| High School Students taking Advanced Placement Exams | |
| Arkansas | Nation |
| 8,763 | 698,182 |
| 32.2% | 24.9% |
Arkansas Participation in Flexibility Options |
|
| Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) | Not Participating |
| Limited English Proficient Partnership | Participating |
| Flexibility for Students with Disabilities | Not Participating |
| Tutoring Pilot | Not Participating |
| Growth Model | Participating |
| Districts in Need of Improvement Pilot | Not Participating |
| Number of Arkansas Elementary Schools | 245 |
| Number of Arkansas Middle/Junior High Schools | 600 |
| Number of Arkansas High Schools | 201 |
| Number of Required School Days in School Calendar Year | 311 |
| Number of Arkansas Students | 178 |
| Number of Arkansas Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunches | 452,000 |
| Number of Arkansas Graduates 2000-01 | 26,621 |
| Arkansas Graduation Rate 2000-01 | 53% |
| Percent of Arkansas Teachers Completely Certified | 99% |
| Percent of Arkansas Teachers with Master’s Degrees | 64% |
Notes:
In 2004-2005, Advanced Placement exam participation in Arkansas witnessed the largest increase in all of AP’s 50-year history.
Arkansas was one of three states improving on three of the four 2005 NAEP mathematics and reading tests since they were last administered in 2003. Gains occurred in fourth grade reading and mathematics and eighth grade mathematics -- putting Arkansas at or near the national average on all four tests.
Every Arkansas high school student has the opportunity to take challenging courses in accordance with the state’s requirement that every high school must teach a minimum 38 units.
The number of higher level math courses -- including Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry -- and grade-level English courses required for students to graduate from Smart Core, the rigorous set of courses all students are encouraged to take.
Arkansas was one of the first two states to require students to take the mathematics sequence up to Algebra II. Other states are now following suit.
The number of elements that experts recommend for a quality statewide data system for tracking student achievement -- Arkansas has all 10.
