Letter grades for Arizona schools released, show positive movement

PHOENIX – The grades are in for Arizona’s public and charter schools, as the Arizona State Board of Education has released their findings about the performance of nearly 2,000 schools.

In total, 479 K-8 schools earned “A” grades, 525 earned a “B,” 289 earned a “C,” 62 earned a “D” and five schools earned a failing “F” grade.

For high schools, 112 earned “A” grades, 95 earned “B” grades, 23 earned “C” grades and four schools earned a “D.”

No Arizona high school included in the grading process earned a “F.”

Executive Director of the board Sean Ross says, “We saw 44 more A’s from last year, nine fewer B’s, 26 fewer C’s, two fewer D’s and two fewer F’s.”

The process is required by federal law and is determined by several factors:

• Proficiency (i.e. test scores, such as on the ACT)
• Student growth (How students perform year over year)
• Performance of vulnerable populations (i.e. English language learners)

Other factors depend on the type of school being looked at.

Elementary schools have their absenteeism rates emphasized in scoring while high schools are measured for their graduation rates.

Ross adds, “In an elementary school … Growth is worth more than proficiency, because based on stakeholder feedback, based on their expertise, the board knows that in the K-8 space especially, students develop at different rates.”

He says it’s an effort to give more credit to schools for their work that isn’t always easily recognized if you look at all schools the same.

This year’s results also reflect more accurate data showing student growth from 9th grade to 11th grade when it comes to test scores, which was previously unavailable because of changes to testing in recent years.

Schools can appeal grades

Now that the grades have been released, schools have until Nov. 15 to appeal those findings and attempt to bump up their grade.

Ross says the process has been changed so that the initial grades more accurately reflect how schools are performing, such as slowing down the release process and overall making it more transparent.

He adds, “There’s no putting that toothpaste back in the tube. If I’m a school and my letter grade come out and it’s a “C,” and I change it to a “B,” I know that the school board knows that, but the community maybe never knows that.”

A result of bringing schools more into the process is also a reduction in schools taking part in the appeals process.

The board typically receives around 150 appeals from schools about their grades, however last year it was down to a record low of 53 schools.

What happens to the lowest-graded schools?

For the 79 schools (including hybrid and alternative schools) that received a “D” or “F,” a process will begin to help their grade improve for the next year.

District schools enter the “school improvement system,” where they receive support from the Arizona Department of Education.

For charter schools, they communicate with the Arizona State Board of Charter Schools and also receive support to improve those grades.

Ross says, “I think it’s a testament to the system working that the schools that struggle the most have also received the most support and are moving out of those struggles pretty significantly.”

Beyond the grades

While final grades are not fully set in stone due to the appeals process, the information is a guide to parents on what schools to choose for their children.

But it doesn’t consider everything that goes on inside a school, from clubs and activities to sport programs.

Ross urges people who want to get a full picture of a school’s performance to follow-up with the Arizona Department of Education’s “school report cards.”

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