ADE Briefs

Little Rock—Curtis Turner, superintendent of the Eureka Springs School District, will take the helm at Mineral Springs School District July 1.

A former teacher, Turner served in leadership roles including superintendent at South Pike County School District, Delight School District, Clinton School District and Centerpoint School District. He also worked in the Fiscal Distress Unit at the Department of Education.

Turner has a master of education from Henderson State University and received a state superintendent certification from the University of Central Arkansas.

Commissioner of Education Dr. Tom Kimbrell said, “Mr. Turner has experience in assisting fiscally distressed school districts develop and work through recovery and improvement plans. I believe he is the right person to look at the big picture and know what the priorities are.”

Turner said his goals are to foster clearer communication, listening, learning from the past and moving on together. “We have to set a new strategic direction in Mineral Springs to put the district on sound financial footing and have schools that are student centered and focused on academic achievement.”

Turner will replace Bill Blackwood who came out of retirement to temporarily lead the district. Kimbrell expressed appreciation for Blackwood’s leadership in managing the district during the transition.

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell today exercised his authority under state law to dissolve the school board of the Mineral Springs School District.

The action was taken to immediately move toward stabilizing the finances and management of the troubled district in Howard County. The district is facing a severe budget deficit and does not have sufficient cash flow to finish the district’s fiscal year.

“This action was necessary to keep Mineral Springs public schools operating and serving students despite the district’s extreme financial difficulties,” Dr. Kimbrell said. “Our number one concern is the education of the students in this community. For the future of the district, students and the staff, state action had to be taken now.”

Dr. Kimbrell and other key ADE staff arrived in Mineral Springs this morning to inform acting superintendent, Bill Blackwood, of the changes in district governance. Blackwood has agreed to stay on board until Kimbrell appoints a new superintendent.

Steps have been taken to secure school records and to ensure district operations will continue uninterrupted.

The State Board placed the district in fiscal distress in December, 2012. Under the Omnibus Quality Education Act of 2003, the education commissioner has authority to exercise a state takeover of districts in fiscal distress that don’t adequately address their problems.

LITTLE ROCK — Ken Endris, Debbie Flora, Donny Forehand, Lisa St. John, and Karla Tarkington, having achieved the status of Master School Principal, were recognized Monday, May 13, 2013, during the Arkansas State Board of Education.  Each individual completed three years of rigorous professional development plus an additional year of performance evaluations to achieve the designation this spring from the Arkansas Leadership Academy’s Master Principal Program.  Dr. Tom Kimbrell, Arkansas Commissioner of Education, Dr. Diana Peer, Master Principal Leader, and Dr. Debbie Davis, Director of the Arkansas Leadership Academy, presented awards of distinction to the principals.

The Arkansas Leadership Academy is based in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. The Academy’s Master Principal Program was authorized by Act 44 of the Second Extraordinary Session of the 2003 Arkansas General Assembly. “In order to graduate Arkansas students college and career ready, leadership matters,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell. “In addition to recruiting the best school leaders in the state to do this challenging work, we must support their professional growth and development. Through the Arkansas Leadership Academy, these principals have strengthened their skills, set the vision and culture for their schools and established a momentum necessary to improve student achievement.”

Ken Endris has been the principal of Fouke Elementary for six years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Houston and a M.Ed. in Administration from Prairie View A & M, Texas. “The professional development provided through the Master Principal Program has been the catalyst for reflection to move Fouke Elementary from good to great,” said Mr. Endris.

Debbie Flora, principal of Bernice Young Elementary in Springdale for the last five years, was previously the principal at Jones Elementary, also in Springdale. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Ms. Flora shared, “Participation in the Master Principal Program of the Arkansas Leadership Academy provided rich, reflective experiences that had a positive impact on the culture of our school. At our school, we have come to see ourselves as a learning community where the voices of all participants are important and the learning of both students and adults is valued. As educators we have accepted the responsibility and understand the importance of supporting every stakeholder in reaching their highest potential.”

Donny Forehand is completing his fourth year as principal of Dover Elementary School. He was previously the K-2 principal in Dover for fifteen years. He graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree. Mr. Forehand said, “The training gained through the Arkansas Leadership Academy was like no other training I have been through as a professional.  The real world application process of using tools learned in training is what made a difference in moving our students academically.” He offered his thanks to the staff and trainers at the Arkansas Leadership Academy.

Lisa St. John has been the principal at Apple Glen Elementary in Bentonville for nine years. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees are from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She stated, “The experience with the Master Principal Program has been the foundation of my career as a principal. Everything that Apple Glen represents has a direct correlation to what I learned and continue to learn through the Leadership Academy. This has been the best professional development anyone could hope for and my perpetual involvement with the Master Principal Program and other ALA forums will continue to shape my educational decisions.”

Karla Tarkington has been the principal at Badger Elementary School in the Beebe School District for five years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Ouachita Baptist University and a Master’s from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She said, “Being a part of the Master Principal Program has been a great experience.  As a new principal it gave me excellent guidance for what leading my school should look like.  It provided the needed support to make necessary changes and take needed risks.”

According to Dr. Debbie Davis, “The support of the Arkansas Legislature, the Arkansas Department of Education, and the Academy’s Partners has allowed the Master Principal Program to build the leadership capacity of principals across our state. This rigorous, four-year program enables these school leaders to enhance and accelerate student and adult learning. We are proud of these principals and commend their dedication to their students, teachers, and school communities.”

Phase I of the Master Principal Program is open to all school principals who have at least one year of experience and the support and permission of their superintendents to participate. Principals from across the state meet during the year in four multi-day sessions for intense study while applying the learning from those sessions in their schools throughout the year.

Admission to the second phase of the program requires submission of a portfolio documenting the application of the lessons learned from the first phase and the results of that work to improve student and adult learning in the school. To be admitted to the third phase, principals must complete a rigorous application process that includes evidence of their impact on education at the district, state, and regional levels. These portfolios are evaluated by stakeholders in education from Arkansas as well as from out of state. Scorers receive training through the Arkansas Leadership Academy.

After successful completion of all three phases, principals may choose to participate in a rigorous assessment by a team of trained examiners with at least one member on each team from another state. The rigorous assessment process examines evidence from three primary sources:
• Student Performance: An analysis of student academic achievement data
• Principal Performance: An analysis of a portfolio created by the principal
• School Performance: A site visit to gather evidence

Successful performance in these three areas qualifies an individual for Master School Principal status. Master Principals will receive a $9,000 per year bonus for five years upon earning the designation. They are eligible for an additional $25,000 per year for five years if they are selected to serve at a low-performing school.

Established in 1991, the Arkansas Leadership Academy is a nationally recognized statewide partnership of 15 universities; 9 professional associations; 15 educational cooperatives; the Arkansas Departments of Education, Higher Education, and Career Education; the Arkansas Educational Television Network; Tyson Foods, Inc; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; superintendent representatives; the Office of the Governor; and the State Board of Education.

For more information, visit http://www.arkansasleadershipacademy.org/ or contact the Arkansas Leadership Academy at 479-575-3030.

WHEN: Monday, May 13, 2013, 9 a.m.

WHERE: Auditorium, Arkansas Department of Education, Four Capitol Mall, Little Rock

The agenda for Monday’s meeting is available at http://edboard.arkansas.gov/

Live streaming of meeting video available at http://flash.aetn.org/adeplayer.html?source=rtmp%3A%2F%2Fflash.aetn.org%2Flive%2Fadelive&type=live

 As part of AETN’s commitment to the Arkansas Department of Education, educators and administrators across the state, AETN has created a specialized website to support the Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS), a system for effective teaching and leading in Arkansas’s schools. TESS is crucial to ensuring high-quality instruction and instructional leadership that will impact teaching, learning and student achievement throughout Arkansas schools.

In an effort to support educators and administrators with this new system, ArkansasIDEAS has assigned each course in the professional development portal with a suggested domain component according to Charlotte Danielson’s work, Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching. The framework divides the complex activity of teaching into 22 components clustered into four domains of teaching responsibility.

The new website, http://ideas.aetn.org/tess highlights some of the course offerings that directly correlate with the domain components adopted by TESS. It also provides licensed teachers with a link to access more TESS resources created by Teachscape specifically for Arkansas.

Little Rock—Bobby Acklin, current assistant superintendent in the North Little Rock School District, is Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell’s pick to lead the Dollarway School District starting July 1.

Of the new appointee, Kimbrell said, “His heart is in the right place, he’s about kids. His understanding of the educational process and his ability to build and sustain trusting relationships within a community will drive improved student and educator performance.”

The Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science (AAIMS) announces summer training dates for Year 1 National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) Teacher Training.

Due to increased interest, the Year 1 NMSI Teacher Training, also known as Laying the Foundation, is being offered in the following subjects at the following locations:

Subjects -

• MS & HS MATH YEAR 1
• MS & HS ENGLISH YEAR 1
• MS SCIENCE YEAR 1

Locations -

• PRAIRIE GROVE, JUNE 4-7
• CONWAY, JUNE 11-14
• MAGNOLIA, JULY 16-19

This training is linked to Common Core:

http://www.nms.org/Resources/CommonCoreOpenResources.aspx 

Please register at www.ualr.edu/aaims under Training Information.

For more information, please contact Amy Robbins at akrobbins1@ualr.edu.

LITTLE ROCK — Seven Arkansas school districts recently received grant funds totaling over $1 million to implement a school-based health center in their district for the 2013-14 school year. Each district will receive $150,000 during the first year of the five-year grant. The grant award amounts will decrease each year thereafter.

The grants, made possible with monies from Act 180 of 2009, were awarded by the Arkansas Department of Education’s Office of Coordinated School Health in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) and Arkansas Medicaid in the Schools (ARMITS). The seven school campuses were identified as key settings for providing quality health programs and services to students, staff and families.

The schools and school districts are: Cedarville Elementary School, Cedarville School District; Washington Middle School, El Dorado School District; Franklin Elementary School, Little Rock School District; Siloam Springs Intermediate School, Siloam Springs School District; Gene George Elementary School, Springdale School District; Waldron Middle School, Waldron School District; and Yellville Summit Elementary School, Yellville-Summit School District.

With the addition of the seven new sites, Arkansas now has a total of 21 school-based health centers.

The School Based Health Center Initiative offers three main components:
1. Provide clinical services through a qualified health provider such as a hospital, community health center, or medical practice;

2. Establish a mental health program based on the Arkansas Department of Education School Based Mental Health Best Practices Manual; and

3. Provide students, families, and community with education outreach based on needs through implementation of the eight-component model of Coordinated School Health to improve academic achievement, school health programs, and community support.

“It is exciting to have the opportunity to increase the number of school based health centers operating in our state,” said Jeri Clark, grants manager for ADE’s Office of Coordinated School Health. “These school districts have worked very hard in preparing for the implementation of a center. I believe the students and families who utilize these centers are the true winners, as they will be afforded the opportunity to easily access preventive care and ultimately enhance their opportunity to succeed academically.”

As a reminder, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) has two draft policies currently out for public comment. Please use the links below to review the draft policies and the associated surveys where you can provide feedback.

Draft Grade- and Subject-Specific Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs)
All draft PLDs, supporting documents, and online survey are posted at www.parcconline.org/plds.
Public review and comment period ends May 8.

Draft PARCC Accommodations Manual for students with disabilities and English learners
The draft Accommodations Manual, supporting documents, and online survey are posted at www.parcconline.org/parcc-draft-accommodations-manual.
Public review and comment period ends May 13.

Follow the consortium on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PARCCPlace.

The Arkansas Department of Education, the Arkansas State Library, and the Arkansas Reading Association are pleased to announce the results of the 2013 Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award and the 2013 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award. Over 71,500 Arkansas students cast ballots for their favorite books. The winners are:

Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award

• Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham is the winner of the 2012-2013 Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award (published by Dutton in 2010).
• Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is the Honor Book for 2012-2013 (published by Philomel in 2010).

Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award

• 

Lucky Beans written by Becky Birtha and illustrated by Nicole Tadgell is the winner of the 2012-2013 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award (published by Albert Whitman in 2010).
• Interrupting Chicken
 written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein is the Honor Book for 2012-2013 (published by Candlewick Press in 2010).

Both awards are under the sponsorship of the Arkansas Department of Education, the Arkansas State Library, and the Arkansas Reading Association, with support from other cooperating organizations.

Lists of next year’s titles and other forms are available at http://hoorayforbooks.pbworks.com.