The superintendents for the Pine Bluff and Watson Chapel school districts say they are already working to achieve standards outlined in a document they signed and submitted to the Arkansas Board of Education.
A copy of the District Improvement Statement of Assurance was given to each superintendent whose districts were graded F under an accountability system unveiled earlier this year by the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. The system was developed as a result of the state ACCESS Act, or Act 340 of 2025.
Pine Bluff and Watson Chapel are among six districts receiving the failing grade; the others are Crossett, Fordyce, Lafayette County and North Little Rock. It is not definitive what the consequences, if any, are for failure to improve letter grades for the district’s 2026 report cards, but some believe the districts that don’t improve would face a district takeover. The Pine Bluff School District was operated by the state board from 2018-23 amid fiscal distress.
Asked whether a takeover is a possibility, Watson Chapel Superintendent Keith McGee said: “That wasn’t necessarily clear. I knew that was a possibility.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Pine Bluff Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree said her district has never been informed of the consequences.
“However, we’re already following those assurances, so we’re seeing positive growth already,” she said.
Rachel Starks, public information coordinator for the Education Department, responded when asked about a set consequence: “The state will continue to monitor and support districts for progress.”
The Statement of Assurance details only that “persistent achievement gaps and declining performance necessitate a structured, tiered system of support that aligns resources to the level of need.”
Under the Statement of Assurance, each district is asked to:
Engage collaboratively with school teams and the education service cooperative to conduct an annual comprehensive needs assessment to identify gaps in core instruction.
Direct the implementation of core course grade-level instruction aligned to the Arkansas Academic Standards, utilizing achievement level descriptors and high-quality instructional materials.
Define and enforce clear instructional expectations that include consistent district focus walks in D- and F-rated schools to monitor instructional practice.
Evaluate the lowest-quartile and subgroup data to prioritize targeted supports within core instruction and align professional learning to identified needs.
Verify and progress monitor fidelity of implementation of a district strategic plan and school improvement plan.
Target interventions for students in the lowest quartile and for identified subgroups; track growth using assessments predictive of statewide outcomes and adjust supports accordingly.
Coordinate with the education service cooperative to meet district and school improvement goals.
Evaluate the effectiveness of external partners and adjust services when improved academic outcomes are not demonstrated.
Analyze current educator workforce and leadership assignments to identify priority grade levels, subjects and schools requiring the most effective staff and adjust assignments accordingly to ensure strategic placement of highly effective teachers and proven leaders in D- or F-rated schools.
The superintendents gave presentations on how they plan to turn around their districts at a Dec. 11 state board meeting in Little Rock.
“In a few months, if we’re going to these schools and we said, ‘You know what, these are the things they said they would do and we’re not seeing it,’ we can bring them back,” said Stacy Smith, deputy commissioner of the Education Department. “It’s our monitoring method to say, ‘Here’s what we say we’re doing and us being able to monitor those actions.'”
Arkansas districts receive letter grades based on a 900-point scale. Smith told the state board Watson Chapel was 2.89 points away from earning a D, and Pine Bluff was 23 points away from earning a D. Smith also pointed out when district grades were simulated in 2024, when official letter grades were not assigned to schools due to a switch in the statewide assessment, two schools in the district scored a C and the other two scored a D.
McGee outlined root causes of underperformance including inconsistent implementation of high-quality instructional materials across schools; high staff turnover; inefficient operational systems permitting focus on instruction; and the need to improve student engagement, academic culture and belief in student ability.
Among its strategic goals, the Watson Chapel district plans to accelerate student outcomes by increasing English language arts, math and science proficiency by 7% yearly; strengthening staff morale, retaining and recruiting high-qualified staff; enhancing fiscal responsibility and transparency to support schools and improve student learning; and enhancing family engagement and communication.
“Everything in the assurance, we’re already doing,” McGee said. “What we have to do is strengthen those things. Whether we’re talking about teaching at grade-level content, we’re trying to strengthen the Tier I instruction. Those are assurances we’re already doing.”
McGee added he was comfortable in signing the agreement because the listed goals are already what Watson Chapel is working toward.
“What we’re doing, we want to make sure we strengthen that so we grow our kids,” he said. “We want to know who’s in the middle, the lowest, the highest. We will continue to train them. This type of instruction is not necessarily new to me, but it’s new to the district.”
Smith said all four elementary schools in the Pine Bluff School District showed growth, but the junior and senior high schools did not.
Barbaree outlined in her presentation the problem: “The quality of instruction in every classroom;” the goal: “All students will be provided high-quality instruction ever day,” and how the goal will be achieved: “Focus on the systems of academics, student support and human capital.”
“We cannot get to the goal without focusing on the systems,” Barbaree said.
The goal of the PBSD’s strategic plan is that “District leadership will ensure student achievement for all students,” Barbaree presented. Among key bullet points in the plan, the district plans to:
Track Level 1 students, provide interventions and place them with effective teachers to accelerate learning;
Plan intentional parent meetings to share student performance data;
Hire additional instructional facilitators;
And hire, retain and train master teachers by appropriating funding for training and incentives.
According to Study.com, a master teacher demonstrates knowledge and skills in the classroom for a minimum of five years, has a master teacher endorsement or certification and may have a master’s degree. Barbaree said the percentage of teachers certified to teach in the district has increased from 42% since she became superintendent in January 2023 to 80%.
The Statement of Assurance did not change Barbaree’s view on the importance of improving district success, she said.
“The pressure has always been there because we want students to be high-achievers,” she said. “Presenting before the state board did not change the pressure.”
