Arkansas Learns was privileged to sponsor, attend and present at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas annual Door-to-Door meetings.
The gatherings, typically hosted by local/regional chambers of commerce in Arkansas’s larger communities, focused on Arkansas’s business competitiveness, particularly in regard to “touch states.” Arkansas Learns’ presentations centered on K-12 education as the beginning and bulk of the workforce talent pipeline. To that end, the latest statewide performance data was shared, along with how the respective communities’ school districts fared under the state’s accountability measures.
Arkansas
On the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Arkansas performed among the lowest quartile in the nation.
- 4th Grade Reading – 32% Proficient (Tied 38th in Nation)
- 4th Grade Math – 32% Proficient (Tied 44th in Nation)
- 8th Grade Reading – 27% (Tied 44th in Nation)
- 8th Grade Math – 25% (Tied 42nd in Nation)
While NAEP scores have long been dismissed by some in education circles as only a statewide sample, Arkansas’s scores proved prescient when compared to statewide performance on last year’s PARCC assessment:
- 3rd Grade ELA (English Language Arts) – 29% Proficient
- 3rd Grad Math – 31% Proficient
- 4th Grade ELA – 34% Proficient
- 4th Grade Math – 24% Proficient
- 5th Grade ELA – 32% Proficient
- 5th Grade Math – 24% Proficient
- 6th Grade ELA – 33% Proficient
- 6th Grade Math – 25% Proficient
- 7th Grade ELA – 35% Proficient
- 7th Grade Math – 22% Proficient
- 8th Grade ELA – 32% Proficient
- 8th Grade Math – 17% Proficient
While district-, school-, student-level PARCC scores are not yet available to the public, it’s important to note that based on previous years’ Benchmark and End-of-Course Exams, Arkansas graded itself as follows on its state-centric tests:
- 3rd – 8th Grades Math – 72% Proficient
- 3rd – 8th Grades Literacy – 78% Proficient
- 9th – 11th Grades Algebra – 75% Proficient
- 9th – 11th Grades Geometry – 74% Proficient
- 9th – 11th Grades Literacy – 72% Proficient
- 9th – 11th Grades Biology – 47% Proficient
When national assessments reflect that less than a third of Arkansas students are proficient in Math and Literacy, but the state’s assessment shows 3/4 are proficient, Arkansas’s proficiency inflation has failed a generation of students, families and communities, rendering increased graduation rates virtually meaningless.
School Districts
What follows, using the State’s major accountability markers, are how the local school districts on the State Chamber’s Door-to-Door tour compare to each other, as well as the first and last district in each category.
Benchmark Exam – Math
Valley View – 90% (1st)
Helena-West Helena – 40% (248th – Last)
| School District | % Proficient | Statewide Rank |
| Bentonville | 86% | 8th (Tied) |
| Fayetteville | 82% | 26th (Tied) |
| Conway | 81% | 35th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 81% | 35th (Tied) |
| Batesville | 77% | 72nd (Tied) |
| Searcy | 77% | 72nd (Tied) |
| Springdale | 77% | 72nd (Tied) |
| Russellville | 74% | 107th (Tied) |
| Fort Smith | 72% | 123rd (Tied) |
| Hot Springs | 70% | 147th (Tied) |
| El Dorado | 70% | 147th (Tied) |
| Van Buren | 70% | 147th (Tied) |
| West Memphis | 68% | 171st (Tied) |
| Magnolia | 66% | 185th (Tied) |
| Jonesboro | 65% | 189th (Tied) |
| Pulaski County Special | 63% | 207th (Tied) |
| Texarkana | 61% | 219th (Tied) |
| Little Rock | 59% | 226th (Tied) |
| North Little Rock | 59% | 226th (Tied) |
| Pine Bluff | 46% | 241st (Tied) |
| Blytheville | 42% | 247th |
Benchmark Exam – Literacy
Valley View – 93% (1st)
Forrest City – 49% (249th – Last)
| School District | % Proficient | Statewide Rank |
| Bentonville | 88% | 14th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 88% | 14th (Tied) |
| Conway | 85% | 33rd (Tied) |
| Fayetteville | 85% | 33rd (Tied) |
| Searcy | 83% | 56th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 81% | 35th (Tied) |
| Batesville | 81% | 79th (Tied) |
| Russellville | 79% | 79th (Tied) |
| Springdale | 79% | 109th (Tied) |
| Fort Smith | 78% | 127th (Tied) |
| El Dorado | 77% | 139th (Tied) |
| West Memphis | 76% | 154th (Tied) |
| Van Buren | 74% | 177th (Tied) |
| Hot Springs | 73% | 187th (Tied) |
| Pulaski County Special | 73% | 187th (Tied) |
| Jonesboro | 69% | 209th (Tied) |
| Magnolia | 68% | 216th (Tied) |
| Texarkana | 68% | 216th (Tied) |
| North Little Rock | 68% | 216th (Tied) |
| Little Rock | 65% | 228th (Tied) |
| Pine Bluff | 57% | 241st (Tied) |
| Blytheville | 51% | 246th (Tied) |
End-of-Course Exam – Algebra
Searcy County – 100% (1st)
Dierks – 31% (245th – Last)
| School District | % Proficient | Statewide Rank |
| Bentonville | 88% | 29th (Tied) |
| Russellville | 87% | 38th (Tied) |
| Fayetteville | 86% | 42nd (Tied) |
| Conway | 85% | 49th (Tied) |
| Searcy | 85% | 49th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 84% | 57th (Tied) |
| Springdale | 80% | 84th (Tied) |
| Batesville | 79% | 94th (Tied) |
| Van Buren | 77% | 103rd (Tied) |
| West Memphis | 73% | 131st (Tied) |
| Fort Smith | 72% | 138th (Tied) |
| Jonesboro | 69% | 153rd (Tied) |
| Texarkana | 67% | 166th (Tied) |
| Magnolia | 66% | 173rd (Tied) |
| North Little Rock | 66% | 176th (Tied) |
| Pulaski County Special | 64% | 180th (Tied) |
| El Dorado | 60% | 195th (Tied) |
| Little Rock | 59% | 198th (Tied) |
| Hot Springs | 47% | 229th (Tied) |
| Blytheville | 45% | 233rd (Tied) |
| Pine Bluff | 45% | 233rd (Tied) |
End-of-Course Exam – Geometry
Viola – 100% (1st)
Earle – 21% (245th – Last)
| School District | % Proficient | Statewide Rank |
| Searcy | 93% | 11th |
| Bentonville | 90% | 22nd (Tied) |
| Fayetteville | 90% | 22nd (Tied) |
| Russellville | 85% | 44th (Tied) |
| Springdale | 84% | 50th (Tied) |
| Conway | 83% | 59th (Tied) |
| Batesville | 83% | 59th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 79% | 86th (Tied) |
| Van Buren | 74% | 126th (Tied) |
| Magnolia | 72% | 138th (Tied) |
| Fort Smith | 70% | 152nd (Tied) |
| El Dorado | 68% | 169th (Tied) |
| West Memphis | 68% | 169th (Tied) |
| Pulaski County Special | 64% | 184th (Tied) |
| Jonesboro | 63% | 186th (Tied) |
| Hot Springs | 61% | 196th (Tied) |
| North Little Rock | 61% | 196th (Tied) |
| Texarkana | 58% | 206th (Tied) |
| Little Rock | 54% | 211th (Tied) |
| Pine Bluff | 44% | 232nd (Tied) |
| Blytheville | 35% | 242nd (Tied) |
End-of-Course Exam – Literacy
Searcy County – 94% (1st)
Earle – 23% (244th – Last)
| School District | % Proficient | Statewide Rank |
| Bentonville | 92% | 6th (Tied) |
| Searcy | 85% | 21st (Tied) |
| Fayetteville | 82% | 38th (Tied) |
| Russellville | 81% | 45th (Tied) |
| Conway | 80% | 58th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 79% | 66th (Tied) |
| Springdale | 79% | 66th (Tied) |
| Magnolia | 79% | 66th (Tied) |
| Batesville | 77% | 80th (Tied) |
| El Dorado | 76% | 86th (Tied) |
| Fort Smith | 72% | 116th (Tied) |
| North Little Rock | 69% | 134th (Tied) |
| Van Buren | 68% | 144th (Tied) |
| Pulaski County Special | 66% | 154th (Tied) |
| Jonesboro | 66% | 154th (Tied) |
| Hot Springs | 62% | 180th (Tied) |
| Little Rock | 62% | 180th (Tied) |
| West Memphis | 61% | 191st (Tied) |
| Texarkana | 56% | 213th (Tied) |
| Pine Bluff | 43% | 237th (Tied) |
| Blytheville | 42% | 241st |
End-of-Course Exam – Biology
Viola, Dardanelle – 85% (1st)
Lakeside (Chicot) – 6% (244th – Last)
| School District | % Proficient | Statewide Rank |
| Bentonville | 76% | 7th (Tied) |
| Fayetteville | 73% | 13th (Tied) |
| Searcy | 65% | 30th (Tied) |
| Russellville | 65% | 30th (Tied) |
| Conway | 59% | 54th (Tied) |
| Springdale | 53% | 80th (Tied) |
| Fort Smith | 52% | 86th (Tied) |
| Batesville | 51% | 90th (Tied) |
| Magnolia | 49% | 99th (Tied) |
| Rogers | 45% | 124rd (Tied) |
| Van Buren | 42% | 141st (Tied) |
| Hot Springs | 39% | 155th (Tied) |
| El Dorado | 35% | 168th (Tied) |
| Jonesboro | 32% | 179th (Tied) |
| North Little Rock | 32% | 179th (Tied) |
| Pulaski County Special | 31% | 183rd (Tied) |
| Texarkana | 29% | 187th (Tied) |
| Little Rock | 28% | 194th (Tied) |
| West Memphis | 28% | 194th (Tied) |
| Blytheville | 17% | 220th (Tied) |
| Pine Bluff | 12% | 234th (Tied) |
A-F School Grades
Des Arc, Magnet Cove, Mammoth Spring, Norfork, Salem – 4.0 (1st)
Lee County – 0.33 (Last)
| School District | As | Bs | Cs | Ds | Fs | GPA |
| Conway | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.13 |
| Fayetteville | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Rogers | 9 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2.95 |
| Bentonville | 5 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2.94 |
| Springdale | 9 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2.89 |
| Hot Springs | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.71 |
| Searcy | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.67 |
| Russellville | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2.60 |
| Batesville | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Fort Smith | 2 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2.28 |
| Texarkana | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2.25 |
| West Memphis | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Magnolia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| El Dorado | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1.86 |
| Pulaski County Special | 2 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 1.71 |
| Little Rock | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 1.62 |
| North Little Rock | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1.60 |
| Van Buren | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1.56 |
| Jonesboro | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1.56 |
| Blytheville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0.75 |
| Pine Bluff | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0.67 |
Reward Schools
Valley View – 100% Top 10% Schools
| School District | Top 10% | Top 11-20% | Total |
| Bentonville | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Fayetteville | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Rogers | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Little Rock | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Conway | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Fort Smith | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Springdale | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Pulaski County Special | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| West Memphis | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hot Springs | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Russellville | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Searcy | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Batesville | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Texarkana | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| North Little Rock | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Focus Schools (Lowest 15% Performing, Gaining Schools in Arkansas Less Priority Schools)
| School District | Number |
| Little Rock | 15 |
| Springdale | 6 |
| Jonesboro | 5 |
| North Little Rock | 5 |
| Magnolia | 4 |
| Pulaski County Special | 4 |
| Pine Bluff | 3 |
| Blytheville | 2 |
| El Dorado | 2 |
| Hot Springs | 2 |
| Texarkana | 2 |
| West Memphis | 1 |
| Fayetteville | 1 |
| Fort Smith | 1 |
Priority Schools (Lowest 5% Performing, Gaining Schools in Arkansas)
| School District | Number |
| Little Rock | 8 |
| Pine Bluff | 4 |
| Pulaski County Special | 4 |
| Blytheville | 2 |
| Fort Smith | 2 |
| Texarkana | 1 |
| West Memphis | 1 |
| Hot Springs | 1 |
Academic Distress (Three-year Average of Less than 50% Students Proficient in Math/Literacy)
| School District | Number |
| Little Rock | 6 |
| Pine Bluff | 3 |
| Blytheville | 2 |
| Pulaski County Special | 2 |
Statewide academic rankings communities would never accept athletically are being perpetually ignored, tolerated and/or explained away.
Talent now drives economic development. Those communities which can grow, retain and attract it will succeed. Those that can’t or won’t…can’t and won’t.
Put bluntly, if the performance of the local school district(s) is not the top priority of the chambers of commerce and economic development organizations of Arkansas, they are not in the economic development business and neither is the community and/or region they purport to serve.