LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas’ new practice of assigning A to F letter grades to public schools is having big consequences to schools’ reputations and operations.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the state’s 2-year-old school accountability system assigns letter grades as part of a school’s online report card. The practice has been used as bragging rights for schools with all A grades. It’s also led to the potential waiver of employee protection laws for faculty and staff in Little Rock’s schools that receive poor grades.
The letter grades are based on multifaceted numerical scores that take into account ACT Aspire test results and improvement from the previous year. Other factors include high school graduation rates and indicators of student success, such as attendance.
Some education officials express concern that schools demonstrating high growth but receiving C grades will become disheartened.
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