient = 3; Basic = 2; Below Basic = 1)
9.15.3 With these weights assigned to the
performance levels, a performance index for the school can be computed by
multiplying the weights of the performance levels times the number of students
scoring in the performance category.
9.15.4 The sum of the weighted student
performance for each subject and grade in the school is divided by the total
number of students testing the subjects and grades. The resulting average for
the school is an index of performance that will range between 1.0 and
4.0.
9.16 Achievement
Rating Weighted Average Approach
9.16.1
Assigned the following points:
4 points per student scoring in the advanced category, 3 points per student scoring in the proficient category; 2 points per student scoring in the basic category, 1 point per student scoring in the below basic category.
Points = Number of student scoring in category X points assigned to categories
9.16.2 Example
|
Number of Students |
Scoring Category |
Points Assigned to Categories |
Total |
|
10 |
Advanced |
4 |
40 |
|
30 |
Proficient |
3 |
90 |
|
40 |
Basic |
2 |
80 |
|
20 |
Below Basic |
1 |
20 |
|
Total points for the school for all categories |
230 |
||
9.17 Achievement Rating: Weighted Average
Approach Calculation
9.17.1 To calculate the
rating score for each school, divide the total point for the school by the
number of students in the school.
|
Points Received |
Number of Students |
Rating |
|
230 |
100 |
2.3 |
9.17.2
At the direction of the state board, a panel of stakeholders was convened to
review the statewide performance of schools and conduct the standard setting
process. In the school standard setting process, stakeholders representing
administrators, teachers, business, parents, and school board members served as
panelists to decide on the quality level represented by various points within
the distribution of school index scores. The state board reviewed and adopted
the following standards recommended by the stakeholder's advisory panels for
the annual performance rating.
|
Standard Setting Recommendations Stakeholder Advisory Panels |
||||
|
Cut Scores |
Cut 1/2 |
Cut 2/3 |
Cut 3/4 |
Cut 4/5 |
|
Administrators |
1.7 |
2.19 |
2.76 |
3.02 |
|
Teachers |
1.6 |
2.25 |
3.0 |
3.5 |
|
Business |
1.735 |
2.145 |
2.7 |
3.365 |
|
Parents |
1.75 |
2.2 |
2.65 |
3.0 |
|
School Board |
1.81 |
2.30 |
2.87 |
3.30 |
|
Median |
1.735 |
2.2 |
2.755 |
3.300 |
|
Average |
1.719 |
2.21 |
2.79 |
3.23 |
9.17.3
After the rating score has been calculated for each school, schools may
calculate their annual performance level by locating the established
performance standard (cut score) for placing each school in one of five
performance categories.
9.17.4 In
the example below, if the rating score of the school is between 3.5 and 4.0, it
will be in the "schools of excellence" performance category level.
|
Expert Panel Cut Scores |
Performance Categories |
|
3.23-4.0 |
Schools of excellence |
|
2.79-3.22 |
Schools exceeding the standards |
|
2.21 -2.78 |
Schools meeting standards |
|
1.719-2.20 |
Schools approaching the standards (alert) |
|
1.0-1.718 |
Schools in need of immediate improvement |
9.17.5
The second category, growth shall be based on the schools'
improvement gains tracked longitudinally and using value-added calculations on the criterion-referenced assessment. The working taskforce shall continue to assist in the rating system during the establishment of the second category.
9.18 School Choice
9.18.1 For all schools that have received an
annual performance category levels of Level 1 for two (2) consecutive years,
the students in these schools shall be offered the opportunity public school
choice option with transportation provided pursuant to A.C.A. §
6-18-227 et seq.
9.19 Supplemental Educational
Services
9.19.1 In addition, the school
district board shall provide supplemental educational services, approved by the
State Board, to affected students.
9.20 Recognition Awards
9.20.1 Schools that receive an annual
performance category level of
Level 5 or Level 4 are eligible for school recognition awards and performance-based funding pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6-15-421 and 6-15-2107.
9.21 Sanctions
9.21.1 Any school or district that is
involved in substantiated test security violations will not be eligible to
receive the "school of excellence" performance rating.
10.0 School District Accountability
NOTE: During the time periods designated by the USDOE for which the ADE may receive flexibility from certain provisions of ESEA, the school district accountability provisions found in Section 13.00 of these Rules shall apply. Sections 10.04 through 10.08 of these Rules shall remain in place even during time periods designated by the USDOE for which the ADE may receive flexibility from certain provisions of ESEA.
10.01 The Department annually reviews each
district to determine whether the district is making AYP in the following way.
10.01.1 Determine the collective status for
all the schools within a district within each grade-level grouping (K-5; 6-8
and 9-12);
10.01.2 Determine the
district percent of participation across each grade level group; and
10.01.3 Determine the district status on
secondary indicator across each grade-level group.
10.01.4 A district shall be in school
improvement when all levels within a district fail to meet performance
standards for two consecutive years in the same subject. A district having
status of School Improvement shall be removed from that status when any one
level meets the performance standard for two consecutive years in that
subject.
10.02 Before
identifying a district for district improvement, the Department will provide
the district with an opportunity to review the data on which the identification
is based. The district may appeal the identification, and the Department will
decide the appeal within 30 days.
10.03 Each district identified for district
improvement shall within three months of identification develop or revise a
district improvement plan that complies with the requirements of the No Child
Left Behind Act, including the requirement that it spend not less than 10% of
its Part A, Title I funds on professional development for each fiscal year in
which the district is identified for improvement. The district shall initiate
implementation of the plan expeditiously, but not later than the beginning of
the next school year after the school year in which the district was identified
for improvement. The Department will provide technical assistance to districts
in developing and implementing improvement plans under this section.
10.04 Academic Distress - Procedures for
Identification, Classification and Appeal of School Districts in Academic
Distress
10.04.1 A school district which
meets the definition of "Academic Distress" set forth in Section 3.02 of these
rules shall be designated in Academic Distress.
10.04.2 Within thirty calendar days (30)
after the release of the state assessment results by the Department or upon
making a determination that a school district has a Needs Improvement -Priority
school within the school district that has not made the progress required under
the school's Priority Improvement Plan (PIP), the Department shall identify all
school districts in Academic Distress and shall notify in writing each school
district superintendent and board president via certified mail, return receipt
requested.
10.04.3 A school
district may appeal a determination of the Department identifying the district
as an Academic Distress school district by filing an appeal in writing in the
Office of the Commissioner of Education within (30) calendar days after
receiving the notification, justifying why the district should not be
identified as being in Academic Distress.
10.04.4 The Board shall render a written
decision of a classification on a district's appeal of identification as an
Academic Distress school district within sixty (60) calendar days of the
district's written request.
10.04.5
The decision of the Board shall be final with no further right of appeal,
except a school district may appeal to the Circuit Court of Pulaski County
pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, A.C.A. §
25-15-201 et seq.
10.05 Time Limitation of Academic
Distress Status
10.05.1 A public school
district identified as in academic distress shall have no more than two (2)
consecutive school years beginning on July 1 following the date of notice of
identification to be removed from academic distress status.
10.05.2 The Board may at any time take
enforcement action on any school district in academic distress status
including, but not limited to, annexation, consolidation, or reconstitution of
a school district pursuant to A.C.A. §
6-13-1401 et seq.
10.05.3 If a public school district fails to
be removed from academic distress status within the allowed two (2) year time
period, the Board shall annex, consolidate or reconstitute the academic
distress school district prior to July 1 of the next school year unless the
Board, at its discretion, issues a written finding supported by a majority of
the board, explaining in detail that the school district could not remove
itself from academic distress during the relevant time period due to external
forces beyond the school district's control.
10.06 Procedures for assisting school
districts in academic distress
10.06.1 Within
thirty (30) calendar days of classification by the State Board, each Academic
Distress school district shall develop and file with the Department a modified
Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (District Plan) to target and address any
area in which the district is experiencing academic distress.
10.06.2 Within fifteen (15) calendar days of
classification by the State Board, the Department shall assign a team of
educators to evaluate the district and determine the need for on-site technical
assistance or technical assistance via distance technology.
10.06.3 The team of educators shall evaluate
and make recommendations to the district superintendent within sixty (60)
calendar days following the district's classification as an Academic Distress
school district.
10.06.4 School
districts classified as Academic Distress shall provide access to all district
assessment, instruction, personnel and academic records and reports to assist
the team in the formulation of the recommendations for improvement.
10.06.5 The Department with assistance from
the team of educators shall review the data relative to the academic status and
performance of students in the Academic Distress school district.
10.06.6 Following the on-site review, the
team of educators will submit a written set of recommendations to the Academic
Distress school district.
10.06.7
The Department shall provide relevant technical assistance to each identified
school district based upon the needs identified in the Comprehensive School
Improvement Plan.
10.08
Procedures for evaluating and removal of school districts from academic
distress status
10.08.1 The Department shall
review and annually report to the Board the academic conditions existing in
each Academic Distress school district.
10.08.2 A school district designated in
Academic Distress shall be removed from Academic Distress only upon vote of a
majority of the quorum present of the State Board and only after the Department
has certified in writing to the State Board that the school district has
corrected all criteria for being classified as in academic distress.
11.0 Board Authority
11.01 The Board shall have the following
authority regarding any public school district in academic distress:
11.01.1 Require the superintendent of the
school district to relinquish all authority with respect to the district and to
appoint an individual to administratively operate the school district under the
supervision of the Commissioner of Education, with the cost to be paid from
school district funding;
11.01.2
Suspend or remove some or all of the current board of directors and call for
the election of a new school board of directors for the school district, in
which case the school district shall reimburse the county board of election
commissioners for election costs as otherwise required by law.
11.01.3 Allow the school district to operate
without the local school board of directors under the supervision of the local
school district administration or an administration chosen by the Commissioner
of Education.
11.01.4 Waive the
application of Arkansas law, with the exception of the Teacher Fair Dismissal
Act of 1983, A.C.A. §
6-17-1501 et seq., and the Public
School Employee Fair Hearing Act, A.C.A. §
6-17-1701 et seq., or Department
Rules.
11.01.5 Require the
annexation, consolidation, or reconstitution of the public school
district.
11.01.6 The Board has
exclusive jurisdiction to determine the boundary lines of the receiving or
resulting school district and to allocate assets and liability of the
district.
11.01.7 Take any other
necessary and proper action as determined by the Board that is allowed by
law.
11.01.8 After providing thirty
(30) calendar days written notice, via certified mail return receipt requested,
to a school district, the Department may petition the Board or the Board on its
own motion, at any time, may take action pursuant to this section 11.0 as
allowed by Act 1467 of 2003, in order to secure and protect the best interest
of students in the public school district or to secure and protect the best
interest of the educational resources of the state.
11.01.9 The School District shall have a
right of appeal to a public hearing before the Board after filing a written
notice of appeal with the office of the Commissioner of the Department at least
thirty (30) calendar days prior to the appeal hearing.
11.01.10 The State Board shall consolidate,
annex or reconstitute a school district that fails to remove itself from the
classification of a school district in academic distress within two (2)
consecutive school years of receipt of notice of identification unless the
Board, at its discretion, issues a written finding supported by a majority of
the Board, explaining in detail that the school district could not remove
itself from academic distress due to impossibility caused by external forces
beyond the school district's control.
11.01.11 After a public hearing, the Board
shall consolidate, annex, or reconstitute the school district in academic
distress to another non-academic distress school district upon a majority vote
of a quorum of the members of the Board as permitted or required by this
subchapter.
11.01.12 The Board's
classification of a school district in Academic Distress shall be final except
that the school district shall have a right of appeal to the Circuit Court of
Pulaski County pursuant to the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act, A.C.A.
§
25-15-201 et
seq.
11.02 To transition
to and implement the Common Core State Standards, the Board shall have the
authority to:
11.02.1 Modify curriculum and
assessment requirements;
11.02.2
Adopt new curriculum and assessment requirements; and
11.02.3 Direct the Department of Education
to:
11.02.3.1 Propose to the state board
rules and procedures; and
11.02.3.2
Develop the professional development needed to train educators on the
transition and implementation.
12.0 School Choice and Academic Distress
12.01 Any student attending a public school
district classified as being in academic distress shall automatically be
eligible and entitled pursuant to A.C.A. §
6-18-206, the "Arkansas Public
School Choice Act", to transfer to another geographically contiguous school
district not in academic distress during the time period that a school district
is classified as being in academic distress, and therefore, not be required to
file a petition by July 1 but shall meet all other requirements and conditions
of the Arkansas Public School Choice Act.
12.02 The cost of student transportation to
the nonresident district shall be borne by the resident district.
12.03 The nonresident district shall count
the student for average daily membership purposes.
13.0 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Provisions
On June 29, 2012, the United States Department of Education (USDOE) approved the Arkansas Department of Education's (ADE) request for flexibility from certain provisions of the ESEA. The approved ESEA flexibility request can be found at:
http://www.arkansased.org/public/userfiles/Flexibility/AR%20Final%206.18.12%20Revised%20.pdf
The ADE's ESEA flexibility request, as it existed on July 9, 2012, is hereby incorporated into these Rules by reference. Key components of the ESEA flexibility requirements are noted below.
13.01 The USDOE approved the following
waivers of ESEA for the State of Arkansas:
13.01.1 The requirements in ESEA section 1111
(b)(2)(E)-(H) that prescribe how an SEA must establish annual measurable
objectives (AMOs) for determining adequate yearly progress (AYP) to ensure that
all students meet or exceed the State's proficient level of academic
achievement on the State's assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics
no later than the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Arkansas requested this
waiver to develop new ambitious but achievable AMOs in reading/language arts
and mathematics in order to provide meaningful goals that are used to guide
support and improvement efforts for the State, LEAs, schools, and student
subgroups.
13.01.2 The requirements
in ESEA section 1116(b) for an LEA to identify for improvement, corrective
action, or restructuring, as appropriate, a Title I school that fails, for two
consecutive years or more, to make AYP, and for a school so identified and its
LEA to take certain improvement actions. Arkansas requested this waiver so that
an LEA and its Title I schools need not comply with these
requirements.
13.01.3 The
requirements in ESEA section 1116(c) for an SEA to identify for improvement or
corrective action, as appropriate, an LEA that, for two consecutive years or
more, fails to make AYP, and for an LEA so identified and its SEA to take
certain improvement actions. Arkansas requested this waiver so that it need not
comply with these requirements with respect to its LEAs.
13.01.4 The requirements in ESEA sections
6213(b) and 6224(e) that limit participation in, and use of funds under the
Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS)
programs based on whether an LEA has made AYP and is complying with the
requirements in ESEA section 1116. Arkansas requested this waiver so that an
LEA that receives SRSA or RLIS funds may use those funds for any authorized
purpose regardless of whether the LEA makes AYP.
13.01.5 The requirement in ESEA section
1114(a)(1) that a school have a poverty percentage of 40 percent or more in
order to operate a schoolwide program. Arkansas requested this waiver so that
an LEA may implement interventions consistent with the turnaround principles or
interventions that are based on the needs of the students in the school and
designed to enhance the entire educational program in a school in any of its
priority and focus schools that meet the definitions of "priority schools" and
"focus schools," respectively, set forth in the document titled ESEA
Flexibility, as appropriate, even if those schools do not have a poverty
percentage of 40 percent or more.
13.01.6 The requirement in ESEA section
1003(a) for an SEA to distribute funds reserved under that section only to LEAs
with schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring.
Arkansas requested this waiver so that it may allocate section 1003(a) funds to
its LEAs in order to serve any of the State's priority and focus schools that
meet the definitions of "priority schools" and "focus schools," respectively,
set forth in the document titled ESEA Flexibility.
13.01.7 The provision in ESEA section
1117(c)(2)(A) that authorizes an SEA to reserve Title I, Part A funds to reward
a Title I school that (1) significantly closed the achievement gap between
subgroups in the school; or (2) has exceeded AYP for two or more consecutive
years. Arkansas requested this waiver so that it may use funds reserved under
ESEA section 1117(c)(2)(A) for any of the State's reward schools that meet the
definition of "reward schools" set forth in the document titled
£S£4 Flexibility.
13.01.8 The requirements in ESEA section 2141
(a), (b), and (c) for an LEA and SEA to comply with certain requirements for
improvement plans regarding highly qualified teachers. Arkansas requested this
waiver to allow the SEA and its LEAs to focus on developing and implementing
more meaningful evaluation and support systems.
13.01.9 The limitations in ESEA section 6123
that limit the amount of funds an SEA or LEA may transfer from certain ESEA
programs to other ESEA programs. Arkansas requested this waiver so that it and
its LEAs may transfer up to 100 percent of the funds it receives under the
authorized programs among those programs and into Title I, Part A.
13.01.10 The requirements in ESEA section
1003(g)(4) and the definition of a Tier I school in Section I.A.3 of the School
Improvement Grants (SIG) final requirements. Arkansas requested this waiver so
that it may award SIG funds to an LEA to implement one of the four SIG models
in any of the State's priority schools that meet the definition of "priority
schools" set forth in the document titled ESEA
Flexibility.
13.02 USDOE Flexibility Principle 1: College
and Career-Ready Expectations for All Students
13.02.1 Definition of College and Career
Ready: The acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs to be
successful in all future endeavors including credit-bearing, first-year courses
at a postsecondary institution (such as a two- or four-year college, trade
school, or technical school) or to embark successfully on a chosen
career.
13.02.1 The State Board
voted to participate in the Common Core State Standards for English Language
Arts (ELA) and Mathematics in July 2010.
13.02.2 The following timeline will lead to
full implementation of the Common Core State Standards during the 2013-2014
school year:
13.02.2.1 Grades K-2 implemented
the Common Core State Standards during the 2011-2012 school year.
13.02.2.2 Grades 3-8 will implement the
Common Core State Standards during the 2012-2013 school year.
13.02.2.3 Grades 9-12 will implement the
Common Core State Standards during the 2013-2014 school year.
13.03 USDOE Flexibility
Principle 2: State-Developed Differentiated Recognition, Accountability and
Support
13.03.1 The requirements contained
within Section 13.03 of these rules shall comprise the Arkansas Differentiated
Accountability, Recognition and Tiered-Support System (DARTSS).
13.03.2 The goals of DARTSS are, without
limitation:
13.03.2.1 To move toward a unified
federal and state accountability system beginning in 2012-2013; and
13.03.2.2 To establish the flexibility and
opportunity to direct additional resources to schools with the lowest achieving
students.
13.03.3 DARTSS
differs from the current ESEA accountability system in the following ways:
13.03.3.1 The ESEA goal of 100 percent (100%)
proficient by 2013-2014 is hereby replaced with a new goal of reducing
proficiency gaps by half by the 2016-2017 school year.
13.03.3.2 Traditional ESEA accountability
status labels are replaced by accountability and assistance levels for all
schools.
13.03.3.3 Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) is replaced with accountability levels based upon Annual
Measurable Objectives (AMOs) for public schools and school districts.
13.03.3.4 Performance (proficiency), growth
and graduation rate indicators will now use a minimum N, or sample size, of 25
students for accountability purposes.
13.03.3.5 DARTSS will place enhanced focus on
subgroups through the Targeted Achievement Gap Group (TAGG)
13.03.3.6 Federal SES and school choice
requirements are replaced by supports and interventions responsive to
identified needs of students and schools.
13.04 The following groups of students will
be included in DARTSS for the purposes of determining accountability status for
school districts and schools:
13.04.1 All
Students Group: All students in the school and school district.
13.04.2 Targeted Achievement Gap Group
(TAGG), which includes the following students:
13.04.2.1 Economically
Disadvantaged;
13.04.2.2 English
Learners (EL); and
13.04.2.3
Students with Disabilities (SWD).
13.05 The following groups of students will
be included in DARTSS for the purposes of ACSIP and ESEA reporting:
13.05.1 African-American;
13.05.2 Hispanic;
13.05.3 White;
13.05.4 Economically Disadvantaged;
13.05.5 English Learners; and
13.05.6 Students with Disabilities.
13.06 Each group of students shall
be measured according to the following Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs):
13.06.1 Math Proficiency;
13.06.2 Math Growth (Grades 4-8);
13.06.3 Literacy Proficiency;
13.06.4 Literacy Growth (Grades 4-8);
and
13.06.5 Graduation Rate (High
School).
13.07 AMO
Calculations
13.07.1 The ADE shall give
schools and school districts full credit for meeting a particular AMO when the
growth, performance or graduation rate meets or exceeds ninety-four percent
(94%).
13.07.2 The ADE shall
initially calculate performance (proficiency) and growth AMOs based upon 2011
test results.
13.07.3 The ADE shall
use a lagging graduation rate in its annual accountability determination.
13.07.3.1 The ADE shall calculate graduation
rate AMOs using 2010 four-year cohort graduation rates in accordance with its
flexibility proposal.
13.07.4 AMO calculations will be based upon a
minimum N of 25. For schools with too few students to calculate the AMO in
2011, the AMO calculations shall be based on a two (2)-year weighted
average.
13.07.5 In order to be
eligible to be classified as Achieving or Exemplary, schools and school
districts must test ninety-five percent (95%) of students in the All Students
and TAGG groups.
13.08
DARTSS Accountability Labels
13.08.1 School
districts shall be broadly classified as either:
13.08.1.1 Achieving; or
13.08.1.2 Needs Improvement.
13.08.1.3 School districts will be broadly
classified based upon criteria similar to that used for the classification of
individual schools. To be classified as "Achieving," a school district must
meet performance or growth AMOs for math and literacy for All Students and the
TAGG, as well as graduation rate AMOs for All Students and the TAGG.
13.08.2 ADE engagement and school
district autonomy shall be determined by the extent of the needs identified
within the district. The extent of needs will be identified based upon the
presence of identified Needs Improvement Focus and Needs Improvement Priority
schools in the district, the number and type of AMOs not met for performance,
growth, and graduation rate, and the number of district AMOs not met for
performance, growth and graduation rate.
13.08.3 Individual schools within school
districts shall be classified as one of the following:
13.08.3.1 Exemplary;
13.08.3.2 Achieving;
13.08.3.3 Needs Improvement;
13.08.3.4 Needs Improvement (Focus);
or
13.08.3.5 Needs Improvement
(Priority).
13.08.3.5.1 Within a time period
determined by the ADE, a school classified as a Needs Improvement (Priority)
school must develop and file with the ADE a Priority Improvement Plan (PIP)
that is integrated into the school's ACSIP plan.
13.08.3.5.2 A school district with a Needs
Improvement (Priority) school that has not made the progress required under the
school's Priority Improvement Plan (PIP) may be identified by the ADE as a
school district in academic distress.
13.08.4 The following table lists the ADE
engagement and district autonomy associated with school accountability status:
|
Status |
Description |
ADE Engagement/District Autonomy |
|
Exemplary |
* High Performance * High Progress * High TAGG high performance * High TAGG high progress |
* Very low ADE engagement * Very high district autonomy |
|
Achieving |
* Three-year ACSIP-Meet all performance, graduate rate and growth AMOs for All Students Group and TAGG * One-year ACSIP-Meet all performance and graduation rate AMOs for All Students Group and TAGG, but miss growth AMOs for All Students Group or TAGG |
* Very low ADE engagement * High district autonomy |
|
Needs Improvement |
* Does not meet performance, graduation rate or growth AMOs for All Students and TAGG |
* Low to moderate ADE engagement * Moderate district autonomy |
|
Needs Improvement -Focus |
* Schools with largest, persistent gaps between non-TAGG and TAGG students * Graduation rates less than sixty percent (60%) over a period of several years and which are not classified as Needs Improvement - Priority schools. |
* High ADE engagement * Low district autonomy |
|
Needs Improvement -Priority |
* Schools with persistently lowest achievement in math and literacy over three years for the All Students Group * Graduation rates less than sixty percent (60%) over a period of several years. |
* Very high ADE engagement * Low district autonomy |
13.09 Strategic Use of Title I Funds
13.09.1 School districts may use the
flexibility granted by the USDOE to help lowest performing schools make targets
by:
13.09.1.1 Serving the lowest performing
schools with Title I and/or NSLA funding using the most appropriate methods
aligned to identified student and adult learning needs;
13.09.1.2 Designating any Needs Improvement
(Focus) or Needs Improvement (Priority) school as a Title I schoolwide program
school, even if the school does not have a poverty percentage of forty percent
(40%) or more; and
13.09.1.3
Transferring up to one hundred percent (100%) of the school district's Title
ll-Afunds into Title I and using them for Title I purposes.
13.09.2 School districts have the
following continuing obligations for the use of Title l-A Funds:
13.09.2.1 Prioritize the school district's
lowest achieving students in its lowest performing schools;
13.09.2.2 Allocate Title l-A funds equal to
the scope of the problem; and
13.09.2.3 Demonstrate alignment of federal
and NSLA allocations sufficient to support implementation of
interventions.
13.10 Process for Notification and Review
13.10.1 Prior to the first possible day of
school, as defined by Ark. Code Ann. §
6-10-106, the Arkansas Department
of Education shall notify the school board president and superintendent of each
public school district of the following in writing, via certified mail, return
receipt requested:
13.10.1.1 The school
district's preliminary classification under Section 13.08.1 of these rules;
and
13.10.1.2 The preliminary
classification of each individual school within a school district under Section
13.08.3 of these rules.
13.10.2 Contemporaneous with the notice
required by Section 13.10.1 of these rules, the Arkansas Department of
Education shall make available to the school board president and superintendent
the data upon which the preliminary classifications of school districts and
individual public schools were based.
13.10.3 School districts shall have thirty
(30) days from receipt of the notification required by Section 13.10.1 of these
rules to review the data upon which the preliminary classifications of school
districts and individual public schools were based, to submit to the Arkansas
Department of Education any requests for corrections to the data, and to submit
any other reason(s) for which the preliminary classifications should be
modified. School districts may request revisions to the preliminary
classifications for school districts and individual public schools during the
same thirty (30) day period.
13.10.4 Prior to January 1 of each school
year, the Arkansas Department of Education shall review the information
submitted by school districts pursuant to Section 13.10.3 of these rules and
publish a final classification for each school district and individual public
school.
13.11 USDOE
Flexibility Principle 3: Supporting Effective Instruction and Leadership
Arkansas's requirements for supporting effective instruction and leadership may be found in the Teacher Excellence and Support System (Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-2801 et seq.) and the Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing the Teacher Excellence and Support System.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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