Falcon Focus 10/19/2018

School Letter Grades

There are many outcomes from a child's school experience involving academic achievement, social/emotional development, and physical maturity. In FHUSD we strive to provide opportunities where our students can grow in each of these areas. At the state level, public school academic accountability is measured through the A-F Letter Grade system for which the current system has been in place since 2017. The recent release of the school letter grades from the Arizona Department of Education indicate we do have reasons to celebrate in the academic arena. For 2018, Fountain Hills High School achieved an "A" grade and Fountain Hills Middle School achieved a "B" grade from the state. McDowell Mountain does not receive a letter grade because it only serves grades K-3. Please see the current Falcon Focus article from Dr. Jagodzinski for additional details about the high school grade.

The AzMERIT test results from May are one of the primary indicators in determining school letter grades.The state assigns points based on both the percent of students scoring as "Proficient" or higher on the AzMERIT Math and English/Language Arts (ELA) tests combined with their growth in these tested areas from the prior year. FHHS proficiency results were the eighth highest in the state compared to similar district high schools also serving grades 9-12. On an even more significant note, FHHS was the highest scoring district high school in the state in the growth points area for the same set of schools. Both the high school and middle school also earned bonus points towards their letter grade based on their AIMS Science results. McDowell Mountain, while not receiving a final letter grade rating does receive points for the percent of proficient students on AzMERIT. Their 2018 proficiency points were in the top 20% of all elementary schools. These are results all district stakeholders can take great pride in. Credit goes to students for putting forth their best effort on the assessments, teachers for their dedication to high quality instruction and student engagement, and strong parental support. These factors combined with administrative and support staff, governing board and total community involvement in the education of our young people contribute to the excellent outcomes. Access to the statewide letter grade data is available here at the State Board of Education website: School Letter Grades

While Math, ELA, and Science state test results are just a part the total picture of the student school experience, they are significant measures of achievement. The FHUSD school community "achieves and celebrates educational excellence" and we will continue to dedicate our efforts to giving all students the opportunity to grow and excel in your schools.