ASU Prep Academies receive 'A' report cards from Department of Education

ASU Preparatory Academies received all “A"s for the following campuses: Polytechnic Elementary, Middle and High Schools and Phoenix High School. The ASU Prep Phoenix Elementary School received a “B” letter grade.

The inaugural “A” grades for ASU Prep Phoenix and Polytechnic high schools are the first scores for the high school program that started just two years ago, in fall 2011. ASU Preparatory High School at the Polytechnic campus scored among the highest gains in the state, receiving 180 points of a possible 200.

The ASU Prep Phoenix elementary and high school students demonstrated double-digit gains, outpacing the average academic gains made by the state. The Phoenix campus has also seen a 25 percent increase of students who meet or exceed in AIMS math and a 20 percent increase in reading. 

"The ASU Preparatory Academy administrators and teachers set ambitious goals to get more students to exceed. In addition, we focused on innovative teaching methodologies to help students reach the rigorous expectations of Cambridge, Common Core and college readiness,” said Deborah Gonzalez, chief academic officer at ASU Preparatory Academy. "Achieving at this high level has taken tireless work – constantly reviewing teaching strategies and the resulting data, revisiting our curriculum, shifting schedules, refining interventions and working to engage families' and students' readiness.”

To date, 22 percent of ASU Prep Phoenix students are exceeding in math – compared to less than one percent last year.

"These scores are a testament to the leadership, expertise and dedication of the ASU Prep staff, and I am pleased to know that our work is impacting so many ASU Prep students and families," said Beatriz Rendon, chief executive officer at ASU Preparatory Academies and associate vice president at Arizona State University. "Our goal is to prepare students to successfully complete college, compete globally and make tremendous contributions to the community."

The grading system is based on the weighting of student performance on the AIMS tests and student academic growth from year to year, along with additional points awarded for high English Language Learner reclassifications and significant reductions in dropout rates.

"A-F" school letter grades are described as: "A" demonstrates an excellent level of performance; "B" demonstrates an above average level of performance; "C" demonstrates an average level of performance; "D" demonstrates a below average level of performance; "F" demonstrates a failing level of performance.

The specific grades and details of schools’ grade reports are available on the Arizona Department of Education’s website at: http://www.azed.gov.

For more information visit asuprep.asu.edu.