Pine Bluff schools report improved ATLAS assessment trends; third-grade retest window to follow

Superintendent Barbara Reed and Director of Curriculum and Instruction (Miss Rawls) told the board that preliminary ATLAS testing shows improvement in several grade levels and content areas, with third, fourth and tenth grades already at more than 95% test completion and the district targeting 98% participation overall.

Rawls said third-grade writing scores are the highest in three years and that third-grade foundational skills are improving, with increases in students reaching proficiency (Levels 2–4). The district plans a five-week intensive support program for students who score at Level 1; after five weeks of targeted instruction students will have the opportunity to retake the assessment. Reed and Rawls noted that the state’s grading process uses AI scoring with a 10% human check in ELA and that the district is awaiting final score returns for a small share of tests (including students at a juvenile center), which could affect final percentages.

Board members asked how soon full results would be available; Rawls said the state’s grading and the human-review sample could add 5–7 days for some assessments and that the board should expect more complete percentages at the next meeting. The presenters emphasized that retests do not change the school accountability grade — only individual student promotion decisions may change — and reviewed good-cause exemptions that can be applied before deciding retention.

The district also highlighted supports tied to the 21st Century programs and targeted classroom interventions, and said it will share more detailed, anonymized growth numbers once the state returns remaining scores.