Trumann Schools score well in benchmarks

Central Elementary School celebrated a second year of reaching proficiency on Benchmark exams. The school made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in math and literacy scores in all groups. The school is not in school improvement this school year. AYP and Benchmark exams are part of the criteria required for the Federal No Child Left Behind Mandate. Pictured above are: District Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Karleen Sheets, Central Elementary Principal Bobby Benson and School Superintendent Joe Waleszonia. (Democrat photo/Ruth Ann Estes)

Karleen Sheets, District Administrator for Curriculum and Instruction, said THS graduated 114 students in May. The students accepted over $537,000 in college scholarship. THS graduation rate of 85.4 percent exceeded the state rate of 76 percent.

Trumann School District currently employs 100 percent highly qualified teachers while the state average is 89 percent. Thirty-eight percent of teachers employed by Trumann Schools hold a master's degree while the state rate is 33.8 percent.

During the 2007-08 school year, the district had 1617 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. The racial breakdown of the schools is 87.46 percent white, 8.78 percent African American, 3.09% Hispanic and less than 1 percent Asian or Native American.

Over one-half of the students, 62.9 percent, received free or reduced meals, Sheets said.

The attendance rate for Trumann Schools, according to the 2007 report card distributed by the Arkansas Department of Education, showed the local district had a 91.9 score. The state score for attendance was 94.3. The drop-out rate for the Trumann School District was 2.4 compared to a 3.6 rate for the state as a whole.

Student ACT testing scores remained high with scores of 19.8 for math, 21.0 for English and a composite score of 20.7. The scores for the state of Arkansas were 20.7 for math, 21.0 for English and 20.8 for composite scores.

Trumann High School is in Year 2 of School Improvement based on performance of economically disadvantaged students in literacy and students with disabilities in literacy and math.

Cedar Park Elementary made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in all areas except in literacy for students with disabilities. The designation of Year 6 of School Improvement is under appeal.

Central Elementary School made AYP in all areas of testing in all groups. Central Elementary is no longer in School Improvement.

"The Trumann School District has offered advanced placement courses in American history, English literature, chemistry and trigonometry and calculus long before they were required by the state," Sheets told the group. "In addition to these required AP courses, the district also offers AP art."

Trumann High School students may also earn up to 54 college credits in English, math, science and social studies through a concurrent credit agreement with the Arkansas State University -- Newport campus.

"The Trumann School District also offers ten programs of study in workforce education. This number of programs exceeds the state requirement of three such programs," Sheets said.

Programs of study include: Early Child Development and Services; FACS Education; Desktop Publishing; Multimedia; Management; JROTC; Horticulture; Power, Structural and Technical Systems; Natural Resource Systems; and Computer Programming.

The school district exceeded the state average on three of the five performance indicators in workforce education.

In many areas, students in the school district performed at or above the state average, Sheets said. "For example, in third grade literacy Trumann students scored 64 percent proficient. That is even with the state average. In fourth grade math, our students scored 77 percent while the state average in 75 percent."

She also pointed out that seventh grade math scores are above the state average. "Sixty-five percent of Trumann seventh graders are proficient in math compared to 62 percent in the state."

In literacy, Trumann seventh graders are 60 percent proficient compared to 58 percent for the state. In geometry 64 percent of seventh graders are proficient compared to the state average of 60 percent.

Sheets said that the curriculum used in the district is based on current research. "Our learning experiences are thoughtfully planned out for each class," she said. "We use standards-based math and literacy as our core curriculum in the district."Growing with Math is used in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. EveryDay Math is used for first through fifth grade students and MathScapes is used in the sixth through eighth grades. Early Literacy Learning in Arkansas, Effective Literacy and Literacy Lab are used in pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, Sheets told the group.

This summer, the literacy curriculum was realigned using the Total instructional Alignment process to insure that classroom assessments and instruction were aligned with state assignments and assessments.

"Our teachers used performance data such as test scores and reading levels to develop academic improvement plans for all students performing below proficiency," Sheets said. "Students have opportunities for additional support during the school day, before school and after school.Through the Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (ACSIP) process, The district uses staff members and community members to view information about the Trumann School District, identify school needs and develop a comprehensive plan for improvement," Sheets said.

Parents may view the pacing guides for each grade and subject at: http://www.clihome.com/cm.

Information about expenditures in state and federal funds, curriculum, personnel, special grants, and additional details from the school's Annual Report to the Public are on the Trumann School District website http://wildcat.k12.ar.us.

The Trumann School District and each of its schools meet the Standards for Accreditation established by the Arkansas Department of Education and is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI). Accreditation assures that the district is committed to raising student performance and is held accountable for improving student learning on a continual basis.