Arkansas’ State Highlights

Summary of Grades

Arkansas scores at or above average in three out of the four graded categories of education policy in Quality Counts.

The state does not have science and social studies assessments that are aligned to state standards for elementary, middle, and high school students, which lowers its standards-and-accountability score. But Arkansas does have relatively strong accountability efforts in place. It sanctions and provides assistance to all low-performing schools, not just those that receive federal Title I dollars.

Arkansas ranks fourth among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for its efforts to improve teacher quality. The state does particularly well because it requires prospective teachers to pass a comprehensive battery of tests, and it requires veteran teachers to undergo classroom observations and complete portfolios in order to earn a more advanced level of certification.

In the area of school climate, Arkansas has room to improve on measures of student engagement and parent involvement. However, the state gains points because larger percentages of students attend small schools than in most other states. The state also tracks the condition of all its school facilities.

Arkansas performs fairly well on measures of resource equity. But as in most states, its wealth-neutrality score shows that Arkansas’ wealthier districts tend to have higher per-pupil funding levels than its poorer districts.

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.