10 Pima County schools flunk federal education standards
Associated Press
September 5, 2007

back

TUCSON - Ten schools in Pima County are failing federal education standards known as the Adequate Yearly Progress.

By failing the AYP, the schools face possible federal intervention that could range from cuts in funding to complete school restructuring.

The failures at the Pima County schools range from providing assistance to special education students in the Foothills to struggling students attempting to learn English to several schools with failing attendance for students taking achievement tests.

Two major districts in Pima County did pass requirements. They are the Tanque Verde Unified and Sahuarita Unified.

There are some bright spots. State officials said that only one in four schools is failing now as opposed to one in three last year.

Across Pima County, 83 schools failed to meet federal requirements for the
2006-07 school year. That's a slight improvement from 2005-06, when 97 schools failed to do so, education officials said.

"There has been a tremendous improvement," said Tom Horne, state superintendent of public instruction. "We have had about a 20 percent drop in the number of schools not making adequate progress."

School districts, schools and student groups are required by the federal government to improve yearly, with a goal of 100 percent proficiency in math and reading by 2014.

Adequate Yearly Progress is judged by the percentage of students tested and the number meeting or exceeding reading and math benchmarks.