The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released school letter grades for the 2022-23 school year. Parents may find more detailed information about all the elements included in school letter grades here. (Under Report Type select ESSA School Index.)
The letter grades for Bryant Public Schools were as follows:
Bryant Elementary: B Collegeville Elementary: B
Davis Elementary: C Hill Farm Elementary: C
Hurricane Creek Elementary: B Parkway Elementary: B
Salem Elementary: B Springhill Elementary: B
Bethel Middle School: A Bryant Middle School: B
Bryant Junior High School: B Bryant High School: C
Many components are included in the schools’ letter grades. The indicator weighted the most in each school’s letter grade is the state assessment for grades 3-10, the ACT Aspire. Some factors differ for elementary and secondary. Attendance is an indicator for all levels.
We believe it is important to communicate with our parents and community members about the state assessment for the 2022-23 school year since it is such a large portion of a school’s letter grade. For the last several years, the state mandated test was the ACT Aspire for grades 3-10. It is a nationally-normed referenced test to measure college and career readiness, or, in plain terms, how students will score on The ACT. The ACT Aspire test is not based on Arkansas State Standards, which we are required to teach. As an example, only 10th grade in high school takes the ACT Aspire. Students take different math courses their 10th grade year; some take Geometry, and some Algebra II. Even though they are in different courses, all students take the same ACT Aspire math test. Arkansas has been the only state administering this test for some time.
Our administration and staff are very excited about the new state assessment, ATLAS, which will be given in the spring of 2024. The future assessment will be based on Arkansas Standards, which will align to the instruction in our classrooms. ATLAS will provide educators with multiple tools to help improve student learning.
Our district is very proud of our staff and students for their hard work and dedication. Administrators, specialists/interventionists, and teachers are constantly analyzing data from all assessments to meet the needs of all students. While the school letter grades are weighted heavily from one test taken at the end of the school year, we assess our students throughout the year and provide the data to inform parents about their student’s academic progress.
Bryant Public Schools will continue to provide an excellent education to our students. All pieces of data will be reviewed for a cycle of continuous school improvement. Administration and staff will advocate with appropriate policy makers to improve the letter grading system for parents and community members. With transparent and more appropriate metrics, patrons will have a better picture of their school’s performance.