Area schools show progress in state scores

The Arizona Department of Education recently released Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) evaluations for the 2009-2010 school year based on AIMS testing scores, as well as numerous other factors such as attendance and the percent of students tested.

High schools are also evaluated on their graduation rates, a factor that does not apply to elementary schools.

“This is the first time ever we have made AYP at all 10 schools,” said Superintendent Cindy Didway with the Crane Elementary School District. “They have worked extremely hard and we are very proud.”

The Crane district director of curriculum and staff development, Janet Shields, said there are a number of different subgroups that schools are evaluated on and many different cohort groups.

Schools that passed in the Crane district and met the AYP standard are Centennial Middle School, Crane Middle School, Gary A. Knox Elementary, H.L. Suverkrup Elementary, Mesquite Elementary, Pueblo Elementary, Rancho Viejo Elementary, Ronald Reagan Fundamental School, Salida Del Sol Elementary and Valley Horizon Elementary.

“We continue to applaud our teachers. This curriculum work this past year has been extremely important in our district and that curriculum work was done by teachers out of the classroom,” said Shields. Teachers focused on individual students and collaborated to help improve scores from previous years.

“The last few years have been difficult because we have asked more of our teachers than ever before and with the budget cuts and the requirements, it's tough work being a teacher in schools today,” Didway said.

Didway explained that the Crane Elementary School District did not make AYP, but all of their schools did and that is a very common occurrence.

Yuma Elementary District 1 Associate Superintendent Duane Sheppard said it is extremely difficult to meet the AYP standards because they are contingent on multiple categories.

Out of the 18 schools in District 1, 15 met the AYP standard, but three schools did not: Castle Dome Middle School, Fourth Avenue Junior High and Woodard Junior High.

Meeting the standard were Alice Byrne Elementary, McGraw Elementary, Desert Mesa Elementary, Carver Elementary, Gila Vista Junior High, Gwyneth Ham Elementary, Rolle School, Price School, Otondo Elementary, O.C. Johnson School, Palmcroft Elementary, Pecan Grove Elementary, Ron Watson Middle School, Roosevelt School and Sunrise Elementary.

“The schools are really doing well,” said Sheppard. “They are solid performers.”

Two of the six schools in the Yuma Union High School District made AYP. Gila Ridge High School and Vista Alternative School made it but Cibola, Kofa, San Luis and Yuma High School did not. A factor that could have contributed to this, officials said, is that the student population is much higher at these high schools.

Antelope Union High School also did not meet the AYP standards.

Of the eight charter schools in the Yuma area, six met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards for the 2009-2010 school year.

Aztec High School and PPEP Tec-Jose Yepez Learning Center did not meet the AYP standards.

Molly Kelly, the new principal at Aztec, said that this year they are looking to improve by adding an English teacher to provide a smaller, more personable class size.

The school is also looking at purchasing new math software that can identify what types of concepts students missed in order to fill in the gaps. Kelly said she has made it her goal to turn the school around in the next two years.

The executive director at Carpe Diem High School and Desert View Academy, Rick Ogston, said that both schools met AYP and that he is very proud of his teachers and students.

“AYP is not the best reflection of how a school is doing,” said Ogston, “but we are experiencing a lot of growth with our teachers and students and we are very happy.”

Also making AYP were AmeriSchools Academy in Yuma, Harvest Preparatory Academy, Harvest Preparatory Academy in San Luis K-3 and the Education Opportunity Center at Yuma Private Industry Council.

Of the four schools in the Somerton Elementary District, one did not make AYP. Desert Sonora Elementary, Orange Grove Elementary and Tierra Del Sol Elementary School made it, but Somerton Middle School did not.

Out of the eight schools in Gadsden Elementary District 1 school, Ed Pastor Elementary 4 met the AYP standard but others did not: Arizona Desert Elementary, Cesar Chavez Elementary, Desert View Elementary, Gadsden Elementary School, Rio Colorado Elementary School, San Luis Middle School and Southwest Junior High School

Dateland Elementary School, Mohawk Valley School and Wellton Elementary School all met the AYP standards.

“We're very excited because there are about 212 different criteria for AYP,” said Wellton Elementary School District Superintendent Laura Noel. “We found that having a full intervention really worked, and 33 percent more seventh-graders exceeded in math.”

Mohawk Valley Elementary School District Superintendent Doug Rutan recently moved to the area but said that he has heard lots of great feedback about last year and is very pleased with the hard work that was done.

Scores can be found on the Arizona Department of Education website at www.ade.state.az.us.

Sarah Reed can be reached at sareed@yumasun.com or 539-6858.