Dear Parents,
At this time each year, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) releases school performance grades for all of the 1,056 schools in Arkansas. These performance grades are based primarily on results from the prior year’s state mandated test, the ACT Aspire. We are writing to inform you of our school’s performance reports and explain the results. We have great news, good news, and disappointing news to share. We will begin with the positive news!
Quitman High School includes students in grades nine through twelve. Our performance score for the high school is based upon the following criteria:
9th and 10th grade ACT Aspire Achievement and Growth Scores in English, Reading, Math, Science and Writing
11th and 12th grade scores on the ACT
Graduation rates
Advanced Placement and concurrent course offerings, attendance and more
Once again, our high school has earned a B rating from the ADE and is only 2 points from an A-our best school report card yet! Our high school has been recognized as:
The 10th Best High School in Arkansas for math growth
The 2nd Best High School in the Northeast Region for math growth
Our high school students have grown from 30% reading on grade level in 2018 to over 50% reading on grade level in 2023! We are very proud of these great accomplishments, and we will continue to strive to earn an A rating.
Quitman Middle School includes students in grades six through eight. Like the high school, our middle school is graded on achievement in core content areas, growth in these areas, and student attendance. Our middle school was designated as an Arkansas School on The Move Toward Excellence in 2022, and we continued that growth for 2023!
Our middle school also earned a B rating and is now only 2.5 points away from an A rating! We have received the following awards for 2023:
Top 18 Middle Schools in Arkansas for overall academic growth
2nd Best Middle School in the Northeast Region for overall academic growth
2nd Best Middle School in the Northeast Region for math growth
4th Best Middle School in the Northeast Region for language arts growth
Your child’s regular attendance at school is one of the greatest factors influencing his/her academic success. Attendance rates for Quitman students in grades 6-12 have improved over twenty points the past two years, and this has positively impacted our performance rating from ADE. Thank you to middle and high school parents and students for making attendance a top priority!
Quitman Elementary is made up of students in grades kindergarten through five. Our kindergarten through second grade students take the NWEA Map Assessment each year. Here are the overall scores by grade level for the 2022/2023 school year:
Kindergarten Reading: 77% of students performing at or above grade level
Kindergarten Math: 77% of students performing at or above grade level
1st Grade Reading: 48% of students performing at or above grade level
1st Grade Math: 53% of students performing at or above grade level
2nd Grade Reading: 68% of students performing at or above grade level
2nd Grade Math: 72% of students performing at or above grade level
While these results are very positive, our goal is always for 100% of our students to move on to the next grade performing at or above grade level, and we will continue to work to reach that goal.
Quitman Elementary students in third through fifth grades take the ACT Aspire Assessment in English, Reading, Math, Writing and Science. Scores on these mandated tests, growth from year to year on the test, and student attendance make up our overall performance score from ADE. Unfortunately, Quitman Elementary received a D rating (by 1/100th of a point) on the report for the 2022/2023 school year. While we are very disappointed in this score, we are confident that Mrs. Griffin, Mrs. Stacy, and our strong team of third through fifth grade teachers have plans in place to ensure our students in these grades are growing and performing at higher levels in the future. We strive to educate the whole child and make sure our students are happy at school, but we also want them to be able to perform their very best on every test. We do not believe this score is an accurate representation of our elementary school, and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to change that.
Unlike our high school and middle school, attendance rates for our elementary students are poor. Over 40% of our students miss more than 10 days of school per year, and these attendance rates reflect poorly on the annual performance report. We’ve taken positive steps to improve student attendance this year by changing our policies, but we continue to need your help to ensure our students are present every day.
Thank you for taking the time to be informed, for trusting us with your children, and for supporting us as we strive to improve and grow. Please feel free to contact us anytime with questions, concerns, or how you can partner with us. For more information on school report cards and performance data, visit myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov.
Go Bulldogs!
Michael Stacks
School Report Card Letter to Parents 2023
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