Arizona schools will soon be working under a new A-through-F letter grading system. The use of this school accountability rubric was paused for two years after the state switched to a new standardized test.
The redesigned process is still in the early stages but officials say the goal is to include factors other than test scores when determining a school’s rating.
Right now officials are getting feedback from the public on exactly what the new system should include.
"Things that we’re considering outside of test scores could include how many of your students are taking advanced placement courses," explained Arizona Department of Education spokesman Charles Tack. "How many students are participating in arts programs and career and technical education programs, how is your attendance rate?"
School funding is tied to these grades so using a variety of factors in the ratings is intended to provide a more accurate assessment. Tack added they plan to have a new system in place in time to use test scores from the 2016-2017 school year.
