Arkansas ACCESS Act Prioritizes High School Success, Workforce Pathways 

“Following the passage of the LEARNS Act in 2023, leaders in Arkansas continue to make education a top priority.  

“The Arkansas ACCESS Act is another seminal piece of legislation designed to transform the K-12 and higher education systems to better serve students as they look to enter the workforce. By raising expectations, creating accelerated pathways to college and career, expanding access to higher education and industry-valued credentials and aligning the K-12 and higher education systems to better serve students, Arkansas is poised to reap the benefits for generations to come. 

“With this legislation, Arkansas is ready to cement itself as a national leader in creating robust pathways from education to the workforce. Thank you to Gov. Sarah Sanders, Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva, Rep. Matthew Shepherd and Sen. Jonathan Dismang for your bold leadership and continued commitment to student-centered education policy. We look forward to seeing this bill move through the legislative process.” 

Key components of HB 1512 / SB 246, the Arkansas ACCESS Act include:   

• Making higher education easier to navigate for students to increase postsecondary attainment, including clear, statewide agreements on course credits that can be transferred between higher education institutions.  

• Creating a common application system for students to apply to all higher education institutions in one place. 

• Increasing access to postsecondary education by expanding successful scholarship programs such as the Arkansas Workforce Challenge scholarship program and the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship. 

• Accelerating pathways to college and career in K-12 by investing in and expanding opportunities for students to earn concurrent enrollment, International Baccalaureate, and other college credit in high school.