09/02/15  7 Pine Bluff Area Schools at the Bottom On Exams

The Arkansas Department of Education has identified 46 schools around the state with consistently low performance on state tests. The “priority” schools had scored in the bottom 5 percent on the exams over the past three years.  They include seven schools in the Pine Bluff area, including Dollarway High School, Belair Middle School, Oak Park Elementary School,  Pine Bluff High School, Jack Robey Jr.  High, Watson Chapel High School, Pine Bluff Lighthouse Academy and Robert F. Moorehead Middle School in the Dollarway District. 

Dermott High School is also included and Strong High School in South Arkansas. The schools must now hire either full or part time school improvement specialists. They also must evaluate their school and district leaders, submit to state monitoring and take other steps over time to raise student performance. Many of the schools will be eligible for federal grants to support their efforts.