Overview of Today’s Presentation

www.uark.edu/ua/oep 1

Overview of Today’s Presentation

• Introduction to the OEP Website, and tutorial on how to access OEP Publications and OEP Data.

• Example Publication: the OEP 2012 Northwest Arkansas Report Card.

• Example Databases: Introduction to OEP’s Similar Schools/Districts Group/Rating & the Benchmark Growth Database.

• Overview of interesting K-12 issues/legislation before the AR General Assembly.

• Solicitation of feedback.

OEP is a research center within the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas that specializes in

Education Research and Policy.www.uark.edu/ua/oep

•AR Education

Reports

• Policy Briefs

• Report Cards

• Newsletters

• Data Resources

http://www.uark.edu/ua/oep

www.uark.edu/ua/oep

Refer to menu bar at the top left of the OEP homepage. www.uark.edu/ua/oep

OEP Homepage

Click on Arkansas School Data

Accessing Data Resources through the OEP

Arkansas School Data has multiple databases at both school and district levels.

Arkansas School Data


www.uark.edu/ua/oep

Accessing Report Cards, Education Reports and Policy Briefs through the OEP

Refer to menu bar at the top left of the OEP homepage. www.uark.edu/ua/oep

OEPublications leads to options such as Report Cards, Education Reports and Policy Briefs.

Remember to sign up for our weekly e-mail, OEP Web Links (OWL), to get updated on current education news across the state and nation.

Please e-mail [email protected] to sign up.Also, sign up for the OEP Blog at www.officeforedpolicy.com to receive alerts when the latest

OEP Blog posts are published.


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.officeforedpolicy.com/


2012 Northwest Arkansas Report Card

The 2012 NWA Report Card also highlights test scores, achievement gaps, graduation rates, and teacher salary for the 2011-12 academic year. However, some additional variables are presented in this year’s Report Card such as economic indicators, and higher education data. However, today we will only highlight: 1. Overview of

Assessments2. NWA Student & Teacher

Demographics3. High School Education

Indicators4. Overall Conclusions


2012 NWA Report Card: A New Look; Same Important Data

Maroon bars show the % of students in each NWA district or charter school scoring proficient or advanced in math.

White bars show the % of students in each NWA district or charter school scoring proficient or advanced in literacy.



Where to Get These Data…• Recall that if you click on the

“Arkansas School Data” link on the main menu of the OEP Website, you get access to all of our School- and District-level databases.

• These databases include Benchmark, ITBS (norm-referenced test), End of Course, Demographics, and Financial data for all Arkansas schools and districts.

• We recommend looking at our benchmark data including our “Similar Schools Rating,” and our “Growth Database.”

• Here’s a glimpse at the 2011-12 benchmark data:


The Similar Schools Group


The Similar Schools Group• Because it makes little sense to compare performance of Bentonville High to, say, KIPP

Delta, the OEP developed a school grouping procedure to compare similar schools.

• For example, we grouped schools according to the grades served: (1=primary, 2=elementary, 3=middle, 4=junior high) AND the fraction of economically disadvantaged students at the school (measured by the number of students receiving a free or reduced-price lunch – FRL) grouped into three categories: (1 = low economic disadvantage, 2 = middle economic disadvantage, and 3 = high economic disadvantage).

• Let’s say, we want to compare how Randall G. Lynch Middle School in Farmington performs on the benchmark to other schools that “look like” Randall G. Lynch Middle. How do we do that? We find other middle schools with similar percentages of FRL students.• Randall G. Lynch is a “middle school,” thus it is classified as a “3”• Randall G. Lynch has a low FRL%, thus it is classified as a “1”• Therefore, Randall G. Lynch is in the similar schools group 3.1• We can now compare Lynch with all other schools that are in the 3.1 grouping


The Similar Schools Rating• Randall G. Lynch Middle

has a Similar Schools Rating in math of +3% meaning that RGL has about 3% more of their students scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Math Benchmark.

• Randall G. Lynch Middle has a Similar Schools Rating in literacy of -1% meaning that RGL has about 1% fewer students scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Literacy Benchmark.

• We have also calculated a Similar Districts Rating.


Benchmark Growth DatabaseBaseline and outcome % Prof & Adv. calculated using the average of two years’ of data, for a stronger measure.

Database includes three- and five-year growth on math and literacy benchmark performance for AR Schools.

Great resource for measuring academic progress on the Benchmark exam.


Putting the “Policy” in OEP• One of our primary functions is to be attentive to,

and report on interesting education legislation/policy being discussed/debated/enacted through the State Legislature.

• We cover these issues on our OEP Blog.

• Here are a few of the stories we have been following:

http://officeforedpolicy.com/


Ed Policy on the OEP Blog• AR Teacher Retirement

system is vying to invest in the new Big River steel mill.

• Two different bills by leading state legislators to amend the AR Public School Choice act that was struck down as unconstitutional last year.

• Legislation is being heard to potentially allow districts in jeopardy of falling below the 350 students to claim home-school students within their district in order to avoid consolidation.


Questions or

Comments?

We are here to assist

you!


OEP is a research center within the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas that specializes in

Education Research and Policy.www.uark.edu/ua/oep

office for education policy 201 Graduate

Education Building

College of Education and Health Professions | University of

Arkansas

Fayetteville | AR | 72701 | Ph: 479/575-3773 | Fax: 479/575-

3196 e-mail: [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Overview of Today’s Presentation