The Arkansas Education Department said today that Arkansas students had made “significant” improvements on the ACT Aspire tests that measure students in grades 3-10 in reading, math, science and writing skills.

It’s the second year of the ACT Aspire test after three years of three different standardized tests, so this year’s scores offer a similar basis for comparison. The scores are used in school report cards.

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The state said the results showed a statistically significant increase in the percentage of students meeting readiness benchmarks. From the release:

The largest increases occurred in grades 6 and 8 math and writing. Large gains occurred in writing for grades 4 through 8, with a 21.72 percent increase in grade 5. English Language Arts averages reflect statistically significant increases, particularly for grade 4. Large gains in writing could be attributed to an extension of time on the writing portion, schools adapting to the new online testing format, high-quality professional development and classroom instruction specifically in the area of writing.

“These results are a positive reflection of the work of our dedicated educators,” Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key said. “The increase in Arkansas’ scores can be attributed to the full implementation of the state’s rigorous education standards, high-quality professional development, and innovative and evidence-based teaching practices in the classroom that encourage student engagement and learning.”

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