Citizen Staff Writer
RealFAST LOCAL NEWS

Want to meet some of the most successful high school seniors in the
Tucson area? We will bring them to you, Monday through Friday, starting
Monday and running through April.

They are the nominees for the 51st annual Tucson Citizen Student Achievement and Athlete of the Year awards.

The competition honor students who do well academically and in
sports but who also are leaders and are influential in their schools
and communities.

All public, private and charter high schools were invited to nominate graduating seniors for the two awards.

In May, we will announce the winners in both categories. Those
selected will each receive a $500 scholarship and a plaque. Their
schools also will get a plaque.

Read about Student Achievement nominee Tracey Stevenson, and Athlete of the Year nominee William Lacasse.

Stories, 3A and 2C

Citizen Staff Writer

MARY BUSTAMANTE

mbustamante@tucsoncitizen.com

School starts in a couple of weeks or sooner for thousands of Tucson students. But it’s not too late to help them shift their sleep schedules, get their shots and brush up on the learning they’ve lost over the summer.

Teachers say they see a lot of sleepy faces the first week or so when parents haven’t eased their children into a bedtime ritual before school starts.

Experts say 5- to 9-year-olds need 10 or 11 hours of sleep a night; 10- to 14-year-olds need nine to 10 hours; and high school-age students need eight to nine hours.

The Pima County Health Department and the El Rio and Marana community health centers are offering free or low-cost immunizations at convenient locations through Aug. 14.

There’s also time to squeeze in a trip to local interactive museums such as the Tucson Children’s Museum, the International Wildlife Museum or the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to get those brain cells sparking again.

Students, on average, lose about 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in math computation skills over the three summer months, according to information on the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer Learning Web site.

It states children of low-income families experience an average summer loss in reading achievement of more than two months.

Game plans for academic brushups don’t have to be complicated. Reading is the key.

“The ones who have read have an easier transition to assignments and just the whole school concept,” Hohokam Middle School teacher Stacia Reeves said.

For those who haven’t, “there are a few cobwebs and the beginning of school is sort of a shock to their system,” Reeves said. “They also will have a shorter attention span.”

Her advice to students, especially middle schoolers, as summer comes to a close: “Libraries have phenomenal selections of teen literature. And young people can read just a little bit a day. It just gives them a little structure.”

For parents: “Don’t put parameters on them that are so strict. . . . It’s hard to say, ‘OK, sit down and read for an hour,’ when that attention span isn’t there.”

Steve Courter, president of the Tucson Education Association, said the teachers union at Tucson Unified School District agreed that this time of year is “ideal for parents to get their kids back into the habit of school.”

“During the summer a whole lot of kids just sit in front of the TV or play games, and when you ask them to sit down and apply themselves, there is a lot of psychological adjustment.”

Courter said if parents have intriguing things for their children to do and to read and maybe even some math review sheets, “it not only will help them academically, but will make them more psychologically prepared so back-to-school won’t be so brutal.”

The Alvarado family has been plugging away all summer and definitely isn’t letting up these last weeks before school.

Elizabeth Alvarado, 8, sits in a low chair at a big round table at Mission Branch Library, reading quietly to herself, while her brother Damian, 13, reads a wrestling magazine.

The library trip is a daily excursion for the pair, along with dad, Jesus Alvarado, who says it is going to keep his children sharp and ready to start learning new lessons in school.

Damian doesn’t have to read a textbook to keep his brain in gear. The wrestling magazine will serve the same purpose. It’s fun to read and will give him something interesting to talk about with his friends.

Reeves said the Alvarados are on the right track. “Let them choose what they want,” she said, “and it could be the beginning of engaging them to read more, to spark their interest.”

It’s great if students read all summer long, Reeves said, but “it’s never too late. Never, never, never.”

TUCSON-AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT START AND END DATES AND PROJECTED ENROLLMENTS

District – First day – Last day – Projected enrollment

Sunnyside Aug. 7 May 20 17,500

Sahuarita Aug. 7 May 22 4,308

Amphitheater Aug. 9 May 22 16,685

Flowing Wells Aug. 9 May 21 6,000

Tanque Verde Aug. 9 May 22 1,400

Marana Aug. 13 May 22 13,229

Catalina Foothills Aug. 13 May 22 4,577

Tucson Unified Aug. 14 May 22 59,075

Already begun

Vail July 16 May 21* or 22** 8,900

* high school; ** kindergarten through eighth grade

IMMUNIZATION CLINICS

• The Pima County Health Department is providing back-to-school immunizations at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave., Exhibit Hall A.

Thursday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Aug. 7: 1 to 7 p.m.

Aug. 9: 10 am. to 4 p.m.

Aug. 11: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 14: 1 to 7 p.m.

Cost: $15 per child (not per shot). Fee is based on ability to pay.

• El Rio Clinic and Food City are offering free immunizations for school-age children.

Wednesday: 1 to 4 p.m. at Food City, 1221 W. Irvington Road, near Interstate 19.

Aug. 11: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Food City, 428 W. Valencia Road, at South 12th Avenue.

• Marana Health Center and Marana Unified School District will have their sixth annual Marana Care Fair, including free immunizations and dental screenings and $20 school physicals for students.

Saturday: 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Marana Middle School, 11279 W. Grier Road.

At all the clinics, parents must bring their children’s immunization records.

READING HINTS

The Pima County Public Library’s 2007 Licensed to Read program offers these book suggestions for teens to read before school starts:

• “Stormbreaker,” by Anthony Horowitz

• “Payback,” by Andy McNab and Robert Rigby

• “The Tuxedo Junior Novelization,” by Ellen Weiss

• “Modern Crime & Suspense Writers,” by Harold Bloom

• “R.O.D.: Read or Die: Volume 4,” by Hideyuki Kurata

• “Twins,” by Francine Pascal

• “Disappeared,” by Lynn Mason

• “Man vs. Beast,” by Robert Muchamore

• “River Secrets,” by Shannon Hale

• “The Great Game: The Myth and Reality of Espionage,” by Fredrick Porter Hitz

STUFF THE BUS

Liz’s Pantry, a group run by teenage sisters Sasha and Tamara Laczkowski, will have its sixth annual Stuff-the-Bus event for Tucson Unified School District students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Wal-Mart, 7150 E. SpeedwayBlvd., near Kolb Road.

Any type of school supply is welcome, the sisters say.

FROM OUR BLOGS

Roxy, DC, Quicksilver, Volcom and Hurley. These are the name-brand clothes that my kids want, no, scratch that, they demand or else they will branded losers or worst of all NERDS. Well, what this means to me is $20 to $30 extra per pair of pants and $10 to $15 extra on shirts. Not to mention that my son Robert’s DC shoes cost almost $75.

My daughter’s name brand of choice is Roxy. So all I ever hear is Roxy shirts, Roxy pants, Roxy belt, Roxy shoes, and don’t forget the Roxy watch. She spent about $450, and she still is not done with her school shopping.

When I used to start school as a kid, I got two pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts and a brand new pair of Converse Chuck Taylor high tops (this was before they were popular and only $14 a pair). I couldn’t even begin to recall what I wore, but I know it was whatever was on special at the time.

Today my youngest son, Tony, spent most of the morning looking online for the perfect pair of DC shoes (only $85 plus shipping). . .

With the money I am spending on getting my kids ready for school, I think I can probably feed a small country.

Francisco Medina

• Check out the “Mamas and Papa” blog and the Mom’s page at www.tucsoncitizen.com.

The Arizona Republic

More than 3,400 high school seniors picked up a diploma in the spring to the applause of smiling family members even though all failed Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards.

The loophole will disappear in the spring, potentially increasing by several thousand the number who are denied a diploma.

The lucky youths in this year’s class were able to augment their AIMS scores by earning a “C” or above in any course, including electives.

Lawmakers have not renewed the benefit.

In Tucson-area traditional public high schools, 174 seniors needed the AIMS augmentation boost to graduate in May.

In Amphitheater Public Schools, even augmentation wasn’t enough for three seniors in the class of 2007, district officials said.

Statewide, the augmentation bonus didn’t help 525 seniors in the class of 2007 who had enough credits to graduate but didn’t because they couldn’t pass the exam, even with extra points. About 225 of them had stayed in high school for a fifth year to finish their classes.

Two years ago, the state required high school graduates to pass AIMS, which they can take up to five times.

In spring 2006, 332 fourth- and fifth-year seniors completed classes but didn’t get a diploma because they failed AIMS. That year, the augmentation break helped 2,855 kids get a diploma. This coming year, Tucson Unified School District officials said they will continue to focus on monitoring student progress with accompanying AIMS preparation and support.

Citizen Staff Writer Mary Bustamante contributed to this article.

Citizen Staff Photographer

Citizen Staff Writers

ERIC SAGARA and MARY BUSTAMANTE

news@tucsoncitizen.com

Pima County schools mirrored the flat gains made by students across Arizona on the 2007 AIMS test, the state exam that measures whether students are up to state standards.

The scores, in reading, writing and math, were released Wednesday.

As usual, Tucson schools showing the highest proficiency in general were on the East and North sides.

The exceptions, which topped both traditional and charter high school lists, were the midtown University High School in Tucson Unified School District and the charter BASIS Tucson, both intensive college preparatory schools.

BASIS and UHS students usually have passed Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards by sophomore or junior year.

Steve Holmes, TUSD’s assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said some West Side schools, historically on the lower end of AIMS scores, made substantial progress over the last year.

Lawrence Intermediate, a far West Side school deemed “failing” by the state in 2005, made increases across the board. For example, 49.5 percent of its fifth-graders passed AIMS math, up from only 20.7 percent in 2006. That was the best increase at that grade level in math in Pima County. And 82.2 percent of Lawrence third-graders passed writing, compared to 59.4 percent the previous year.

The state report shows a high level of third-grade writing gains across Arizona for 2007. However, that could be because of an anomaly. In 2006, the report showed plummeting third-grade writing scores, possibly from scoring errors or a harder test.

Statewide this year, AIMS scores showed slight increases across the board in math – from 68 percent proficiency in 2006 to 70 percent in 2007 – and in reading – from 68 percent to 69 percent over that same period.

Writing proficiency in Arizona increased the most, from 72 percent in 2006 to 78 percent in 2007.

“Adding this year’s gains to last year’s confirms the benefit of our emphasis on academic rigor in the classroom,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said. “Arizona students perform above the national average on standardized tests measuring academic proficiency, including the TerraNova, the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the ACT college entrance test.”

Overall, he said, “Arizona students have shown increased proficiency consistently over the past four years.”

Locally, education leaders had precise reasons why schools made substantial gains, but they often were at a loss as to why some schools did poorly.

Robison Elementary, for example, had the highest decrease in the county for public school in third-grade reading and math. While only 18 percent of third-graders failed AIMS math in 2006, but 77 percent did so in 2007.

While 24 percent of that same Robison third-grade level failed reading in 2006, it went up to 73 percent in 2007.

“The scores were quite disappointing across the board,” said Maggie Shafer, a TUSD principal supervisor. “They are undeniably unacceptable. We have to make some significant changes in programs and instructional strategies.”

Asked what she thought happened at the school, at 2745 E. 18th St., she said, “I really don’t know.”

Another principal supervisor, Maria Patterson, said she had “no idea what happened” at TUSD’s Wakefield Middle School, 101 W. 44th St., where seventh-graders went from 7 percent failing writing in 2006 to 35 percent in 2007, also the worst decrease in Pima County public schools.

“They were emphasizing math, but that didn’t do well, either. It’s a concern to us,” said Patterson, who was principal at Wakefield for six years before being promoted to principal supervisor.

It is targeted for improvement, she said. “We need to reaffirm the need to look at support, see what we can do. There will be an in-depth review of what we need to do.”

But there was good news from Patterson about C.E. Rose Elementary, identified with Lawrence, 4850 W. Jeffrey Road; Manzo Elementary, 855 N. Melrose Ave.; Warren Elementary, 3505 W. Milton Road; and Tully Accelerated Magnet, 1701 W. El Rio Drive, as TUSD’s five top AIMS gaining schools.

All but Warren are Title I schools, meaning they receive money from the federal government because they have high percentages of students on free or reduced lunches. And all are on the West Side.

Rose, at 710 W. Michigan Drive, was “drilling down to that one child and figuring out how they learn,” Patterson said.

And at Warren, she said, “teachers were working together. No teacher was an island.”

At Tully, said Shafer, “the entire faculty was committed to student achievement, and Principal Roman Soltero met with every single teacher and targeted students that needed help most.”

Faculty looked at data individually. Teachers and the principal looked at quarterly assessments and went back and retaught. There was remediation. Title I money was spent for tutoring by regular teachers in the school, so often the student had his or her own teacher for an hour after school.

“They knew the students could do better. They believed they could,” Shafer said.

Patterson said targeting students who need help and finding out exactly where they need it “makes a world of difference in our schools.”

Principal Supervisor Ross Sheard said that at Lawrence, there was a TUSD “school board that had the courage to reconstitute the school (meaning replacing administrators, teachers and staff) and a principal in Ana Gallegos who was willing to step into the ring and take the leadership role with the staff she’d put together.”

He also credited Johnson Primary, another West Side school, at 6060 S. Joseph Ave., which feeds students into Lawrence, for preparing students well.

In Sunnyside Unified School District, Sunnyside High, 1725 E. Bilby Road, had the best gain in the county in 12th-grade writing, and Desert View High, 4101 E. Valencia Road, had the best county gain in 11th-grade reading.

Sunnyside High has better focus on individual student instruction, and it worked closely with students to make sure they would get over the bar so they could graduate, said Alex Duran, Sunnyside’s director of research assessment and evaluation.

Passing the high-stakes test was a requirement for graduation, starting in 2006, so that “definitely was an impetus,” he said.

At Desert View there have been changes in instruction.

“It’s more a small-school concept, ensuring there is more individualized focus on each student. That helps them identify and meet their needs.”

TUSD’s Holmes summed it up: “When scores are low, it’s not the kids. It’s the quality of education.”

•

School-by-school AIMS results in a searchable database at

www.tucsoncitizen.com/know

Get school-by-school AIMS scores in a searchable database at

www.tucsoncitizen.com/know

TUCSON-AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH BIGGEST JUMPS IN PASSING RATES

READING

35 pct. pts.

2006 to 2007 for 12th grade Santa Rita High School

TUSD

WRITING

74 pct. pts.

2006 to 2007 for 3rd grade

Continental Elementary Continental Elementary District

MATH

28 pct. pts.

2006 to 2007 for 5th grade

Anna Lawrence Intermediate School

TUSD

TUCSON-AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS BIGGEST INCREASES IN FAILURE RATES

READING

49 pct. pts.

2006 to 2007 for 3rd grade

Robison Elementary

TUSD

WRITING

28 pct. pts.

7th grade

Wakefield Middle School

Tucson Unified School District

MATH

59 pct. pts.

3rd grade

Robison Elementary

Tucson Unified School District

AIMS SCORES

WHAT THE SCORES MEAN

These charts show how well students did on AIMS, which ranks students in four categories:

• Exceeds the standard

Academic performance goes substantially beyond the state’s goals.

• Meets the standard

Solid academic performance with challenging subject matter. Students
at this level are ready to begin working on material required for the
next grade.

Reaching this level is the state’s goal for all students.

• Approaches the standard

Partial understanding of subject matter. Students demonstrate
competency in required skills but do not demonstrate full understanding.

• Falls far below the standard

Insufficient evidence of skills needed to meet standards. Students
at this level have serious gaps in knowledge and probably will require
more work on skills needed at the current grade level.

For lower grade levels, the Tucson Citizen labeled the students who
fell far below the standard or approached the standard as failing.
Students who met or exceeded the standard were labeled as passing.

• NA

Denotes that no data were available because not enough students took
the test. Arizona’s Department of Education does not release scores for
districts or schools where 10 or fewer students were tested. Tanque
Verde Unified School District does not have a 12th grade.

Note: The Arizona Department of Education numbers, rounded for
individual categories, sometimes do not equal 100 percent when the
categories are added.

Class of 2008, by high school

MATHEMATICS

% % % %

School below approach meet exceed

AMPHI 40 30 27 4

Amphitheater 49 28 23 0

Canyon del Oro 29 32 29 9

Ironwood Ridge 31 31 31 8

MARANA 39 19 36 5

Marana 43 21 32 4

Mountain View 31 16 44 8

SUNNYSIDE 47 24 26 2

Desert View 55 20 25 0

Sunnyside 38 27 31 4

TUSD 45 25 28 3

Catalina 44 35 18 2

Cholla 40 34 26 0

Howenstine 0 0 0 0

Palo Verde 51 18 30 1

Project MORE 66 11 20 2

Pueblo 38 26 36 0

Rincon 51 18 29 3

Sabino 3 13 69 16

Sahuaro 41 24 31 4

Santa Rita 35 18 40 7

TAPP 58 33 8 0

Tucson 48 31 21 1

University 0 0 0 0

VAIL 25 22 44 8

Cienega 13 28 47 13

Empire 36 7 50 7

OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS

Ajo 39 11 44 6

Baboquivari 44 29 26 0

Catalina Foothills 6 0 44 50

Flowing Wells 44 22 29 4

Sahuarita 40 17 38 4

Tanque Verde 0 0 0 0

ARIZONA 42 23 32 4

READING

% % % %

School below approach meet exceed

AMPHI 16 39 36 9

Amphitheater 17 52 31 0

Canyon del Oro 25 44 25 6

Ironwood Ridge 8 21 50 21

MARANA 13 35 42 10

Marana 15 37 42 6

Mountain View 9 32 45 15

SUNNYSIDE 22 34 41 3

Desert View 14 29 54 4

Sunnyside 24 37 37 3

TUSD 19 32 43 6

Catalina 24 24 48 4

Cholla 21 34 45 0

Howenstine 25 50 17 8

Palo Verde 23 41 31 5

Project MORE 27 34 39 0

Pueblo 20 35 45 1

Rincon 20 32 41 8

Sabino 4 11 70 16

Sahuaro 16 25 47 12

Santa Rita 14 24 51 11

TAPP 0 0 0 0

Tucson 18 37 40 4

University 0 0 0 0

VAIL 9 21 59 11

Cienega 11 16 59 14

Empire 0 36 57 7

OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS

Ajo 42 33 25 0

Baboquivari 16 58 26 0

Catalina Foothills 0 21 55 24

Flowing Wells 12 26 45 17

Sahuarita 19 39 25 17

Tanque Verde 0 0 0 0

Arizona 15 35 43 7

WRITING

% % % %

School below approach meet exceed

AMPHI 9 47 30 14

Amphitheater 11 64 25 0

Canyon del Oro 10 44 31 15

Ironwood Ridge 5 29 36 31

MARANA 12 26 46 16

Marana 19 26 40 15

Mountain View 0 27 54 20

SUNNYSIDE 13 43 39 5

Desert View 11 39 41 9

Sunnyside 16 41 39 3

TUSD 12 40 42 6

Catalina 13 34 46 7

Cholla 12 57 31 0

Howenstine 33 42 17 8

Palo Verde 20 48 28 3

Project MORE 13 40 48 0

Pueblo 18 39 43 0

Rincon 9 35 46 9

Sabino 4 11 63 22

Sahuaro 13 29 50 8

Santa Rita 3 40 46 11

TAPP 0 0 0 0

Tucson 9 48 39 4

University 0 0 0 0

VAIL 0 21 66 13

Cienega 0 21 58 21

Empire 0 19 81 0

OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS

Ajo 28 33 39 0

Baboquivari 33 50 17 0

Catalina Foothills 0 8 65 27

Flowing Wells 3 45 39 13

Sahuarita 7 36 55 2

Tanque Verde 0 20 80 0

ARIZONA 9 39 45 8

Elementary, jr. high results by district

MATH, 3RD GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 44 57

Altar Valley 42 57

Amphitheater 16 84

Catalina Foothills 6 94

Continental 13 88

Flowing Wells 25 75

Indian Oasis 40 60

Marana 19 81

Sahuarita 21 79

Sunnyside 29 71

Tanque Verde 9 91

TUSD 31 70

Vail 8 91

ARIZONA 26 74

READING, 3RD GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 57 43

Altar Valley 48 52

Amphitheater 20 80

Catalina Foothills 3 97

Continental 10 90

Flowing Wells 32 67

Indian Oasis 52 48

Marana 21 79

Sahuarita 23 77

Sunnyside 35 64

Tanque Verde 7 93

TUSD 31 69

Vail 10 91

ARIZONA 29 72

WRITING, 3RD GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 25 74

Altar Valley 35 66

Amphitheater 11 89

Catalina Foothills 4 96

Continental 3 98

Flowing Wells 19 81

Indian Oasis 25 75

Marana 15 86

Sahuarita 13 88

Sunnyside 16 84

Tanque Verde 5 95

TUSD 18 82

Vail 7 92

ARIZONA 18 82

MATH, 5TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 42 58

Altar Valley 46 54

Amphitheater 19 80

Catalina Foothills 6 94

Continental 15 85

Flowing Wells 25 74

Indian Oasis 59 40

Marana 22 79

Sahuarita 26 75

Sunnyside 37 64

Tanque Verde 4 96

TUSD 34 66

Vail 9 90

ARIZONA 29 71

READING, 5TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 37 64

Altar Valley 46 55

Amphitheater 21 78

Catalina Foothills 5 95

Continental 21 80

Flowing Wells 26 74

Indian Oasis 44 56

Marana 20 79

Sahuarita 22 77

Sunnyside 43 57

Tanque Verde 7 94

TUSD 31 69

Vail 10 90

ARIZONA 28 72

WRITING, 5TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 45 56

Altar Valley 48 52

Amphitheater 21 78

Catalina Foothills 10 90

Continental 29 71

Flowing Wells 30 70

Indian Oasis 55 45

Marana 27 73

Sahuarita 26 75

Sunnyside 33 67

Tanque Verde 8 92

TUSD 29 71

Vail 18 82

ARIZONA 30 70

MATH, 8TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 38 62

Altar Valley 49 51

Amphitheater 27 73

Catalina Foothills 8 93

Continental 22 78

Flowing Wells 35 64

Indian Oasis 81 20

Marana 36 64

Sahuarita 30 70

Sunnyside 57 43

Tanque Verde 11 89

TUSD 48 52

Vail 16 84

ARIZONA 38 62

READING, 8TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 34 65

Altar Valley 39 61

Amphitheater 26 74

Catalina Foothills 8 92

Continental 19 81

Flowing Wells 37 64

Indian Oasis 72 28

Marana 28 72

Sahuarita 27 73

Sunnyside 49 51

Tanque Verde 16 84

TUSD 43 56

Vail 19 81

ARIZONA 35 65

WRITING, 8TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 16 84

Altar Valley 35 64

Amphitheater 16 84

Catalina Foothills 6 94

Continental 22 78

Flowing Wells 30 71

Indian Oasis 63 37

Marana 17 83

Sahuarita 21 79

Sunnyside 30 70

Tanque Verde 6 94

TUSD 26 74

Vail 17 83

ARIZONA 25 75

High school results by district

MATH, 10TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 67 34

Amphitheater 22 78

Catalina Foothills 4 95

Flowing Wells 29 71

Indian Oasis 85 14

Marana 29 72

Sahuarita 30 70

Sunnyside 50 50

Tanque Verde 22 79

TUSD 35 66

Vail 19 82

ARIZONA 32 69

READING, 10TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 29 71

Amphitheater 15 85

Catalina Foothills 6 94

Flowing Wells 25 76

Indian Oasis 69 32

Marana 17 83

Sahuarita 24 77

Sunnyside 45 55

Tanque Verde 17 83

TUSD 28 72

Vail 12 88

ARIZONA 27 74

WRITING, 10TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 57 43

Amphitheater 16 84

Catalina Foothills 4 95

Flowing Wells 26 74

Indian Oasis 73 27

Marana 21 79

Sahuarita 24 76

Sunnyside 41 59

Tanque Verde 19 80

TUSD 26 74

Vail 10 91

ARIZONA 25 74

MATH, 12TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo 63 36

Amphitheater 84 16

Catalina Foothills N/A N/A

Flowing Wells 57 44

Indian Oasis 81 19

Marana 77 23

Sahuarita 85 15

Sunnyside 86 14

TUSD 79 21

Vail 57 44

ARIZONA 75 25

READING, 12TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo N/A N/A

Amphitheater 67 33

Catalina Foothills 10 90

Flowing Wells 21 78

Indian Oasis 65 35

Marana 65 35

Sahuarita 70 30

Sunnyside 56 44

TUSD 61 39

Vail 6 94

ARIZONA 33 67

WRITING, 12TH GRADE

District % fail % pass

Ajo N/A N/A

Amphitheater 78 22

Catalina Foothills N/A N/A

Flowing Wells N/A N/A

Indian Oasis 94 6

Marana 69 31

Sahuarita 47 53

Sunnyside 45 55

TUSD 67 33

Vail N/A N/A

ARIZONA 32 68

Citizen Staff Writer

MARY BUSTAMANTE

mbustamante@tucsoncitizen.com

Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer had some explaining to do Tuesday night.

The district board was scheduled to evaluate his performance. But before entering an executive session for that discussion, it wanted to hear Pfeuffer’s plan for improving the district’s administration. Specifically, how would his plans for the coming school year, his last before retiring, align with TUSD’s 2007-2008 strategic goals?

Pfeuffer said his goals revolve around improving student achievement.

Pfeuffer said he wanted to reduce the minority/non-minority achievement gap by 4 percent. That could be done by improving graduation, attendance and dropout rates, numbers of students in honors and Advanced Placement classes and performance on standardized tests, he said.

Pfeuffer said school goals and school accountability plans must include rigorous ways to ensure every child makes one year’s progress for each year of school.

This would be determined, as it already is for the federal Adequate Yearly Progress measure, through attendance rates, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding AIMS standards and the percentage of students receiving tutoring.

Failure to achieve AYP can cause schools to be labeled as failing under the No Child Left Behind Act. Repeated failures can cause the federal government to reduce federal funding and allow parents to send their children to other schools at the district’s cost.

TUSD has not met AYP for the past four years.

The superintendent said he planned to make sure construction bond projects scheduled to be done in the coming school year were completed on time and don’t exceed their budget by more than 5 percent.

He also wants to improve the district’s image. The district sends home a parent survey every year and he wants to raise parent satisfaction with TUSD by 5 percent.

Pfeuffer also wants to increase public perception of TUSD by 5 percent and staff morale by 3 percent. Both are measured in separate, informal surveys.

Rather than anecdotal surveys, board members suggested a scientific survey be done instead to more accurately determine parent satisfaction and public perception.

To have a diverse, productive work force, Pfeuffer suggested increasing the number of highly qualified teachers in TUSD by 3 percent. He wanted to increase by 3 percent the retention of TUSD employees who have worked there between three and five years. That’s the average time frame in which many district workers, especially teachers, leave.

He also said administrators must achieve at least 80 percent of their annual goals.

Citizen Staff Writer

RACHEL HAMILTON

rachelh@tucsoncitizen.com

Nate Saldivar approaches the grisly crime scene of skeletal human remains with the air of a seasoned professional.

Except he’s only a junior in high school.

Saldivar isn’t the youngest member of the police crime lab; he’s a student in the Arizona Research Laboratories Forensics: The Science Detectives camp, a hands-on experience for students interested in forensics careers.

Excavating, photographing and bagging remains is all in a day’s work for these 27 students. After analyzing three other crime scenes during the past few days, they are well on their way to learning that forensics is not what television cop dramas make it out to be.

“That’s what’s fun, when you watch TV and you’re like ‘What are they doing?’ ” said Jennifer Burg, a University of Arizona sophomore. Burg was a student in the program last year and returned this year as a volunteer.

The students have faced some intense situations, all fake of course, which program director Al Agellon and volunteers from Tucson and UA police departments, Pima County medical examiner and Arizona Research Laboratories have made realistic.

The focus of the camp, in its third year, is human identification techniques using anthropology and DNA profiling. Lectures, crime scene investigations and hands-on lab work also cover the many fields of forensics, including chemistry, biology and firearms identification, Agellon said.

Because there is no forensics degree program at UA and there are very few around the nation, almost all sciences degrees could lead to careers in forensics, he said.

“If you want to be a forensic chemist, you have to be a chemist first,” he said. “If you want to be a medical examiner, you need to go to medical school.”

Students discover many unglamorous aspects of the job, such as working all day in 90-degree heat near the dig site, not to mention the smell of decomposing coyotes wafting in the breeze. But they are not deterred.

“I love science and I like law enforcement, so this is the perfect job for me,” said Joe Cantu, a Rincon High School senior, who wants to major in chemistry so he can be a forensic DNA analyst.

The camp, which costs $435 for two and a half weeks, is open to high school students and incoming college freshman as well as teachers wanting to learn more about the field.

Although this year’s camp is comprised mostly of Arizona students and teachers, one student, high school sophomore Lena Liver, came from Sacramento.

What has she deduced from her time here so far?

“I don’t think I want to be digging up bones and stuff,” she said. “I want to be in the lab.”

Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON – Almost every fourth-grader in Mississippi knows how to read. In Massachusetts, half do.

So what’s Mississippi doing that Massachusetts, the state with the most college graduates, isn’t? Setting expectations too low, critics say.

The 2002 federal No Child Left Behind law was designed to raise education standards across the country by punishing schools that fail to make all kids proficient in math and reading.

But the law allows each state to chart its own course in meeting those objectives.

The result, according to a Gannett News Service analysis of test scores, is many states have taken the safe route, keeping standards low and fooling parents into believing their kids are prepared for college and work.

On Thursday, federal education officials will release a report that reaches the same conclusion: Many states hold students to a relatively low standard.

Critics say states are more worried about the appearance of academic progress than in raising standards.

State education officials deny critics’ claims that they’re gaming the system by making their tests easier and say it’s unfair to compare state tests to NAEP.

They also say any changes in testing policies came after careful review and were designed to make sure children learn what state standards require them to know. And they note federal officials signed off on the changes.

“We didn’t game anything,” said Tom Horne, superintendent of public instruction in Arizona, which lowered passing scores on several tests in 2005. “We called together a task force and .the state (school) board decided to follow their recommendation.”

GNS’ analysis found that relying on state scores to judge performance is misleading.

For example, 89 percent of Mississippi fourth-graders passed the state’s reading test in 2005, but only 18 percent passed the National Assessment of Educational Progress test. That gap of 71 percentage points was the widest in the nation.

Massachusetts had one of the smallest gaps, with 50 percent of fourth-graders passing the state reading test and 44 percent passing the NAEP test.

The national test is taken only by a small percentage of students in each state and often includes questions on material schools haven’t covered yet.

No Child Left Behind requires that every student perform at a proficient level by 2014, but each state defines proficiency its own way and sets its own pace.

During the 2005-06 school year, for example, Colorado required almost 70 percent of eighth-graders to score at a proficient level on the state’s math test, but Arizona required only 23 percent of its eighth-graders to do so.

NCLB requires each state test its high school student once by 2014. Many states use their exit exam to meet this requirement.

In Arizona and a growing number of states, students must pass that exit exam to get a diploma, so states give them multiple opportunities to pass. The scores from these retests increase the overall number of proficient students and can be used to help a school meet the NCLB mandate.

No Child Left Behind also mandates states to test students in math and reading from third- through eighth-grade and once in high school. Every child must be proficient by 2014.

Schools not making “adequate yearly progress” toward that goal risk being flagged as underperforming. Students at those schools may transfer to a better school or the school district could be forced to use its federal education funds for tutoring.

States use “cheap tricks” to create the illusion students are doing better than they really are, said Dan Koretz, a Harvard University testing expert.

Those include making tests easy enough for almost all to pass or lowering passing scores.

President Bush and lawmakers say the punitive elements of the law have prompted states to re-examine standards and focus on long-neglected groups of students, notably minorities and students with disabilities.

Citizen Staff Writer

By MARY BUSTAMANTE

mbustamante@tucsoncitizen.com

Tucson has four of the 20 Arizona high school seniors named Flinn Scholars this year.

Pegged as the top scholarship in the state, the $50,000 package for each student has one requirement – that those who receive the award stay at one of the three Arizona universities for their undergraduate study.

“These remarkable students could have chosen to attend virtually any college or university in the nation, many with attractive scholarship offers,” John W. Murphy, Flinn Foundation president and CEO, said in a press release.

“Their academic credentials are impeccable, and they are equally impressive outside the classroom in leadership roles within the school and community, and talents in arts and athletics,” he said. “Their commitment to study in Arizona is a testament to the strength and reputation of our universities.”

The Tucson students are:

• Margo Johnson, Tucson High Magnet School

• Juhyung Sun, Canyon del Oro High School

• Sarah Trainor, Flowing Wells High School, the first from her school to win this award

• Niko Warner, Salpointe Catholic High School

Two other students from southern Arizona also are Flinn Scholars this year:

• Charles Mackin Jr., Buena High School in Sierra Vista

• Cole Wirpel, Rio Rico High School in Rio Rico

The 20 winners were among about 425 seniors who applied for the Flinn, which is based on academics and leadership in school, community and extracurricular activities. The extensive process included having finalists write three essays and participate in two personal interviews.

Once the winners were chosen, they were invited to recognize their most influential teacher. The teachers were honored along with the Flinn Scholars at a recent ceremony.

Each Flinn Scholar will have tuition paid for, participate in an intensive, three-week seminar in Eastern Europe and have at least one more study trip abroad or in the United States. Mentors are provided in the student’s major field. The scholars also will take part in activities and meetings or research programs that connect them to leaders in their prospective fields.

To apply for the 2007 Flinn class, students must have had a 3.5 grade-point average and be in the top 5 percent of their class. They also must have scored at least 29 on the ACT or 1280 on the SAT. To keep their Flinn scholarship for each of their four years of college, the winners must be involved in college or community activities and have at least a 3.2 college GPA.

TUCSON-AREA FLINN SCHOLARS

Tucson Flinn Scholars

Margo Johnson, Tucson High Magnet School

Educator: Margaret Wilch, research methods AP Scholar; Outstanding Research in Psychology, American Psychological Association; first place in behavior and psychology, Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair; President’s Volunteer Service Award; Outstanding Student Award, U.S. Public Health Service; Violet Richardson Award, Soroptimist International; autism research; president and founder, Reach Out!; National Honor Society; rock climbing.

Juhyung Sun, Canyon del Oro High School

Educator: Christopher Yetman, Academic Decathlon/Calculus BC

National Merit Finalist; AP Scholar with Distinction; Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award; homecoming king; University of Arizona MEDCAMP health career camp; top Arizona score, Academic Decathlon Nationals; advanced math problem solving team; lead trombonist, jazz combo team; vice president, National Honor Society; top 50, Arizona State High School Math Contest.

Sarah Trainor, Flowing Wells High School

Educator: Stuart Mattingly, photography

National Merit Commended Scholar; DECA Outstanding Marketing Student of the Year; Outstanding School Leadership Award; El Rio Medical Center Outstanding Volunteer; Social Studies Student of the Year; editor, school newspaper; secretary, National Honor Society; vice president, Striving Toward Excellent Performance; volunteer, Reach Out and Read; junior reporter, Arizona Daily Star.

Niko Warner, Salpointe Catholic High School

Educator: Henry Byerly, Professor Emeritus of philosophy, Home School Mentor

National Merit Scholar; AP Scholar with Distinction; top 10 in Arizona State Math Competition; Salpointe Scholar Award; first place in computer science, Southern Arizona Regional Science Fair; Pima County Teen Court Service Award; black belt, karate; president and founder, math club; research intern, University of Arizona Neural Systems, Memory and Aging Laboratory; piano instructor; junior reporter, Arizona Daily Star.

Southern Arizona 2007 Flinn Scholars

Charles Mackin Jr., Buena High School, Sierra Vista

Educator: Ronald Rivera, band, Sierra Vista Middle School

National Dean’s List; National Honor Roll; first place, Arizona National History Day; third place, Western Regional Bible Bowl; varsity basketball; president, Knights of Pythagoras; lead alto saxophonist, jazz band; Eagle Scout; speech and debate; engineering counselor, UA Summer Engineering Academy; youth basketball coach; Arizona Engineering Academy.

Cole Wirpel, Rio Rico High School, Rio Rico

Educator: Karen Bristow, English

Salutatorian; Southern Arizona VA Healthcare Service Award; Catalina Rotary Club Service to Humanity Award; first place in medicine and health, Southern Arizona Regional Science Fair; Southwest Gas High School Award; Tucson Philharmonic Youth Orchestra; science club; principal trombonist, jazz band; National Honor Society; president, band club; University of Arizona Summer of Excellence; co-founder, Best Six-Tet Band.

Citizen Staff Writer

MARY BUSTAMANTE

mbustamante@tucsoncitizen.com

Eighteen former seniors from six Tucson-area high schools have received college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.

Eleven of the winners are from University High School in the Tucson Unified School District. Ironwood Ridge in Amphitheater Public Schools had two winners, as did Catalina Foothills High School in Catalina Foothills School District.

There was one winner each from Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, a private school, and from Tucson High Magnet School in TUSD and Mountain View High School in Marana Unified School District.

The scholarships range from $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years of college.

Here are the scholars, where they will attend college and their probable field choice:

University High:

• Michael R. Anderson, University of Arizona, medicine

• Forest L. Danford, UA, biomedical engineering

• Nicholas P. Doidge, UA, biological science

• Samuel T. Golden, Arizona State University, music

• Jesse B. Hannah, ASU, physics

• Joy L. Marsalla, ASU, environmental engineering

• Silviu G. Smarandache, UA, computer science

• Julia R. Steinke, UA, veterinary medicine

• Kyle S. Tek, UA, engineering

• Christopher J. Utter, UA, systems engineering

• David A. Valenzuela, Willamette University, medicine

Catalina Foothills:

• Calliandra Hintzen, Ohio State University, medicine

• Katherine M. McDermott, Fordham University, journalism

Ironwood Ridge:

• Caitlyn R. Kennedy, University of Rochester, biochemistry

• David M. Sawyer, UA, psychology

Mountain View:

• Caitlin E. Hall, UA, biochemistry

Pusch Ridge:

• Michael Z. Cannon, Baylor University, sports medicine

Tucson High Magnet:

• Timothy K. Holdaway, UA, undecided

Officials from the National Merit Scholarship Corp. say more college-sponsored awards will be announced July 16.

By the time those scholarships have been awarded, more than 8,200 graduating seniors from across the country will have won merit scholarships worth about $34 million this year.

The scholarship corporation and some businesses already have announced initial merit scholarship winners in April and early May.

Citizen Staff Writer

MARY BUSTAMANTE

mbustamante@tucsoncitizen.com

Sophomores taking the AIMS test for the first time in Tucson Unified School District had substantial gains in writing this year over last.

High school reading and writing AIMS scores are posted on the TUSD Web site. All AIMS results are expected to be released by the Arizona Department of Education by the middle of June.

In about half of the district’s high schools, the percentage of 10th-graders who met or exceeded the standards to pass the test went up by double digits.

Project MORE, one of the district’s alternative schools, had the highest increase: 53.5 percent of sophomores passed the writing portion this year, compared to 34.9 percent last year.

Palo Verde High Magnet, Cholla High Magnet, Pueblo High Magnet and Sahuaro High had increases of nearly 15 percent to 18 percent.

Passing the test on the first go-round takes the pressure off students so they can talk about other things, “like if they are going to college and how they’ll pay for it,” said David Scott, TUSD’s director of accountability and research.

Meeting the standards also can encourage those kids to keep taking AIMS to get an “exceeds” the standards score, which can lead to tuition waivers at in-state universities, Scott said.

Principal Supervisor Maggie Shafer said she thinks middle schools have been doing a good job with students taking the AIMS test at that level, and those students continue to progress in high school.

Middle schools have students doing writing prompts quarterly and getting frequent feedback from teachers, she said, adding that the more practice they get, the more proficient they become at taking the AIMS test.

By the time they get to high school, many have learned how to be successful on the test, she said.

TUSD spokeswoman Chyrl Hill Lander said there also are many great teachers of freshman and sophomore classes who are “really working hard to get the students ready to pass the AIMS test early.”

• To view more TUSD AIMS data, click on this story at tucsoncitizen.com.

READING, WRITING AIMS SCORES FOR TUSD HIGH SCHOOLS

% meets or exceeds standard READING 2005-06 2006-07 – % meets or exceeds standard WRITING 2005-06 2006-07

School – Grade

Catalina 10th grade 64.5 53.8 56.1 58.8

Cholla 10th grade 50.3 58.0 43.4 58.5

Howenstine 10th grade 48.6 48.6 54.3 51.5

Palo Verde 10th grade 64.9 73.8 56.2 73.9

Project MORE 10th grade 45.2 47.8 34.9 53.5

Pueblo 10th grade 53.4 57.2 46.4 61.3

Rincon 10th grade 67.5 63.3 58.5 67.1

Sabino 10th grade 91.3 93.4 80.9 89.9

Sahuaro 10th grade 87.1 85.3 72.3 87.0

Santa Rita 10th grade 70.2 73.1 64.2 76.3

TAPP 10th grade 34.8 16.7 47.6 45.8

Tucson High 10th grade 71.5 70.3 67.9 71.8

University 10th grade 100.0 100.0 98.7 99.5

Citizen Staff Photographer

PHOTO CAPTION: FRANCISCO MEDINA/Tucson Citizen

Chris Mendez is all smiles as he opens his certificate during the fifth-grade promotion ceremony at Reynolds Elementary School.

Citizen Staff Photographer

PHOTO CAPTION: FRANCISCO MEDINA/Tucson Citizen

Citizen Staff Writer

MARY BUSTAMANTE

mbustamante@tucsoncitizen.com

Only a handful of seniors in local traditional public high schools won’t graduate this year because they haven’t passed the AIMS test.

AIMS is the state’s test to measure whether a student comprehends reading, writing and math at state standards.

Amphitheater High has three students who won’t graduate because of AIMS. Tucson Unified School District officials said they cannot determine that number until June 1, so all seniors will be able to walk in their graduation ceremonies May 24.

No seniors from any other local district will miss out on graduation because of AIMS.

However, close to 300 seniors are donning caps and gowns because they had the opportunity to bump up their AIMS scores up by a complex “augmentation” grading formula provided by the state Department of Education – but only for this year and last year.

With augmentation, A’s, B’s or C’s in core, nonelective classes earn students extra AIMS points, and could be enough to have them pass it.

The class of 2006 was the first to have to pass the AIMS test to get a diploma in Arizona. Locally that year, about 60 didn’t make it, so this year’s numbers are considerably lower.

But what will districts do to help next year’s seniors? TUSD, which had 130 seniors graduate with the help of augmentation this year, will continue to “focus on improved instructional methodology, closely monitor instruction and student progress, and continue offering AIMS preparation and support,” said Maggie Shafer, principal supervisor.

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS

Here are the number of high school seniors who are either not graduating or are graduating with the help of augmentation:

School – Not graduating – Graduating with augmentation

Amphi 3 35

Canyon del Oro 0 30

Ironwood Ridge 0 14

Catalina Foothills NA NA

Flowing Wells 0 12

Marana 0 5

Mountain View 0 6

Desert View 0 40

Sunnyside 0 26

Cienega 0 2

Empire 0 0

Vail 0 0

Pantano 0 4

TUSD

No figures for N/A* 130 individual schools

* TUSD will not have information processed until June 1.

Citizen Staff Photographer

PHOTO CAPTIONS: Photos by GARY GAYNOR/Tucson Citizen