The AZ LEARNS profiles for schools are based on the following measures:
- The percentage of students meeting state standards (passing AIMS).
- Improvement at the school level in increasing the percentage of students meeting state standards.
- Year-to-year improvement by students at the school.
- Graduation rate.
- Dropout rate.
- The school’s adequate yearly progress designation.
- The success of the school in reclassifying English language learners as fully proficient.
AZ LEARNS is a compensatory evaluation system, so substandard performance on one measure can be offset by superior performance on another. Consequently, the descriptions below are in general terms.
Failing: A school is labeled as failing when it has been listed as underperforming for three consecutive years.
Underperforming: The percentage of students meeting state standards is generally below average and school is showing no growth.
Performing: The percentage of students meeting state standards is generally above average, or the school is showing significant improvement.
Performing Plus: The percentage of students meeting state standards and/or school improvement is in the top 25 percent.
Highly Performing: The percentage of students meeting state standards and/or school improvement is in the top 25 percent. In addition, the school is in the top third of schools measured by the percentage of students exceeding state standards.
Excelling: The percentage of students meeting state standards and/or school improvement is in the top 10 percent. In addition, the school is in the top 16 percent of schools measured by the percentage of students exceeding state standards.
Source: Arizona Department of Education
