For the first time, the East Valley's public schools have been graded just like their students.
Today, the Arizona Department of Education released letter grades for public district and charter schools.
The grades are part of a new accountability program adopted by Arizona lawmakers last year.
In the East Valley, traditional or back-to-basics schools fared well. Most of Mesa Unified School District's Franklin schools received As, as did Gilbert Unified School District's Neely Traditional Academy, Tempe Elementary School District's Ward Traditional School, and all of Chandler Unified School District's Traditional Academies.
All high schools in the Chandler district also earned As.
"It doesn't matter where you live" in the district, Chandler district spokesman Terry Locke said. "All our high schools performed well."
At the other end of the report card, Mesa and Chandler were the only districts in the East Valley to have schools that received Ds. Four Mesa schools - Lehi and Lowell elementary schools, Mesa Junior High School, and Crossroads (an alternative campus) - received the lowest mark possible. And, Chandler's Hartford Elementary School received a D.
Schools will not receive Fs until they receive a D for two years in a row.
School districts also received letter grades this year, using the same formula the individual schools were measured by. In the East Valley, Chandler, Higley and Queen Creek districts earned As, while Apache Junction, Gilbert, Kyrene, Mesa, Tempe Elementary and Tempe Union received Bs.
Nearly 80 percent of charter schools earned an average letter grade or better, and of those, over 70 percent received an A or B. Schools that are small (125 students or less) were not graded, leaving many of Arizona's charter schools off the list.
Among East Valley charters receiving As were Mesa Arts Academy, EduPrize in Gilbert and Tempe Preparatory Academy, which was recognized recently on the Global Report Card.
Two online charter programs - Arizona Virtual Academy and Arizona Connections Academy - received Cs.
ASU Preparatory Academy, an east Mesa charter school operated by Arizona State University, received a B.
The results included grades for a number of schools that have closed or are at risk of closing. Bustoz Elementary School, which was closed by the Tempe Elementary district this school year, received an A. McKemy Middle and Meyer Elementary schools, which were also closed in Tempe, received Cs.
Mesa Junior High, which has been recommended for closure by Mesa district officials, received a D, while Brimhall Junior High, which has also been recommended for closure, earned a B.
In addition to letter grades, the state also released performance labels for Arizona's public schools today. Those labels are part of the old accountability system that the state is phasing out as it moves to the letter grade system. As of right now, schools will receive grades and labels - excelling, highly performing, performing plus, or underperforming - for two years.
And some schools may fare better under one set of criteria than another, state officials have said. For example, Mesa's Summit Academy was labeled "excelling," but received a B.
"There will be schools (labeled) ‘excelling' with As and some (labeled) ‘excelling' with Bs," said Joe O'Reilly, Mesa Unified School District's executive director of student achievement support. Excelling is the highest achievement possible under the AZ Learns system. "You almost have to think about it as if you're taking three different classes and getting three different grades."
O'Reilly said the district is posting a video on its website - mpsaz.org - to explain the differences.
The grades schools received are basically based half on test scores from Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards and half on academic progress or growth. The labels look mainly at the test scores, with a few points possible for growth.
"To get a high label, you have to have a lot of kids scoring 90 percent or higher on a test," O'Reilly said. "To get an A, you have to have a lot of kids passing AIMS and having a lot of students making growth."
Mesa's schools use the information to target problems and increase achievement, O'Reilly said.
"This is another way of looking at the data, and to inform the staff when they're looking at those plans," he said.
Chandler's Locke said the district is planning to mail letters home about the labels and grades this week.
"We're pleased with our grades overall," he said. "The grades will probably get the most attention this year since they're new ... I think parents will discuss, ‘How did their school get an A? How did their school get a B? How did their school get a C? How do we take this information and continue to improve?' "
• Contact writer: (480) 898-6549 or mreese@evtrib.com
Michelle Reese, East Valley Tribune
JMJ posted at 9:56 am on Fri, Oct 14, 2011.
No two grades are alike, that is for certain. The B at Zaharis doesn't mean the same as the B at other schools. It's harder to raise excelling schools' scores because it's harder to squeeze drops out of shiny apples than it is to squeeze drops out of lemons. So, what we still have is smoke and mirrors, and the "new" system will overshadow this system.
The consistency of labels, and now school grades, is constantly interrupted, making it all, therefore, very inconsistent. That's part of how things keep slipping and yet it still looks good.
For my own selfish glee, I am glad that the school where my colleagues work so hard with a nitwit "in charge" is graded so well. They make lemonade, every day, with what they have, because they are talented and don't need the nitwit, to begin with, and never did.
But, their school grade and label is not consistent with how that school performed a mere five years ago. Scores have absolutley down, yet they still maintain a respectable, great grade and label. It's because it's like swim team. Every kid's personal best is raised for the next year's growth model, and that growth is the key to say that kid is improving. Scores can be low, and just get a little higher, and still be low, overall, but that is "growth". Those kids who grow are moving forward. Even growth at a snail's pace is growth.
For as hard as teachers work, they can't be held 100% accountable for their students' growth. There are too many variables, and when the students and the students' parents are not interested, it shouldn't kneecap the teachers.
I'm just glad the school I left is looking good. Those teachers are giving 100% of their third of the formula [1/3 student, 1/3 parent, 1/3 teacher]. They are the hardest-working people I know.
But would I have my kids or grandkids there? Never. Not because of the staff. Because, good grade or label, it ain't what it was and never will be, again.
The school district lost its vision a long time ago. It needs Coke bottle trifocals, and a service dog, or ten. And more than a few of their nitwits tossed out.
Mike McClellan posted at 7:52 am on Thu, Oct 13, 2011.
Looking at the grades, if anything, they seem a little inflated across the board. But my concern is this: If the grades are in large part designed to help parents choose the schools their kids will attend, how will releasing them in the fall, half way through the first semester, help?
I understand that this year's grades were delayed because it's the first year, but as designed these grades may not come out until late summer or early fall, when school's already begun.
Equally important, good luck trying to figure out how the schools get the grades they do. Go to the Department of Ed's website and all you'll read is a bunch of educationalese. Here's one example:
"These “A” districts were determined by comparing districts’ aggregate education results, whereby demographic factors are considered and overall academic growth and achievement are equally weighted."
The grades are based in part on schools' growth on AIMS from year to year. Here's the problem at the high school level: Most kids pass AIMS the first time, which means that in part schools' scores are based on their ability to improve the scores of the worst students. So, for example, a really good school that gets a little less than 90% of its sophomores to pass AIMS the first time will be based in part on the 11% or 12% who don't, which could include a large portion of former ESL students.
Potentially, then, a school like that could get a lower grade than a less "successful" school in terms of AIMS testing.
If parents go to the Dept. of Ed's website, they will find a bunch of confusing explanations for the grades. So how will that affect the credibility of those grades when many won't have a clue how they were attained?
FInally, this grading system's gonna be adjusted again, in 2015, when the state ditches the current AIMS format and replaces it with a national test based on the Common Core Standards Arizona has adopted.
JMJ posted at 3:12 am on Thu, Oct 13, 2011.
-Charters are still not held to the same standard as public schools.
-By and large, the public schools did very well.
-There is no such thing as a teachers union certificate.
-This grading system is in its first year. Who knows what it'll look like in two years' time, if it is even going to exist in two years' time.
-Some of the schools whose "leaders" were hired by their friends are not performing up to what surrounding, similar demographic schools are performing.
-It's not a teacher problem. It's a "leadership" problem. Hire your friends, watch your results fall.
-Veteran, senior teachers are leaving. It has nothing to do with unions and everything to do with teachers' 100% "accountability" for educating students. Teachers should only have 1/3 of that accountability. The students and parents should have 2/3 of that accountability. Holding teachers solely accountable is a flawed model.
-Pleasantly surprised, overall, by results.
-Leon, peace Bro. No windmills to fight here.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 8:53 am on Wed, Oct 12, 2011.
Where have all the Teacher's Union advocates gone ???
I thought they would be all over this report but since it puts a .."lie"....to their Pro-Teacher's Union baloney that Charter Schools aren't teaching their students a 1000% better.
Teacher's Union Certification is a ....hoax...and now after 10 years of test results....every parent can see that it is.
It's time to get ride of ...."seniority"....and bring back....."ability"....in the classroom.
k33j88 posted at 7:46 am on Wed, Oct 12, 2011.
Last but not least: Besides the legitimacy issue, where does the school/governing board get off teaching students social norms and morality issues?
k33j88 posted at 7:43 am on Wed, Oct 12, 2011.
Ther are basic problems with this article. !st:: AIMS is a testing and grading procedure started by the feds. Show me in the Constitution where this is mandatory. 2nd: Why does the ADofE have jurisdiction over local issues? 3rd: Why are school boards so isolated by not getting the public more involved through front page policy issues and procedures?