Arkansas: Get Educated About Education

Arkansas’ Blueprint for Public Education

Defining Educational Standards & Establishing Curriculum Guidelines

The Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP), which began with legislation by Act 999 of 1999, has become an important blueprint for education in Arkansas as it has led to significant improvement in student achievement for all grades in all schools. It is based on the premise that “all children can learn.ACTAAP is a comprehensive system that focuses on coordination of the following four areas: Ever wonder what a benchmark test or end-of-course exam looks like? The Arkansas Department of Education releases all test items from the previous year so that students and parents and teachers can better anticipate what these tests are all about. To see released items from the last several years, go to this website:

http://arkedu.state.ar.us/actaap/student_assessment/student_assessment_p1.htm

More About Benchmark Tests & Other Student Assessments

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Norm-Reference Test or NRT)

The Student Assessment & Educational Accountability Act (Act 35 of Second Extraordinary Session of the Arkansas 84th General Assembly) requires a developmentally appropriate assessment be administered to all students in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades in reading and mathematics. The assessment currently used in Arkansas is the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). The ITBS measures the skills and achievement of students from kindergarten through grade 9. Developed at The University of Iowa and with a tradition of more than 70 years of educational research and test development experience, the ITBS provides an in-depth assessment of students’ achievement of important educational objectives. Tests in reading, language arts, and mathematics provide comprehensive information both about the development of students’ skills and about their ability to think critically. The ITBS is a norm-referenced test. Students demonstrate their grasp of foundational skills by responding to a series of multiplechoice questions. The scores are reported as percentile points, meaning students perform as well as or better than a certain percentage of other students in the nation.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is often referred to as the Nation's Report Card. It is the only measure of student achievement in the United States that allows comparisons by state and to the national average. The performance of students in Arkansas can be compared with the performance of students across the nation or in other states. NAEP, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, has been conducted for, more than 30 years. The NAEP exams are given to students in grades 4, 8 and 12 in a variety of subjects, including reading, mathematics, writing, science, U.S. history, geography, civics, and the arts. Each of these subjects is tested periodically, with mathematics and reading assessed every two years in grades 4 and 8. The exam questions are either multiple choice or open-ended, where the students write their own responses. The NAEP exams are given to only a representative sample of the student population. About 100 schools in grade 4 and 100 schools in grade 8 are selected from every state to participate. For each subject area tested, 25 to 30 students are randomly selected from each grade. All of the data are then combined to represent all students in the state. There are no individual student results. Other Assessment Tools for Arkansas’ Public School Students

The end-of-course exams monitor the academic progress at the high school level. These assessments are administered to students at the completion of courses in algebra and geometry. ELL Language Acquisition Assessment The Federal No Child Left Behind Act requires an annual assessment of students who do not speak English as a native language to measure their oral language, reading, and writing skills in English. The State of Arkansas has adopted the MAC II Test of English Language Proficiency. The test measures proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and comprehension. The test is given during the spring to all Limited English Proficient (LEP) students enrolled in grades K-12.