WestEd and APA tell Arkansas education committee: funding differences alone don’t close gaps in proficiency

Summary

APA and WestEd presented an equity and adequacy study to the Senate Education Committee showing persistent achievement gaps by income, race and student needs; presenters said per-pupil funding differences in Arkansas did not show a strong positive relationship with ACT Aspire proficiency and that case studies and targeted interventions will be brought back.

Justin Silverstein, an analyst with APA, told the Senate Education Committee the multi-part adequacy study will combine statewide data analysis, district surveys and case studies and invited public participation: “We have a stakeholder survey…It’s going to be open through the eighteenth,” he said.

Researchers from WestEd presented the core findings. Raifu Duverdoyier Jr., a research associate at WestEd, said disadvantaged groups — low‑income students, limited‑English‑proficient students, students with disabilities and many students of color — had lower proficiency and growth on the ACT Aspire in the years analyzed. “Students of color all have lower proficiency rates than their peers,” Duverdoyier said, summarizing a state‑level pattern the team found.

The presenters gave specific measures from the study’s 2016–2019 window: statewide proficiency on the ACT Aspire was 43.7% in ELA and 46.6% in math in 2019; students with disabilities posted especially low proficiency (about 12.2% in math and 7.2% in ELA). The study also reported per‑pupil spending…

WestEd and APA tell Arkansas education committee: funding differences alone don’t close gaps in proficiency

Summary

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