Education Commons^™

Advanced Placement Course-Taking And Act Test Outcomes In Arkansas, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Charlene A. Reid, Jessica S. Goldstein

Policy Briefs

Since 2008, Arkansas has sought to dramatically increase the number of students participating in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. This program, which allows students to access college -level content while still enrolled in high school, has been linked to higher student achievement and attainment. This brief shares recent research from the Office for Education Policy investigating whether students who take AP courses demonstrate better college readiness and examines how these trends vary for different demographic and socioeconomic groups in the state.

Advanced Placement Course-Taking And Act Testing Outcomes In Arkansas, Jessica S. Goldstein, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This report examines trends in Advanced Placement (AP) course-taking in Arkansas. The AP program allows students to access college-level content while still enrolled in high school. Using de-identified student-level data from 2015-16 to 2017-18 from the Arkansas Department of Education, this research investigates whether students who take AP courses demonstrate better college readiness and examines how these trends vary for different demographic and socioeconomic groups throughout the state. While we cannot estimate the causal effect of AP coursework on student outcomes, this study presents key findings related to the Advanced Placement program which are relevant to policymakers and educators in …

What Can We Learn About Improving Gifted Identification By Studying How Accurate The Process Is In Arkansas?, Bich Tran, Jonathan Wai, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Jonathan N. Mills, Dustin Seaton

Arkansas Education Reports

How might we improve gifted and talented (G/T) identification by learning about the process in Arkansas (AR)? In this study, we examined the accuracy of the gifted identification process in AR by comparing the degree to which students who were academically talented in the top 5% on the 3 rd grade state assessment in reading and mathematics in AR were identified for G/T. Across five years of independent cohorts, we replicate the finding that roughly 30% of the students in the top 5% in both reading and mathematics on the 3 rd grade state assessment are not identified as G/T. …

Sun Belt Releases 2020-21 Women's Basketball League Slate, Georgia Southern University

Athletics News

• Sun Belt Releases 2020-21 Women's Basketball League Slate

Ouachita's Elrod Center Receives Celebrate Literacy Award By Arkansas Literacy Association, Mandy Halbert, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Elrod Center for Family and Community received the Arkansas Literacy Association’s (ALA) Celebrate Literacy Award this summer for its America Reads/America Counts, Peake Partnership and Homeschool/After-School tutoring programs in Arkadelphia. Leigh Anne McKinney, assistant director of the Elrod Center, attended a virtual ceremony in July hosted by the ALA Council Leadership Institute to accept the award.

The Impact Of Suspension On The Academic Performance Of Middle School Students, Jennifer Nelson

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of in-school suspension and out of school suspension on the academic performance of seventh-grade students, as measured by the ACT Aspire. This study was motivated by the assumption that out of classroom time and out of school time has an impact on student learning. It was further assumed that direct instruction from the classroom teacher would enhance students’ learning; and, therefore, suspensions would have a negative impact on student achievement. This quantitative causal-comparative study used four research questions to examine the relationship between suspensions and academic performance of middle school …

Predictive Ability Of Multiple Factors On Secondary Students' Act Scores At A Large Suburban High School, Jonathon Glen Guthrie

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

As college-bound high school seniors know, the ACT examination is possibly the single most important assessment students take during their academic careers. ACT scores can determine college entrance, scholarship dollars, and whether students will be placed in remedial courses. Parents pay large sums of money to prepare their children for this exam, and states use the scores as a metric to quantify the quality of schools and districts. Since 2015, all high school students in Arkansas take the ACT in the spring of their junior year. Given the significance of this exam, students, parents, and school personnel would benefit from …

Adding It Up: The Effects Of Math Curriculum On Third And Fourth Grade Act Aspire Math Scores In Arkansas, Rebecca Cook

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Over the last 62 years, mathematics reform has occurred due to a political push after results from a major survey or report were released stating that the United States scored lower than other countries. With each reform effort, teaching methods were changed to match the new initiative. Math curriculum was a key point in each of these reform efforts. In 2015, Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire as the statewide assessment, and in 2017 Arkansas adopted Arkansas State Standards. Although Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire and Arkansas State Standards, Arkansas does not require school districts to adopt a curriculum. The purpose of this …

Voices Of The Mentors: An Examination Of Perceptions And Meaning-Making Of Mentors In A Site-Based Program, Sheila R. Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Although past studies of mentoring at-risk youth have yielded mixed results (Faith et al., 2011; DeWit et al., 2016), mentoring as an intervention for at-risk youth has increased in the past decade and has been supported by the United States Federal Government (Hughes, Boyd, & Dykstra, 2010; Gordon, Downey, & Bangert, 2013; Reddick, Griffin, & Cherwitz, 2011). Because studies focused on the perceptions and experiences of mentors are limited (Hughes et al., 2010; Haddock et al., 2017), and because of frequency of early mentor/mentee relationship termination (Grossman et al., 2012; Golder, 2016), this qualitative study sought to capture and understand …

Alternative Learning Environments As A Tool For Student Success For Struggling Learners In Northwest Arkansas School Districts, Steven Lee Watkins

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Educating all students is the foundation of education. However, an epidemic is sweeping throughout America’s schools that is threatening the very underpinning of our society. The number of students that leave school each year without a high school diploma is placing an immense personal and economic burden on the student, as well as the economic impact on society. Alternative learning environments have emerged as an intervention to provide a foundation for success for the struggling learner. This quantitative study was conducted to evaluate the perception of high school alternative learning students and high school alternative learning teachers’ perceptions of program …

From Start To Finish: Predicting Enrollment And Attainment In Arkansas Postsecondary Education, Katherine Kopotic

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Postsecondary education has become a popular option for students, as evidenced by increases in enrollment over the last two decades. However, while enrollment has increased, completion has not. It is therefore important to investigate the factors that could lead to students’ enrollment, persistence, and completion of college. This dissertation examines two broad topics over three chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 focus examine the impact of a policy change that resulted in backloading the award disbursement of a state-wide merit-based scholarship program in Arkansas on college enrollment and success. Chapter 3 examines factors that influence the predictive nature of high school …