Four Schools Get "A" Letter Grades

Four Springdale schools earned a state-applied letter grade of an "A" in September, which is primarily based on results from last spring's ACT Aspire exam given to students in grades three through 10.

"We are are proud of the work these Springdale Schools are doing to ensure our district is a leader in Arkansas education," said Dr. Jared Cleveland, Springdale Public Schools superintendent. "The grades are yet another indicator of how all of our 31 schools continue to strive to serve our families."

Don Tyson School of Innovation, Hellstern Middle School and Hunt and Tyson elementary schools all received the distinction of earning the "A" letter grade.

"The letter grades are of significant importance to families, as they serve as an easy-to-understand metric for how schools are performing," said Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva in a statement about the annual letter grades.

Letter grades are applied to Arkansas schools as a means of determining the quality of the state schools. A total of 80 out of 1,035 state schools eligible for grades this year earned an "A” letter grade.

The school letter grades are based on a numerical Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA index score.

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to hold schools and their districts responsible for student achievement. The ESSA index score considers the results of the ACT Aspire tests in the areas of math, literacy and science and the academic growth students achieve compared to the previous year.

Other factors in the calculation of the ESSA score and letter grades include the number of students reading at grade level, absenteeism, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate course enrollment, graduation rates, student community service participation and college entrance exam results.

Read on to discover how excited district staff and students of the school that earned an “A” are about this achievement!

"Our staff pours into our students every day to ensure students are learning at high levels," said Amy Harrison, Don Tyson School of Innovation principal. "For the work of the school to be recognized by the state is a great achievement."

Harrison credits the school's "A" letter grade to maintaining competency-based education through which students demonstrate mastery of learning; the work staff has done to use proficiency scales for rigorous instruction and assessment aligned to state standards; leadership; intentional instruction practices; innovative teaching strategies and coaching to support professional change and continued growth in teachers; having guaranteed and viable curriculum; strong community, industry and family partnerships; and the school's high-functioning, collaborative teams that work every week around the big questions of a Professional Learning Community.

DTSOI student Madelyn Xaysanasy said she most enjoys the school's learning environment.

“We stress a lot of collaboration, we stress a lot of excellence, and I think that we produce a lot of students that actually care about what they're doing and want to grow,” Xaysanasy said. “I love being surrounded by like-minded kids and getting to grow with them.”

Student Christian Duenas said he's also grateful for the school's staff.

"I've gotten close with a lot of people here" he said. "They're very easy to make bonds with, and they're very understanding of your problems and with your life situations.”

DTSOI is a school of choice that wants to celebrate the "A" letter grade and applaud the work of the school's staff and students, Harrison said.

"We also believe it takes strong partnerships with families and community members to achieve this level of success," she said. "Don Tyson School of Innovation is a place where families across Northwest Arkansas choose to send their children. Achieving the 'A' letter grade is just another layer that makes DTSOI an educational '“destination.'”

Hellstern Middle School Principal Allison Byford said she's incredibly proud of the hard work the school's teachers, staff and students who contributed to the school earning an "A" letter grade.

"It truly takes a village to make our school work! Everyone from the custodian, food service people, teachers, students, parents, district support, grounds crew, maintenance -- all of these people help to make our school what it is," Byford sad. "Without any one person keeping this giant system working, we couldn't do our jobs. Everyone involved allow our teachers to come to school and focus on pushing each student to grow and learn."

Byford said the school not only had high-achieving students, but students also showed growth last year.

"I am very proud of both aspects of the "A" school designation, she said.

Charlotte, a Hellstern student, said she loves learning at the school.

"Being a student here has helped me grow in so many areas of my life, including growing as a person," she said..

Hellstern student Kaeden said the school's teacher helps students help students realize their potential.

"It is hard to put into words how much I love Hellstern," Kaeden said. "You can tell they really care about you and want to help guide you to grow up to be the best you can be."

Achievement is a very rewarding thing to see and analyze, but meaningful relationships with students and families always come first at Hunt, said Michelle Doshier, Hunt Elementary School principal.

"We always feel a great sense of pride when we see how much students have grown," Doshier said. "We feel encouraged that the changes we are making daily are producing positive results."

Hunt's faculty and staff set high expectations, collaborate well, continually analyze data, individualize instruction and support the whole child, she said.

"We strive to meet students where they are and push them to grow at high levels," Doshier said. "Teachers feel safe trying new things, seeking help and making mistakes, which are all part of the learning process to get better."

Fourth-grader Olivia expressed her thanks for the school's teachers.

"I really like that the teachers try their best to make sure we all reach our full potential every day," Olivia said.

First-grader Reagan agreed.

“I like to learn everyday at high levels, like full blast,” Reagan said.

Shelly Poage, Tyson Elementary School principal, said the school advanced from a "B" to an "A" letter grade this year by personalizing student learning and developing student agency.

We attribute the growth and achievement of our school to our wonderful teachers and staff. They are amazing educators, who are dedicated to serving students at high levels," Poage said. "We continue to grow and achieve at high levels due to years of developing systems of support, personalizing learning to add student voice and choice and developing learner qualities that will help students own their learning now and in the future."

Student Melissa said reading is her favorite subject at school.

"It's exciting to learn about the characters and their adventures," she said.

Brayden said he loves being a Tyson Tiger because everyone at the school is nice.

"We get to do student-led conferences and talk to our parents about how we're doing and what we're learning," he said.

Tyson Elementary is a Title I school serving over 70% of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch and over 40% of students who identified as English Language Learners, Poage said. There are two elementary schools in the state with over 70% of their students qualifying free and reduced lunch that are "A" schools, and John Tyson Elementary is one of them.

The University of Arkansas Office for Education Policy announced Tyson Elementary also won three awards for recent growth demonstrated through ACT Aspire test scores. The school was 11th in the state for Overall Growth Statewide, fifth in the region for Overall growth in the Northwest Region and fifth in the region for Overall Math Growth in the Northwest Region

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