QCUSD, Higley celebrate state's 'A' rating

Nov. 8—Queen Creek School District scored an overall "A" and most of its individual schools followed suit in the state report card that measures performance during the 2023-24 school year.

Meanwhile, Higley Unified School District scored an overall "A" while Chandler Unified plans to appeal the the district's "B" grade from the state Board of Education.

The report cards measure performance of every individual public school, their districts and over 400 charter schools in Arizona.

An "A" stands for "excellent" and represents "distinguished performance on the statewide assessment, significant student growth, high four-year graduation rates, students on track to proficiency; overall performance is significantly higher than the state average."

"B" stands for "highly performing" and represents "high performance on statewide assessment and/or significant student growth and/or higher four-year graduation rates and/or moving students to proficiency at a higher rate than the state average."

"C" stands for "performing" and is an indicator of "adequate performance but needs improvement on some indicators, such as proficiency, growth or graduation rate."

The state board said that 479 K-8 schools scored A's and 525 got B's while C's were handed out to 289 K-8 schools, 62 got D's and five flunked. Among high schools, 112 got A's, 95 B's, 23 got C's and four got D's. None got an F.

Queen Creek Unified

Among QCUSD schools, only Queen Creek Junior High received a "B."

The district in a statement declared, "The 'A' rating is a direct reflection of the Queen Creek Unified School District's commitment to academic excellence, innovation in teaching, and the continual enhancement of the learning experience for its students.

"The district has a track record of embracing best practices, staying current with educational advancements and creating an environment where students thrive academically and personally."

It also called its rating "a testament to the district's unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional education to its students. QCUSD has achieved this remarkable distinction through dedication, hard work and a shared passion for academic excellence."

And it said it reflected Queen Creek Unified's "ongoing pursuit of educational excellence" and recognized "the tireless efforts of the district's educators, administrators, students and parents, who have collectively contributed to this outstanding achievement."

Higley Unified results

All but two of Higley Unified's 16 schools earned an "A" with two getting a "B" and the district's online academy handed a "C."

HUSD, with 13,500 students under its wing, saw B's for Cooley Middle and Gateway Pointe Elementary schools.

Higley noted in a release that Coronado, Bridges, San Tan, Cortina, Centennial, Chaparral elementary schools and Higley Traditional Academy are all in the top 15% of K-8 schools in the state for total points earned.

Higley and Williams Field high schools are both in the top 25% of traditional 9-12 schools, not including scores from schools that serve grades 7 to 12, the district said.

"This rating acknowledges the teamwork that goes into educating our students and preparing learners for limitless opportunities," Higley Superintendent Sherry Richards said.

"We have exceptional educators at all of our schools, and this speaks to the dedication and commitment of our teachers, administrators and staff, as well as the hard work and effort of our students."

Higley Virtual Academy dropped to a "C" grade from an "A" last year.

Marcus Berkshire, Higley's director of Assessment and Student Information explained that the state uses a hybrid model to determine the online academy's grade because it includes K-12 students.

"In 2022-23, our K-8 scores were derived from students in grades 3-6, and, due to the lack of demand, we discontinued enrolling students in those grades for the 2023-24 school year. HVA is a 7-12 program. Those factors could have contributed to the difference between the 2022-23 grade and the 2023-24 grade," he said.

Chandler Unified to

Chandler Unified School District is hoping a little extra credit will improve its overall grade, currently at a "B."

"We are appealing the initial letter grades of four schools based on data and other issues noted in the state formula," said Stephanie Ingersoll, the district's director of communications and marketing. "If just one appeal is approved, the district will receive an 'A.' Additionally, each of the schools will earn the higher letter grades if their appeals go through."

In the initial grades, 26 CUSD schools earned an A;" 13 a" B;" and five received a "C." Last year, the district overall fared better, earning an "A."

CUSD had 30 schools earn an "A" in the 2022-2023 school year. Ten were awarded a "B" and four received a "C."

Nine CUSD schools saw their letter grade decline while five schools had an improving grade. Eight of those that declined got an "A" year ago. All but one of them are now B-grade schools.

Galveston Elementary dropped from an "A" to a "C." The others that fell from being an "A" school are Bogle; Chandler Traditional Academy (CTA) Humphrey; CTA Liberty; Conley; Frye; Hartford; Riggs and Tarwater.

The schools that improved to an A grade are Auxier, Hull, Navarette and Santan Junior High.

"Based on CUSD being a large district, variability of our student population, and cut scores, CUSD has always been at the threshold of the points between A/B," Ingersoll said. "We are in the same place again this year."

"It is important to note the scoring process is complex and uses multiple factors," she added. "As a district, CUSD is still doing well, but many schools and districts were not able to maintain the proficiency rate increases they saw in SY22-23."

Chandler Unified is the state's second largest school district, only behind Mesa Public Schools. It has about 43,000 students and 5,000 employees.

It has consistently been ranked as one of the top public school districts in the state, and has scored well above state and peer averages in most categories on the annual Auditor General's report on school performance.

CUSD students earned over $200 million in scholarships last year.

Five of the district's seven high schools received "A" grades this year. The other two, Chandler High and Chandler Online Academy, both received a "B." The high schools earning an "A" are Arizona College Prep, Basha, Casteel, Hamilton and Perry.

No CUSD school was given a "D" or "F" grade.

The schools awarded a C are Andersen Elementary, Andersen Junior High, Galveston, Hartford and San Marcos.

All five are in or near the oldest part of the city, near downtown. All except Andersen Junior High offer free or reduced lunch programs to students whose families qualify based on their income level.

Other schools that offer free or reduced lunches to some of its student body fared better, but none received an A grade. Bologna, Conley, Frye, Sanborn and Shumway all earned B grades.

Other ratings are

State law requires the Arizona Department of Education, subject to final adoption by the state Board of Education, to develop an annual achievement profile for every public and charter school based on an A-rough F scale.

The system measures year to year student academic growth; proficiency on English language arts, math and science; the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners; indicators that an elementary student is ready for success in high school and that high school students are ready to succeed in a career or higher education and high school graduation rates.

In a release, the state board noted that letter grades "are just one component to consider when evaluating a school" and that they "provide general information about the performance of a school."

The Arizona School Report Cards offer additional information, including programs and extracurriculars schools offer, at azreportcards.azed.gov .

"The letter grades measure critical quantitative areas key to students' success in school and career: Mastery of math and language arts and readiness for the next educational level or career," the board said. "These are important considerations when choosing a school, but they are not the only indicators of a school's performance.

"Qualitative measures, which will vary in importance from family to family, should also be considered. Some students thrive in a small school, while others seek the wide range of options a larger school offers.

"If art or music programs are important to a family, they should consider those factors when choosing a school. Parents and families are encouraged to have letter grade conversations with their student's school administrator and staff members."

Schools can appeal their grade to the Board of Education till Nov. 15, 2024.