In Poore's First Year, LRSD Improves in Every Grade for Only Second Time in Thirteen Years

In Poore’s First Year, LRSD Improves in Every Grade for Only Second Time in Thirteen Years

August 19, 2017

In Michael Poore’s first year as superintendent, the Little Rock School District was one of only twelve school districts and one charter in the entire state to improve cumulative ACT Aspire scores in each grade.

Under Poore’s academic leadership, the district also improved individually in both Math and English Language Arts for each grade. That has happened only once in the past thirteen years – in 2008-09 under then-Superintendent Linda Watson.

In Mr. Poore’s first year, the district also beat the state average gains in math in four of eight grades and tied once. It beat the state average in English Language Arts in four of eight grades.

What follows are the past thirteen years’ results by grade on the summative exams (2004-2013 State Benchmark, 2015-17 ACT Aspire) for Math and English Language Arts, as well as the biggest single year gains per grade. Numbers indicate percentages proficient (Benchmark) or meeting readiness benchmark (ACT Aspire). While the State Benchmark exam was not nationally normed, the ACT Aspire is, thus the discrepancy in scores.

For one year (2014-15), the State administered the PARCC exam, so the scores the year before and after are incomparable.

	3rd		4th		5th		6th		7th		8th		9th		10th
Roy Brooks	Math	ELA	Math	ELA	Math	ELA	Math	ELA	Math	ELA	Math	ELA	Math	ELA	Math	ELA
2004-05	42	39	37	41	28	37	27	46	30	40	19	46
2005-06	51	44	47	48	37	43	39	44	37	45	31	57
2006-07	62	50	50	46	45	45	46	38	37	45	29	55
Linda Watson
2007-08	65	49	61	55	52	50	52	45	39	43	27	55
2008-09	67	52	65	57	54	55	63	47	50	48	42	57
2009-10	71	58	68	67	62	62	60	57	55	53	43	63
Watson/Holmes
2010-11	70	62	70	71	65	69	59	56	56	53	42	62
Morris Holmes
2011-12	73	70	68	77	60	78	57	58	58	66	47	66
Holmes/Burton
2012-13	76	70	71	76	54	75	50	52	52	62	44	66
Dexter Suggs
2013-14	74	64	66	75	59	74	55	50	50	59	46	63
2014-15 (PARCC)
Baker Kurrus
2015-16 (ACT Aspire)	48	33	42	34	38	41	39	40	29	39	24	38	19	36	16	36
Michael Poore
2016-17 (ACT Aspire)	51	34	47	40	41	46	47	48	34	43	29	45	22	37	18	41