How Arizona’s school letter grade system gives ‘F’ earners opportunity for improvement

PHOENIX — The number of Arizona schools that received an “F” letter grade doubled since last year, but that could open the door for state improvement funding.

Arizona State Board of Education Director Sean Ross explained that while schools with an “F” grade increased in the past year, the education system is stable overall.

“The State Board has kept those cut scores relatively stable over the last few years, which is very much at the behest of schools because it gives them a constant target and a known target for which to work towards and reach,” he said.

Six schools received an “F” last year, but 13 schools received that bottom mark in the latest ratings.

Ross said a factor in the increase could be that state statute changes a school’s letter grade to an “F” automatically if it gets three “D” marks in a row.

What happens to Arizona schools with failing letter grades?

For schools that receive “D” or “F” grades, the Arizona State Department of Education or the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools works with the school directly to improve its results.

“A school that earns an ‘F’ or ‘D’ will become eligible for … those school improvement funds and the supports that come along with them. … It’s a way to use letter grades as an effective way to not only identify where schools are having real success, but also to identify where to target resources to schools in most need,” Ross said.

The letter grades are based on school proficiency on state assessments, graduation rate and growth, with high four-year graduation rates and above-average testing results at “A” schools and struggling proficiency for “F” schools.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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