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This week, OEP is thrilled to recognize Arkansas schools that are Beating the Odds!  The final installment of this year’s Outstanding Educational Performance awards, Beating the Odds award winners serve a population where at least 66% of students face economic challenges and where the students are demonstrating the highest levels of academic growth.  Unlike other indicators of school performance, academic growth is not very correlated with school demographics. As ESSA scores and the subsequent letter grades include indicators that are correlated with poverty, sometimes these schools have lower achievement rates and do not get the recognition that they deserve.  Our Beating the Odds schools received letter grades ranging from A to F, even though they are all demonstrating high growth!  You can check out the info for all school in our updated Letter Grades dataset. We feel it is important to recognize those schools that are helping their students who may be at-risk grow their learning at the highest rates.

OEP Beating the Odds awards for schools are based on the growth of elementary, middle, and high school students on the ACT Aspire Math and English Language Arts assessments.

Here at OEP, we choose to highlight student academic growth because we believe that it is the best reflection of the impact that a school is having on students’ academic success.

Beating the Odds Overall Growth: Elementary Level

The top elementary school Beating the Odds for overall student growth is S.C. Tucker Elementary from Danville School District, with an overall growth score of 88.55. S.C. Tucker Elementary also took the top spot for growth in math at 88.66. Green Forest Elementary from Green Forest School District had the highest growth score in ELA at 89.24.

Beating the Odds Overall Growth: Middle Level

The top middle school for overall student growth is eStem East Village Junior High, with an overall growth score of 86.05. eStem East Village Junior High also took the top spot for growth in math at 87.56 and in ELA at 84.48.

Beating the Odds Overall Growth: High School Level

The top high school for overall student growth is Cave City High Career & Collegiate Preparatory from Cave City School District, with an overall growth score of 83.87. Dardanelle High from Dardanelle School District was in the top spot for math at 85.44. Booneville High School from Eureka Springs School District had the highest growth in ELA at 84.02.

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The 10 Beating the Odds elementary schools with the highest overall content growth are:

• S.C. Tucker Elementary, Danville SD (76% FRL)
• Green Forest Elementary, Green Forest SD (81% FRL)***
• Weiner Elementary, Harrisburg SD (67% FRL)**
• Cedar Ridge Elementary, Cedar Ridge SD (77% FRL)
• Calico Rock Elementary, Calico Rock SD (82% FRL)
• Dardanelle Primary, Dardanelle SD (71% FRL)
• Wakefield Elementary, Little Rock SD (98% FRL)
• John Tyson Elementary, Springdale SD (74% FRL)
• Des Arc Elementary, Des Arc SD (71% FRL)
• Bayyari Elementary, Springdale SD (89% FRL)
• George Elementary, Springdale SD (88% FRL)

The 10 Beating the Odds middle/junior high schools with the highest overall content growth are:

• eStem East Village Junior High, eStem Public Charter (67% FRL)
• Highland Middle, Highland SD (72% FRL)
• Mansfield Middle, Mansfield SD (75% FRL)
• Atkins Middle, Atkins SD (69% FRL)
• DeQueen Middle, DeQueen SD (86% FRL)
• Lamar Middle, Lamar SD (73% FRL)
• Mena Middle, Mena SD (89% FRL)
• Wonder Junior High, West Memphis SD (89% FRL)
• Hope Academy of Public Service, Hope SD (84% FRL)
• Lonoke Middle, Lonoke SD (69% FRL)
• Star City Middle, Star City SD (67% FRL)

The 10 Beating the Odds high schools with the highest overall content growth are:

• Cave City High Career and College Prep, Cave City SD (76% FRL)
• Dardanelle High, Dardanelle SD (71% FRL)
• Booneville High, Booneville SD (67% FRL)
• Jessieville High, Jessieville SD (66% FRL)
• Green Forest High, Green Forest SD (78% FRL)
• Jasper High, Jasper SD (69% FRL)
• Dollarway High, Pine Bluff SD (90% FRL)
• North Little Rock Center of Excellence, North Little Rock SD (74% FRL)
• DeQueen Junior High, De Queen SD (80% FRL)
• Cedar Ridge High, Cedar Ridge SD (67% FRL)

These schools, and others included in the full report, are growing student’s academic performance more than would be expected. Way to go!

How do OEP awards differ from ADE’s Recognition and Reward Schools?

1. OEP awards are given by grade span and award for elementary, middle, and high schools, while reward schools are among all schools in the state regardless of grades served.
2. OEP awards use the purest measure of academic growth (referred to as Combined Content Growth Score) which includes growth for Math and English Language Arts only. Some ADE Rewards are based on achievement, which is highly correlated with poverty, and the growth awards also consider graduation rates (?). Almost all elementary and high school level OEP high growth award winners were Reward schools, but only 20% of high growth middle schools were rewarded by the state program for their high growth.
3. We give OEP awards for high growth overall as well as for Math and ELA growth individually.
4. There is no money attached to these awards- just OEP PRIDE!

Congratulations to all our OEP award winners: schools demonstrating Outstanding Educational Performance!

This week, OEP is pleased to recognize Arkansas schools demonstrating Outstanding Educational Performance. OEP awards are different than other awards because we focus solely on student academic growth. Unlike other indicators of school performance, academic growth is not very correlated with school demographics. This means it is reflective of what students are learning in school, not what challenges they may face due to out of school factors.

Today’s OEP awards for high growth schools are based on the growth of elementary, middle, and high school students on the ACT Aspire Math and English Language Arts assessments.

Here at OEP, we choose to highlight student academic growth because we believe that it is the best reflection of the impact that a school is having on students’ academic success. 

Highest Overall Growth: Elementary Level

The top elementary school for overall student growth is Genoa Central Elementary from Genoa Central School District, with an overall growth score of 89.87. Genoa Central Elementary also took the top spot for growth in math at 90.76. Green Forest Elementary from Green Forest School District had the highest growth score in ELA at 89.24.

Highest Overall Growth: Middle Level

The top middle school for overall student growth is eStem East Village Junior High, with an overall growth score of 86.05. Vilonia Middle School from Vilonia School District took the top spot for growth in math at 88.07 and Bright Field Middle School from Bentonville School District had the highest growth score in ELA at 85.42.

Highest Overall Growth: High School Level

The top high school for overall student growth is Haas Hall Bentonville, with an overall growth score of 85.70. Haas Hall Bentonville also was in the top spot for math at 87.64. Eureka Springs High School from Eureka Springs School District had the highest growth in ELA at 85.71.

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The 20 elementary schools with the highest overall content growth are:

• Genoa Central Elementary, Genoa Central SD (36% FRL)**
• S.C. Tucker Elementary, Danville SD (44% FRL)
• Westside Elementary, Cabot SD (53% FRL)**
• Stagecoach Elementary, Cabot SD (38% FRL)**
• Ward Central Elementary, Cabot (53% FRL)*
• Carolyn Lewis Elementary, Conway SD (42% FRL)**
• Parkview Elementary, Van Buren SD (50% FRL)*
• Don Roberts Elementary, Little Rock SD (15% FRL)*
• Greenbrier Wooster Elementary, Greenbrier SD (41% FRL)***
• Salem Elementary, Bryant SD (42% FRL)***
• Green Forest Elementary, Green Forest SD (81% FRL)***
• Weiner Elementary, Harrisburg SD (67% FRL)**
• Hunt Elementary, Springdale SD (54% FRL)****
• Sherwood Elementary, Pulaski Co. Special SD (54% FRL)
• Cavanaugh Elementary, Fort Smith SD (65% FRL)***
• Baker Interdistrict Elementary, Pulaski Co. Special SD (15% FRL)
• Root Elementary, Fayetteville SD (16% FRL)
• Eastside Elementary, Rogers SD (64% FRL)***
• Collegeville Elementary, Bryant SD (43% FRL)
• Cedar Ridge Elementary, Cedar Ridge SD (67% FRL)

The 20 middle/junior high schools with the highest overall content growth are:

• eStem East Village Junior High, eStem Public Charter (67% FRL)
• Vilonia Middle, Vilonia SD (39% FRL)*
• Gravette Middle, Gravette SD (45% FRL)***
• Bright Field Middle, Bentonville SD (10% FRL)*
• Washington Junior High, Bentonville SD (23% FRL)**
• Highland Middle, Highland SD (72% FRL)
• L.A. Chaffin Middle, Fort Smith SD (52% FRL)**
• Lincoln Junior High, Bentonville SD (22% FRL)***
• Valley Springs Middle, Valley Springs SD (30% FRL)***
• Northridge Middle, Van Buren SD (43% FRL)**
• eStem Junior High, eStem Public Charter(59% FRL)
• Pea Ridge Middle, Pea Ridge SD (32% FRL)
• Mansfield Middle, Mansfield SD (75% FRL)
• Huntsville Middle, Huntsville SD (59% FRL)*
• Ruth Doyle Middle, Conway SD (44% FRL)
• Atkins Middle, Atkins SD (69% FRL)
• Elkins Middle, Elkins SD (45% FRL)
• McNair Middle, Fayetteville SD (20% FRL)*
• Heber Springs Middle, Heber Springs SD (50% FRL)****
• DeQueen Middle, DeQueen SD (86% FRL)

The 20 high schools with the highest overall content growth are:

• Haas Hall Bentonville, Haas Hall Academy (5% FRL)****
• Eureka Springs High, Eureka Springs SD (37% FRL)***
• Concord High, Concord SD (65% FRL)***
• Haas Hall Academy at the Lane, Haas Hall Academy (11% FRL)***
• Bradley High, Emerson-Taylor-Bradley SD (57% FRL)*
• Cave City High Career and College Prep, Cave City SD (76% FRL)
• Dardanelle High, Dardanelle SD (71% FRL)*
• Sylvan Hills Junior High, Pulaski Co. Special SD (38% FRL)
• Booneville High, Booneville SD (67% FRL)
• Jessieville High, Jessieville SD (66% FRL)
• LISA Academy North High, LISA Academy (57% FRL)***
• Green Forest High, Green Forest SD (78% FRL)
• Jasper High, Jasper SD (69% FRL)*
• Dollarway High, Pine Bluff SD (90% FRL)
• Bald Knob High, Bald Knob SD (53% FRL)
• Kingston High, Jasper SD (62% FRL)**
• Creative Action Team School, Hope SD (88% FRL)
• Haas Hall Academy, Haas Hall Academy (12% FRL)****
• Marmaduke High, Marmaduke SD (59% FRL)
• eStem High, eStem Public Charter School (56% FRL)**

*Asterisks indicate how many prior years the school has been in the top 20 for overall growth.

Four of these top 20 schools have been on our list every year since 2017, indicating that students in these schools are persistently demonstrating the highest levels of improvement year after year. Thirty-six have been our top 20 list at least once before.  We celebrate the 25 schools on the list that are newcomers – showing that growth scores can change over time. These schools, and others included in the full report, are growing student’s academic performance more than would be expected. Way to go!

How do OEP awards differ from ADE’s Recognition and Reward Schools?

1. OEP awards are given by grade span and award for elementary, middle, and high schools, while reward schools are among all schools in the state regardless of grades served.
2. OEP awards use the purest measure of academic growth (referred to as Combined Content Growth Score) which includes growth for Math and English Language Arts only. Some ADE Rewards are based on achievement, which is highly correlated with poverty, and the growth awards also consider graduation rates (?). Almost all elementary and high school level OEP high growth award winners were Reward schools, but only 20% of high growth middle schools were rewarded by the state program for their high growth.
3. We give OEP awards for high growth overall as well as for Math and ELA growth individually. 
4. There is no money attached to these awards- just OEP PRIDE!

Congratulations to all our schools demonstrationing Outstanding Educational Performance.

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—————Stay tuned to learn about more OEP Award Winners!————–

On November 30th we will release the list of high growth schools serving high poverty populations, those who are “Beating the Odds!”