This spring, I received my students' scores on the Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (ATLAS) a few days after they took the test. We used to wait months to find out, so this change was transformative. I heard teachers squeal whenever they got a happy result, and it was amazing to be together when we got the news: My fifth graders made a combined 217 points of growth this year in English language arts.

We weren't the only ones on the rise. Student proficiency across the state, in every subject and grade, increased from 35 percent in 2024 to 42 percent in 2026. When people hear about big gains like ours on state tests, they want to know the secret to our success. Well, the answer is less dramatic and more encouraging than you might guess.

For one girl, who has dyslexia, it was a year of sustained effort, filled with setbacks, perseverance, and intensive one-on-one work. On the flip side, another child improved his score by 24 points simply because we let him stand at a podium to take........

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