ADE Briefs

Collaboration was the buzz word today in Conway, where more than 200 Arkansas educators (including personnel from 58 public schools) met to learn more about the state’s Smart Accountability program.
Arkansas was one of the first states approved to implement a plan that would allow ADE to work with local districts to target resources to schools and students that most need them to improve academic performance.
The goal of Smart Accountability is to reverse the trend of low performance by building capacity within the leadership and staff already in those schools. By placing school improvement specialty support teams and school improvement specialists in the selected schools, ADE staff will be able to work with personnel to identify barriers and implement appropriate, research-based interventions that have been proven to increase academic achievement.
“It’s a good collaborative plan,” Dr. Diana Julian, ADE deputy commissioner, told the crowd, with the “bottom line being student achievement. … What we want to do is help you work smarter.”
The tone for the meeting was set with an inspiring video of a Dallas student asking educators, “Do you believe in me?”
Posted by JJT.

Congratulations to Vicki Stroud Gonterman, an international studies specialist with Little Rock’s Gibbs Magnet Elementary School, for being named Arkansas History Teacher of the Year. Drs. Tom Kimbrell, ADE Commissioner, and Diana Julian, Deputy Commissioner, presented Gonterman with the award and a $1,000 check from the Gilder Lehrman Institute in a ceremony today at the Arkansas Department of Education.
Posted by JJT.

The Arkansas Department of Education wants to make it even easier for school personnel, students and families to know what’s going on with education in Arkansas public schools. We now have Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as two blogs, ADE Briefs and Teaching in Taiwan. Check us out! You can find it all at this link: http://arkansased.org/info_extras.html
Posted by JJT.

Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels made an appearance at today’s ADE reception welcoming new Education Commissioner Dr. Tom W. Kimbrell. Secretary Daniels administered an oath of office, officially swearing Dr. Kimbrell into his new duties. Dr. Kimbrell, whose first day on the job is today, said he welcomed the opportunity to work with the staff to better the education for all children of Arkansas.
Posted by JJT.

Scores from last spring’s administration of the Algebra II End of Course Exam are now in schools and being distributed to students and parents. The exam, which does not count as a graduation requirement, was administered for the second time last spring, though this is the first year that cut scores for performance were set and distributed.
The scores are divided in to three categories based on readiness for college and career: “well prepared,” “prepared,” or “needs preparation.” Each student’s individual report shows individual, school and state performance.
Arkansas’s state scores are similar to the other 14 states that gave the exam: 3 percent are “well prepared,” 9 percent are “prepared” and 88 percent “need preparation.”
“We have never been afraid in this state to learn how our students are performin, even if the news is not what we would like it to be the first time around,” Interim Education Commissioner Diana Julian said in an ADE release.
Scores by school are posted on the ADE Web site..
Posted by JJT.

Expressing concern over the lack of available math and science teachers in the eastern and southern areas of the state, Gov. Mike Beebe today charged Arkansas’s schools of education to find ways to produce more teachers with bachelor’s degrees in those content areas, especially if they are institutions serving the Delta region of the state.
Gov. Beebe made his remarks in a meeting with education deans and other higher education officials in Little Rock this morning.
Citing lagging test scores in STEM subject areas on the state’s benchmark and end-of-course math and science exams, Beebe said, “Let’s don’t be afraid to talk about changing things and making it better.”
One education dean said it was exciting to have schools of education recognized as an important link in the education pipeline and that the schools should view this as an opportunity to make a difference in the education of Arkansas’s students.
Posted by JJT.

After the shooting death of Senator Bill Gwatney during the summer of 2008, the Arkansas Department of Education revised its open-door policy. Prior to that tragic event, which occurred just blocks from ADE, anyone could walk in through just about any door of the sprawling agency. After the shooting, all doors but the front doors were locked to both staff and visitors, and a new security system was ordered.
Installation of the new system is now complete. Visitors are still asked to enter ADE through the front doors — you will have to be buzzed in by the receptionist on duty, who will do so as quickly as possible. Visitors will also be asked to wear a badge and have an escort.
ADE hopes this does not cause an imposition for any of our visitors, but the safety of all in our building is a top priority for our administrative staff.
Posted by JJT.

According to the Arkansas Department of Health, a couple of pieces of misinformation regarding how to deal with H1N1 at schools have been circulating throughout the state. To combat the most frequent, these are two things school personnel should know: 1) No doctor’s excuse is needed to return to school after having a case or suspected case of H1N1. If a school district has a policy regarding doctor’s excuses after absences, they may wish to revise the policy, at least temporarily, as this is already creating a huge burden for emergency rooms, the Health Department says. 2) H1N1 levels are still relatively low, so only those exhibiting flu like symptoms need to remain at home. Siblings do not have to stay at home.
ADE updates guidance for schools with Commissioner’s Memo’s. In addition, the Heath Department’s Web site contains a great deal of information for schools and the public at large regarding this flu virus.
Posted by JJT.

Arkansas’ 2008 Teacher of the Year Paul Gray, who returned to his classroom this fall at Russellville High School, shares insights he gained during his year working in-residence with the Arkansas Department of Education. As Teacher of the Year, Gray conducted research with students considered at risk for dropping out of or under-performing in school, which took him to 20 schools across the state. Kids Failing or Failing Kids is his report from that experience. While Gray says it contains few real surprised, it reinforces the fact that many of our students face extreme challenges that call for targeted and special interventions by schools and extra care from their teachers.
Posted by JJT.

The Arkansas Department of Education is excited to welcome Dr. Tom Kimbrell as commissioner of education. Dr. Kimbrell is a familiar face to many in Arkansas public education circles as he has worked as a teacher/coach, principal and superintendent in Arkansas schools before becoming head of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators.
The Arkansas State Board of Education voted to hire Dr. Kimbrell while in executive session during today’s board meeting, and the governor confirmed and announced it at a 10 a.m. press conference at the Capitol.
Dr. Kimbrell will begin work at ADE on September 28.
Posted by JJT.