This fall, we have been recognizing high-achieving schools across the state in our annual Office for Education Policy Awards. To date, we have released four installments of OEP Awards recognizing the following types of schools:
- High-Achieving “Overall” Schools in Arkansas Based on Performance on the Benchmark
- Beating the Odds: High-Achieving Schools Serving Low-Income Communities
- High-Achieving Elementary Schools
- High-Achieving Middle Schools
Today we release our fifth installment: High-Achieving High Schools. This section of the OEP awards differs slightly from earlier sections linked above, in that achievement is being measured by performance on four End-of-Course (EOC) exams in Algebra, Geometry, Biology and (Grade 11) Literacy. The report is divided into subsections based on the four exams. Because the exams are not ”grade-specific” – that is, not all students in grade 9 take algebra (students also take the test in grades 7, 8, or 10) – we included subsections to account for school performance based on grades served. The subsections are explained in the report before each set of awards. In addition, each section includes awards for the top “high-poverty” schools, and the top five schools by region. You can access this section of the report by clicking here.
In 2012-13, 77% of students in Arkansas scored proficient or advanced on the Algebra EOC. For the second year in a row, Huntsville High School (Huntsville) made the top 10 Arkansas high schools list and the top 5 Northwest regional list for achievement on the Algebra EOC. With a GPA of 3.56, Huntsville High School has a GPA well-above the state average GPA (3.07) for achievement on the Algebra EOC. Congratulations to the student and teachers at Huntsville High School for such high performance!
Three schools that stood out for Algebra and Geometry EOC performance were Dardanelle High School (Dardanelle), Haas Hall Academy, and Mt. Vernon/Enola High School (Mt.Vernon-Enola). All three schools made the top overall performing lists for Algebra and Geometry EOC. We extend additional congratulations to the students and teachers of these schools for their high-performance on two math-based EOC assessments!
On the Biology EOC, 44% of students in the state scored proficient or advanced on the Biology EOC (districts have an average GPA of 2.37). Marshall High School (Searcy County) was featured on both the overall top performing high school lists, as well as the high-performing high-poverty high school list. Haas Hall Academy was the highest-performing school with a GPA of 3.65 (and 100% of students scoring proficient or advanced).
On the Grade 11 Literacy exam, 70% of students in the state scored proficient or advanced on the exam, with an average GPA of 2.89. Westside High School (Westside) was featured on both the overall top performing high school lists, as well as the high-performing high-poverty high school list.
If you want to see the specific performance numbers of the schools highlighted here and all the other schools that earned OEP Awards for EOC performance, you’ll have to click here to read the report! Our hats go off to the many high-performing high schools receiving awards!