MPS K-8 grades soar, high schools lag

Nov. 5—The Arizona Department of Education released preliminary letter grades for Arizona public schools on Oct. 27, and Mesa Public Schools celebrated the results, pointing to an 11-school increase in the total number of "A" and "B" schools in the district.

The total number of "excellent" and "highly performing" schools in the district rose to 53 from last year's 42.

But on the less uplifting side of the data, MPS' gains were concentrated in its K-8 schools.

Three of the district's seven high schools — including Red Mountain, its only "A" high school in 2021-22 — dropped a letter grade for 2022-23. However, Mesa High raised a letter grade, going from a "C" to a "B."

Federal law requires states to measure schools' performance using objective indicators, and since 2010, Arizona law has required schools to receive a letter grade corresponding to those performance measures.

The grades are assigned based on a number of factors, including standardized test scores, individual improvement on test scores year-to-year, "readiness" for the next educational or career step, and English Learner growth and proficiency.

High schools have the added factor of graduation rate.

Schools can appeal their letter grades through Nov. 15.

The newly released grades include district, charter and alternative schools.

Out of the 104 Mesa schools of all types identified in the 2023 grades, those with an "A" or "excellent" totaled 35%; "B," or "highly performing," 38%, "C," "performing," 21%, "D," "minimally performing," 5%. No Mesa schools got an "F."

Mesa schools of all types have a larger proportion of "A" and "B" schools than the state as a whole.

Arizona in the new data has a significantly higher percentage of "C" schools, 48%, and lower proportion of "A" and "B" schools.

Overall, 27 MPS schools improved their letter grades from 2021-22, and nine dropped compared to their grade that year.

Five MPS schools improved by two letter grades: Stapley Junior High, Shepherd Junior High, Patterson Elementary, Rhodes Junior High and Salk Elementary.

Charter and alternative schools in Mesa also notched more improvements than declines: 11 scored higher grades in 2023 than 2022 and six fell.

Three of those improved two or more grades were Leman Academy of Excellence — East Mesa, Cambridge Academy East and Concordia Charter School.

The "A" reflects "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 state average," according to the state's definition

The state defines a "B" as "highly performing" and showing "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."

A "C" is given to a school that shows "adequate performance but needs improvement on some indicators, such as proficiency, growth or graduation rate," according to the Board of Education.

A "D" represents "Inadequate performance in proficiency, growth and/or four-year graduation rate relative to the state average."

Matt Strom, MPS' assistant superintendent of strategy and organizational effectiveness, attributed the overall increase in A and B schools in MPS to primarily to kindergarten through eighth-grade students increasing proficiency in several areas of state assessments last year.

Those gains were a bright spot when Strom presented assessment results to the governing board in June.

But that positive data was offset by declines in performance in the ACT test for high school freshmen and juniors, giving the district an overall flat curve on performance.

Some members of the public have been urging district leadership to get state assessments up during public comments at governing board meetings this year.

Strom said the pattern of strong K-8 performance offset by declines in high school scores translated into the new state grades, with MPS high schools notching more drops than gains despite increasing graduation rates last year.

This summer and in an interview last week, Strom attributed the declines in high school proficiency to lower testing rates during the pandemic, when the state relaxed its 95% guideline.

In 2021-22, MPS' ACT test-taking rate was between 80% to 90%, according to Strom.

He believes the lower percentage of test takers in 2021-22 inflated ACT scores because college-bound students were less likely to skip the tests. Since the 2022-23 cohort included more students who aren't planning to attend college and may have less motivation to demonstrate proficiency on the test, the scores dropped.

Despite the lower performance at the high school levels, Strom said "great gains were made in this prior year."

"And let's be really clear on who made the great gains," he added. "The teachers made the great gains, the students and families helped their kids out to make great gains, and our leadership led schools in a successful teaming fashion."

The state Board of Education said the grades "measure critical quantitative areas key to students' success in school and career" and are important for parents when they choose a school for their child or children.

Those areas include "mastery of math and language arts standards and the students' readiness for the next educational level or career," the board states.

Still, it also cautions parents that while "these are important considerations when choosing a school," they are not the only measures of a school's performance.

"Qualitative measures, including the programs/extracurriculars, which will vary in importance from family to family, should also be considered," the board advises.

"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."

The board provides information on a school's characteristics at azreportcards.azed.gov.

It also advises parents and families to "have letter grade conversations with their student's school administrator and staff members."