GENTRY, AR — Gentry Public Schools are celebrating a wave of academic success, as preliminary results from the state-required ATLAS summative assessments reveal exceptional growth and high achievement across the district. Early data indicates that Gentry students are not only showing significant internal growth but are consistently outperforming state averages in multiple key subjects, Gentry Superintendent Dr. Tyler Broyles said.
District officials expressed excitement over the strong momentum, attributing the success to the dedicated efforts of students, teachers, interventionists, and families throughout the school year.
Some highlights include:
Outperforming the State
A major highlight of the preliminary data is how well Gentry students performed compared to the rest of Arkansas. Students scored well above the state average in English Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Science across several grade levels.
Grade Level | Subject | Performance vs. State Average |
4th Grade | Science | +14% |
5th Grade | Science | +10% |
8th Grade | Science | +13% |
4th Grade | Math | +8% |
5th Grade | Math | +9% |
8th Grade | Math | +6% |
4th Grade | ELA | +8% |
5th Grade | ELA | +9% |
10th Grade | ELA | +5% |
Additionally, an impressive 82% of middle school students taking High School Algebra scored in the proficient or advanced categories.
Districtwide Growth and Achievement
Beyond beating state averages, the district saw encouraging internal academic growth. More students are reaching proficient and advanced achievement levels than before. Districtwide increases in proficient/advanced performance include:
Science: Increased by 8 percentage points
Math: Increased by 4 percentage points
ELA: Increased by 3 percentage points
Early childhood education saw some of the most exciting leaps, with First Grade showing the largest gains across all grade levels. First-grade ELA reduced the number of students in the lowest performance category by 8 percentage points. In math, First Grade advanced performance more than doubled from last year, jumping 9 percentage points, while Second Grade advanced performance increased by 6 percentage points.
Overall, the district reports that more students reached advanced achievement levels this year across the board.
Third-Grade Reading Success
In a critical showing of success for the district's early literacy initiatives, Gentry students showed remarkable success regarding Arkansas’ new third-grade reading requirements. Out of a class of more than 125 third graders, fewer than five are currently at risk for retention based on their reading scores.
While the district is still completing a deeper, comprehensive review of all ATLAS data, administrators note that these preliminary highlights point to a continued and successful commitment to student achievement across Gentry Public Schools.