Arkansas Department of Education

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), headquartered in Little Rock,[1] is the state education agency of Arkansas for public schools. Founded in 1931, its responsibilities include accrediting schools, assisting Arkansas schools and their school districts in developing their curricula, approving the textbooks used in state public schools, licensing teachers, and providing continuing education programs.[2] The ADE consists of five divisions: Division of Academic Accountability, Division of Fiscal and Administrative Services, Division of Human Resources, Division of Learning Services, and Division of Research and Technology.[2]

The department maintains the Arkansas Public School Computer Network for the purpose of providing internet access in public schools.[3] ADE also runs a distance learning program through its Distance Learning Center and partners with the Arkansas Educational Television Network on the Arkansas IDEAS portal, which offers professional development courses to improve academic and teaching knowledge and skills of its personnel.[4]

Augmented Benchmark Examinations

The Augmented Benchmark Examinations is a test required by the Arkansas Department of Education in support of NCLB. Starting with the 2007-08 school year, a criterion-referenced test mandated by the state was merged with the Stanford Achievement Test, Series 10 to form the Augmented Benchmark Examinations. It is administered in grades 3-8 in ELA and mathematics, additionally, grades 5 and 7 are tested in science.[5]

In support of the requirements for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and its requirement for schools to produce Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the ADE developed Augmented Benchmark Examinations and its associated Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and Accountability Program (ACTAAP), which has criterion-referenced test (CRT) and norm-referenced test (NRT) components including the Augmented Benchmark Examinations at grades 3 - 8 and The Iowa Tests at grades 1 - 2 and 9.[5]

Per the ADE website, the federal government approved the state’s differentiated accountability model, which is named Smart Accountability, in January 2009. The model divides schools into the following categories:

The 2010 adequate yearly progress calculations show that:

Smart Core curriculum

The Smart Core curriculum is the assumed course of study for all students.

2010-11 to 2012-13 standards

Beginning in the 2010–2011 school year, twenty-two (22) units are required for graduation. Of these 22 units, sixteen (16) will be specified units. Of these twenty-two (22) units the following are required:

Smart Core: Sixteen (16) units

Career Focus: Six (6) units Total: 22 units

2013-14 and beyond standards

Beginning in 2013-2014, all students in grades nine through twelve will follow these graduation requirements. Twenty-two (22) units will be required for graduation. Of these twenty-two (22) units, sixteen (16) will be specified units. Of these units, the following are required:

Smart Core: Sixteen (16) units

Total: 22 units

References

  1. "Contact Us". Arkansas Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  2. 1 2 "Arkansas Department of Education (ADE)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. January 13, 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  3. "APSCN". Arkansas Public School Computer Network. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  4. "Arkansas IDEAS : About IDEAS". ADE/AETN. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  5. 1 2 "Augmetned Benchmark Assessment and the Iowa Tests". Arkansas Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved Sep 12, 2012.
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