2026 AAEA Summer Conference

In education policy and practice, "growth" is often assumed to mean doing better on a test than last year. But is improvement the same as growth? This session unpacks the critical differences between intuitive notions of student progress—such as higher scores or gains from one year to the next—and how "growth" is formally defined within the Arkansas Department of Education Value-Added Model (VAM).


Participants will explore how the Arkansas VAM conceptualizes growth as a statistical estimate of student performance relative to predicted outcomes, rather than simple score increases. Participants will examine how this distinction affects teacher evaluation, accountability decisions, and classroom practice. Through clear examples and practical scenarios, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how growth models work, what they measure (and what they do not), and why the definition of growth matters for educators, leaders, and policymakers.


This session invites educators to think critically about what it truly means for students and schools to grow.

The Siloam Springs School District has spent the better part of the last two years bringing the vision of neighborhood schools to life in order to impact our student's education experience in a positive way. During this session the SSSD administration will discuss the journey in transitioning to a neighborhood school model and the lessons learned through rethinking grade configurations, curriculum alignment, managing facilities, and more.

Dr. Eckard and Mrs. Duke serve in a large junior high school (grades 7-9) in Jonesboro. They will discuss various systems created and utilized within their building to increase teachers' capacity around school improvement efforts. Specifically, they will detail how they built teachers' understanding of new school accountability system while making this system "real" to teachers. They will also discuss how they implemented processes to track and discuss student data, and how that process connected to school improvement goals and ATLAS results.

This presentation will explore how transformational leadership builds a positive, collaborative school culture through intentional action. We will discuss gathering and responding to authentic feedback from students and staff, motivating and incentivizing student effort, promoting strong team building, and maintaining high leadership visibility. The session will also highlight the importance of data-driven discussions and decision-making to guide improvement efforts. Ultimately, the focus will be on turning feedback and data into meaningful action that strengthens climate, culture, and student success.