Springdale outlines interventions as Arkansas Learns Act could leave hundreds of third-graders behind

A district staff member told the Springdale School Board on Sept. 9 that changes required by the Arkansas Learns Act and the revised Arkansas Right to Read Act mean third-graders who do not meet the state'defined minimum reading standard may not be promoted to fourth grade.

The presentation said the third-grade decision will be made using the ATLAS ELA score (a combined reading and writing measure), not the separate ATLAS reading score, and that method produces cases where a student’s reading score would meet the standard while the combined ELA score would not. The staff member called that discrepancy confusing and said the state has told districts to use the ELA score for promotion decisions.

District officials said the law requires explicit, documented interventions for any student promoted under a good-cause exemption or retained. Those requirements include placement with a highly qualified teacher, at least 90 minutes of daily evidence-based reading instruction aligned to the science of reading, an at-home reading plan aligned to the student's individual reading plan, prioritized tutoring grant access and school-level progress monitoring.

At the board meeting the district provided several numerical estimates and caveats. Springdale has 1,572 third-grade students enrolled. The presenter said roughly 38% (about 595 students) could qualify for a good-cause exemption based on having fewer than three years of formal English learner instruction; about 14% (about 221 students) could qualify on special-education grounds (IEP). The presenter also noted that last year 508 third-graders in the state scored Level 1 on the ATLAS ELA assessment.

Using one set of district calculations, the presenter said about 193 students would qualify for an ELL good-cause exemption and about 71 for a special-education exemption, leaving a potential retention pool of about 244 students (roughly 16% of Springdale's third grade). The presenter added that the district does not expect to retain that full number but must plan for the possibility.

The presenter also said the state toolkit referenced in guidance has not been released, creating uncertainty about alternative ways to identify "highly qualified" teachers or other staffing options. She said highly qualified teachers are currently identified in state systems by VAM/band scores (teacher growth measures) or master/professional designations, which yields a set of teachers concentrated outside lower elementary grades and complicates district staffing planning.

Board members raised operational concerns about holding a child back based on a single test day and about the practicality of moving content-area secondary teachers into elementary classrooms. The presenter said the district already uses early screening (K'2) and tiered interventions to avoid late remediation, and it is documenting individualized reading plans and progress monitoring.

The presenter described the testing window (mid-April into May) and said districts should receive data more quickly this year, with an expectation the state will return scores within 24 hours. She also noted the state's definition of promotion centers on the combined ELA score, not the separate reading score, a distinction she said the district continues to question.

The board was not asked to vote on retention policy at this meeting; the presentation was framed as an informational update and planning briefing. The presenter said the district will continue developing staffing plans and contingencies, and emphasized the district's commitment to early intervention.