Latest news with #ArkansasLEARNSAct
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas' rising 3rd graders will be first to be held back under new literacy standards
A group of elementary schoolchildren take a test. A 2023 Arkansas law requires third graders who fail to meet literacy standards to be held back beginning with the 2025-26 school year, but the rules haven't been written yet. (Getty Images) Arkansas students entering the third grade at public schools and open enrollment charter schools this fall will be the first cohort to be retained if they don't meet literacy expectations, a policy established by the 2023 LEARNS Act. 'By the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, if a public school student has not met the third-grade reading standard, as defined by the state board, or the student does not have a good-cause exemption, as provided under this subsection, the student shall not be promoted to fourth grade,' the law states. This new requirement could have extreme implications, considering a 2024 assessment showed that only about 36% of the state's third graders could read proficiently. Would the state of Arkansas really require all but 36% of the state's public school third graders to be held back? It's currently unclear. State education officials haven't yet set the new literacy standard by which third-grade reading will be measured for the 2025-2026 academic year. Kimberly Mundell, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Education, didn't answer specific questions about how the policy would play out. 'The law affects this school year's second graders, who will be third graders next year,' Mundell said. 'More information and details will be provided in the future.' The LEARNS Act — a 2023 law that overhauled K-12 education with increased teacher pay, a controversial school voucher system and new volunteer requirements for public school students — tasked the State Board of Education with establishing the literacy standard for third graders. Alisha Price, associate legal counsel for the state education department, said the nine-member board hasn't yet crafted rules related to the literacy requirements, but it will be discussed this year. 'These rules have not started the drafting process but will soon,' Price said. 'It usually takes a few months to go on a board agenda for approval, then public comment, but I do not yet have an estimate on that date.' As with other requirements set by the Arkansas LEARNS Act, mandatory retention for third graders who fail to meet reading standards applies only in public schools. Private school and homeschool students are exempt. Annual comprehensive testing typically occurs in April and May, near the end of the academic year. The current round of testing is expected to end Friday. While the standard for next year isn't set, data from an existing assessment — the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System (ATLAS) — showed that most third graders had not achieved proficiency, and had only a basic literacy understanding in 2024. ATLAS replaced the ACT Aspire assessment that was used from third to 10th grade from 2016 through 2023. Last year was the first time school districts used ATLAS. State education officials have said the assessment created a new baseline that should not be compared to previous methods. Of 250 public school districts included in state ATLAS data, a dozen reported that at least half of its third graders tested at the lowest level for reading, meaning students showed limited skills. Low reading scores also typically correlated to low English language arts (ELA) scores, another component of literacy testing within ATLAS. Among the lower performers was Blytheville School District in Mississippi County, where 70% of its 109 students showed a limited understanding of reading and another 26% showed a basic understanding. According to last year's state ATLAS data, only about five Blytheville third graders could read proficiently. The same data was reported for the school's English language arts scores. Last week, Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said he intended to recommend to members of the State Board of Education that Blytheville School District should receive the highest level of state support due to declining enrollment and administrative challenges, the Arkansas Advocate reported. Little Rock School District, which had the highest number of third graders in the state in 2024 — more than 1,500 — reported one in three children had only limited reading skills last year. The district's English language arts scores matched within a few percentage points of its reading results. How those figures will compare to new literacy standards remains to be seen. States have authority over day-to-day operations and curriculum standards in schools, making apples-to-apples comparisons among states tricky. Though that process leads to varying standards nationwide, the National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as 'the nation's report card' — tracks average reading scores and how they change over time. These national reports focus on fourth grade reading attainment, rather than third. The congressionally mandated program within the U.S. Department of Education reported that no states saw improvements in reading scores among fourth graders from 2022 to 2019, and Arkansas students' average scores decreased by three points. The state's decrease was on par with the national trend among all public school fourth graders. While the literacy standard the State Board of Education has been tasked to establish will apply to most third graders in public schools, there are some exceptions. The education board has already adopted rules outlined in the LEARNS Act to set good-cause exemptions for promotion to the fourth grade, such as limited English proficiency students and those with individualized education programs or 504 plans. Other exemptions include students who were previously held back, kids on an intensive literacy intervention program, or those who have received a special education referral. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 16% of Arkansas public school students, K-12, have a learning disability. Dyslexia is among the most common learning disabilities, and state law requires school districts to screen each student in kindergarten through third grade for dyslexia, then provide appropriate resources for their academic success. The State Board of Education further describes the third grade retention policy in the Right to Read Act, which outlines what public school districts or open enrollment charter schools should provide for students who don't meet the reading standard or are promoted with good-cause exemptions. The literacy improvement plan extends beyond the classroom and into students' homes. According to the rules, schools must provide 90 minutes of evidence-based literacy instruction each school day, assign the students to a high-performing teacher and send legal guardians a 'read-at-home' plan. Students will also be given priority to receive a literacy tutoring grant, and have the option to participate in additional programming. This story was first published by the Arkansas Times and is republished here by permission.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the 10th week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
Video: Arkansas prison funding bill back to Senate after amendment fails in subcommittee LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas legislature had a busy week as it worked to pass several impactful bills. Bills covered a range of issues, but some of the bigger ones were: ELECTRIC UTILITIES Without fanfare, a bill signed into law this week changes the relationship between the Public Service Commission and the electric utilities it regulates and, ultimately, outcomes for ratepayers. Senate Bill 307 created the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025 by becoming Act 373. For ratepayers, rates will increase incrementally as power plant construction projects are undertaken, as opposed to rates going up a lot in a short period after a power plant is completed. Arkansas legislators vote for ivermectin over-the-counter sales, heads to governor's desk The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), said it was motivated by Arkansas losing two of its five coal-fired power plants in 2030 against an ever-rising demand for electrical power. ARKANSAS ACCESS Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law this week the higher-education-changing Arkansas ACCESS Act. The legislation is the higher education version of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which was passed in 2023 to change K-12 education. Bill to bring online gaming to Arkansas filed in legislature The legislation includes provisions for accelerated learning in every public high school, including technical training, where students can access college-level coursework. ACCESS stands for acceleration, common sense, cost, eligibility, scholarship and standardization. PRISON FUNDING After an at-times full-throated debate in the Joint Budget Committee, the bill to finance the remainder of a proposed $825 million prison in Franklin County received a do-pass vote and is scheduled to return to the Senate floor on Thursday afternoon. Legislators speaking against the bill were concerned with what they saw as a lack of planning and the possible cost of resources not included in the bill, like wastewater treatment and road improvements. Arkansas constituents voice concerns at town hall meeting for 2nd Congressional district If the bill receives a favorable vote in the Senate, it will move to the House for further debate. 89 BILLS This week, the governor signed 89 bills into law in two separate signing sessions. Legislation ranged from routine allocation acts to acts clarifying abortion laws, enhancing human trafficking penalties and for dealing fentanyl, creating sports raffles, and protecting property owners when dirt bikes are ridden. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs Arkansas Access Act higher education bill into law
Video: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces Arkansas ACCESS higher education reform legislation LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the Arkansas ACCESS Act into law on Tuesday. Senate Bill 246, now Act 340, was the governor's signature piece of legislation. In her state-of-the-state address in January, she called for its passage of a bill modifying higher education, which she followed up with a speech announcing the legislation in mid-February. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces Arkansas ACCESS higher education reform legislation ACCESS comes after the passage of the Arkansas LEARNS Act in the 2023 legislative session, modifying K-12 education. The bill doubles the amount available for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship from $1,000 to $2,000. It also changed funding to add lottery scholarships for trade school admission. Higher education institutions are not allowed to have or participate in DEI programs, and restrictions in the form of unexcused absences are now in place to prevent a student from participating in political protests. Back and forth among legislators about Arkansas ACCESS higher education legislation It also removes Advanced Placement with accelerated learning programs to increase emphasis on technical training. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Northwest Arkansas school districts plan for winter weather
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — Some schools in Northwest Arkansas are taking a new approach this year to the traditional understanding of snow days, giving districts a certain amount of buffer days to use in the school year. Rogers Public Schools superintendent Jeff Perry said even before getting to making a decision about what happens during potential winter weather storms, the district watches a variety of weather forecasts to make these decisions. 'As we begin to look at those, we begin to determine if they're all saying the same thing. And if they're all saying the same thing, that gives us a little bit more degree of comfort with that particular predication,' said Perry. Perry said trying to make predictions about the weather comes hand in hand with trying to make announcements to families. It's pertinent to get those announcements out as soon as possible because families need time to figure out things like childcare or work schedules, according to Perry. Springdale Public Schools announces 'Student Catch-Up' days ahead of winter weather 'However, there's sometimes where we don't really know for sure if that weather is coming in, we have to do it in the morning and we do apologize about that,' said the Rogers superintendent. In Rogers, Perry said the district has three and a half 'bank days' in their school calendar that can be used for traditional snow days. These 'bank days' allow the district some room to have necessary days off without adding makeup days to the end of the school year. If the Rogers district goes over, Perry said some days would be added from the end of May to the beginning of June, instead of adjusting spring break. Under the Arkansas LEARNS Act, schools' alternative learning days could not count toward instructional days, meaning no new items could be learned remotely like AMI was intended for. Springdale Schools take on a similar approach to Rogers' 'bank days,' allowing students to still talk to teachers to help them get back up to speed on studies with 'Catch Up' days. Arkansas public school students no longer receiving AMI days; how this is impacted by LEARNS Act 'This year, we moved our academic calendar to be counted by minutes, and so when we tallied up all of the minutes, we ended up having a bank of five days that we could dedicate as student 'Catch Up' days in the event of inclement weather,' said Rogers Schools Public information officer Trent Jones. He said that these days are optional for students to be supported digitally if they choose to, but there would be no new homework. 'So, if we don't use them, the last day of school is the last day of school. If we do use them, the last day of school is the last day of school,' said Jones, 'Now, if we end up having six inclement weather days, then we start adding to the end.' 'Catch Up' days, however, are different than the district 'Life Safety' days which implies there is more than just a travel concern. Jones explained that when a tornado hit George Elementary School, the district shut down and implemented those 'Life Safety' days. 'We want these children to have ownership of their education, knowing that our faculty staff are always there to support them, even through inclement weather days,' said Jones. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
