Gov. Mike Beebe announced Monday the names of eight more Arkansas high schools selected to participate in the UALR-based Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Sciences (AAIMS), the $13.2 million effort sponsored by the National Math and Science Initiative to increase participation and scores in Advance Placement classes.

The new schools will bring to 31 the number of schools participating in the effort that began operations with funding by ExxonMobil Corp. Last year, the Walton Family Foundation of Bentonville provided a $2.9 million grant help AAIMS match the ExxonMobil grant.

Schools Beebe said would join the initiative for the beginning in the 2010-2011 school year are:

• Jonesboro High School
• West Memphis High School
• Conway High School
• Arkadelphia High School
• Sheridan High School
• Smackover High School
• Rison High School
• KIPP Delta Collegiate Preparatory High School in Helena-West Helena

“Arkansas has made phenomenal progress in increasing the participation in rigorous math, science and English Advanced Placement courses since we were selected as one of six states to receive this grant,” said Tommie Sue Anthony, president of AAIMS, located on the UALR campus. “We are now No. 1 in total of student enrollment among the six grant states – Connecticut, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, and Arkansas.”

The program began in August 2007 when Arkansas was selected to participate in the NIMSI Advanced Placement Teacher Incentive Program, funded with an ExxonMobil grant written by a team headed by Dr. Ann Robinson, professor of education leadership and director of UALR’s Center for Gifted Education.

The selection allowed Arkansas to create AAIMS to dramatically increase and improve mathematics and science education in Arkansas and to increase college retention and graduation rates in science, technology, and Math (STEM) disciplines.

“In the existing 24 schools already involved in the program, we have 5,999 students enrolled in these tough, rigorous courses,” Anthony said. “This growth represents a giant step toward increasing the number of college graduates in the next four or five years.”

A recent study of the AP Incentive Program model that AAIMS replicates by C. Kirabo  Jackson  of the National Bureau of Economic Research  concluded that Advanced Placement Incentive programs provide “…a relatively inexpensive program targeted relatively late in a student’s educational career that can increase their eventual educational attainment to a considerable degree and likely has a high rate of return.”

The UALR plan established AAIMS and set out to put in place a five-year plan to increase both the enrollment in AP math, science, and English and the number of scores of 3-5 on Advanced Placement exams. The plan expands a proven strategy that greatly increases the number of students succeeding in the rigorous Advanced Placement coursework and exams and greatly increases the number of students graduating from college.

Key elements of the AAIMS program provide:

• Formal training to upgrade the content knowledge of math, science and English teachers currently in the classroom
• Experienced “lead teachers” to coach other AP and Pre-AP teachers
• Financial incentives for teachers and students based on results
• Open enrollment to provide opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds
• More time on task for students through prep sessions and after-school tutoring
• High standards with accountability for results

AAIMS schools reported a 40 percent increase in enrollment in Advanced Placement math, science, and English classes during the 2008-09 school year. The number of students enrolled in these classes in the first 10 schools grew from 1,993 to 2,800. The AP enrollment in the first 10 schools grew by 64 percent over the two years in the program.   The second group of schools increased the enrollment in AP math, science and English over this year by 305 percent. The total number of students enrolled this year is 5,999.

“This was the largest number of students enrolled in AP math, science, and English of any of the six states chosen by NSMI for this program,” Anthony said.

The first 10 schools that began working with AAIMS 2008-2009 school year are: Booneville, El Dorado, Greenbrier, Greene County Tech, Lake Hamilton, Wilbur Mills University Studies, Newport, Little Rock Parkview, Springdale, and Springdale Har-Ber.

Another 13 schools were added in 2009: Ashdown High School, Crossett High School,

Dumas High School, Fort Smith Northside High School, Hamburg High School, Green Forrest High School, Magnolia High School, Pea Ridge High School, Rivercrest High School, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers High School, Russellville High School, Waldron High School.