LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - More than 150 Arkansas public schools will receive a share of nearly $7 million in rewards for their performance on recent state-required math and literacy exams.
The monetary reward is part of the 2016 Arkansas School Recognition Program and will be provided by the state Department of Education.
Schools ranked in the top 5 percent in achievement and achievement gains are given $100 per student. Schools that rank in the next 5 percent tier are eligible for rewards of $50 per student.
The Bentonville School District will receive the largest share, with more than $927,000 to be divided among 11 campuses, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (https://bit.ly/2hgshSF ) reports.
“It’s confirmation that you spent all this time and you worked hard,” Bentonville superintendent Debbie Jones said about the reward money. “It’s just confirmation that it is paying off.”
Roberts Elementary School in the Little Rock School District will receive $178,000, the largest reward for a single campus. The school has a large enrollment and it places in the top 5 percent of schools in high scores and year-to-year achievement gains.
Five of the Pulaski County Special School District will be sharing $270,600.
Some schools that will be receiving money are in charter systems. They include LISA Academy, Responsive Education Solutions, Haas Hall Academy, Academics Plus Charter Schools and eStem Public Charter Schools.
School committees will meet to decide how individual schools will use the money. They must send their spending plans to the Education Department to obtain the monetary reward.
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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, https://www.arkansasonline.com
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