Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has released public school profiles that listed 128 schools as “excelling” and 150 schools as “underperforming.”

The number of “underperforming” schools was half the 300 that were rated as “underperforming” in 2002.

Mr. Horne, during an Oct. 15 press conference, said the reduction was partly the result of hard work by the schools and partly the way the ratings are now being calculated.

He said the previous rating system just used a school’s overall score by its students on the AIMS (Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards) test as a measure. The revised system gives a school credit if its students show academic progress, based on AIMS scores.

“We felt the previous system discriminated against schools in poorer neighborhoods,” said Mr. Horne. “Now, we give them credit if they are moving their students [academically] at least one year. This eliminates a number of injustices.”

Mr. Horne also pointed out that the department was using new categories, which were recently approved by the State Board of Education.

“Last year, we used very oblique terms,” he said.

He added that under the previous system all the attention was focused on bringing students up to standards. The revised system also highlights students who are excelling.

The new categories along with the number of schools in that category are:

• “Excelling,” 128 schools.

• “Highly performing,” 165 schools.

• “Performing,” 663 schools.

• “Underperforming,” 150 schools.

Mr. Horne said teams would be sent to the 150 “underperforming” schools to work with teachers and administrators to increase student academic achievement in those schools.

Mr. Horne said the teams should be in the schools by the end of the year.

If a school is “underperforming” for three consecutive years, the state may take control of the school. —