Home > Information > News > Press Releases > News Story

Tucson Unified School District makes significant progress in student achievement as reflected in the new school labels released by the Arizona Department of Education

Posted on: August 2, 2012

The school labels released today by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) show significant improvements in schools throughout Tucson Unified School District.

The report shows that TUSD doubled the number of schools with a "B" label in a year-over-year comparison with schools rated in 2010-2011. Twenty-two percent of district schools are now labeled in that higher performing category.

"We are encouraged by the improvement in the labels as a result of our focus on student achievement," says TUSD Superintendent Dr. John Pedicone. "We know we are moving in the right direction."

In another sign of progress, the district significantly reduced the number of "D" schools across the district – shrinking that label category of schools by 41 percent:

  • Elementary schools with "D" labels were reduced by 45 percent
  • K-8 and Middle schools with "D" labels were reduced by 25 percent
  • High schools with "D" labels were reduced by 25 percent

Each "D" school that improved moved into the "C" category, keeping the percentage of district "C" schools on par with last year due to absorbing the former "D" schools.

The district also experienced some declines, with 10 TUSD schools slipping down one grade – some missing the higher category by only a point or two.

State assessors determine school labels based on two criteria. Schools earn points based on:

  1. Achievement in the current year – which is evaluated on the percentage of students passing AIMS in reading and math.
  2. Growth in achievement in comparison to the previous year – which is evaluated on the academic improvement of each student in comparison to their peers statewide, and growth of the 25 percent of lowest performing students at a particular school.
  3. TUSD's goals and strategies for 2011-2012 were focused on student achievement and a change in culture for the district.

"Our faculty, staff, and administration are committed to recreating the spirit of our district and having that show up in student success," says Pedicone. "As our new vision for action states, we are committed to 'Delivering Excellence in Education Every Day.' These are not just words to us, but a call to action."

For more information, see the listing of all TUSD 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school labels (in PDF).