Arizona schools’ academic performance now rated with grades of A through F
A new school accountability system based on letter grades and taking into account students’ academic improvement in addition to test scores offers a clearer view of how schools perform, Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal said Wednesday.
School groups sue over empowerment accounts
Groups representing teachers and public school districts filed suit on Monday against a new state voucher-style system for disabled students, alleging that the program violates constitutional bans on state aid for private and religious schools.
Education department settles with feds over English-immersion teachers
Arizona will no longer remove teachers from English-immersion classrooms if they use bad grammar or have heavy accents.
Huppenthal to avoid witness stand in TUSD hearing
Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal will not testify in the hearing to appeal his finding that Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican-American Studies program is breaking state law.
TUSD board member calls Mexican-American studies a ‘cult’
Mark Stegeman, a Democratic member of the Tucson Unified School District governing board, used to be in favor of the Mexican-American Studies program, but he had an “epiphany” during a visit to one of the classes.
Hearing to test ruling against Mexican-American Studies
Attorneys for Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal aren’t planning on calling him as a witness in an administrative hearing to defend his findings that Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies program is race-based and promotes resentment toward a class of people. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to be questioned.
Arizona schools fail to reach academic benchmarks
A record 814 Arizona schools, or 42 percent, failed to get students to make adequate yearly progress in the 2010-11 school year, compared with 563 schools, or 29 percent, the previous year.
Capitol Quotes: June 24, 2011
This week’s most outstanding utterances, gibes and quips.
TUSD: Huppenthal’s assessment weak
Tucson Unified School District fired back Wednesday at state schools chief John Huppenthal, saying in an appeal that his findings that the district’s Mexican American Studies program is unlawful are thin.
ACLU digging for answers in TUSD decision
The ACLU of Arizona filed a public records request with the Dept of Education yesterday, asking for records pertaining to the Mexican American Studies investigation, including all communications related to the program to or from the superintendent dating back to 2007, including those with lawmakers, political parties and state officials.
Huppenthal rejects findings of Tucson ethnics studies audit he commissioned
An audit of a controversial ethnic studies curriculum in the state’s largest school district showed the Mexican American Studies program complies with state law, but the state’s schools chief nonetheless declared the program illegal, a move that threatens to cost Tucson Unified School District 10 percent of its state funding.
Huppenthal: Tucson ethnic studies program violates state law
Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal has declared the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies Program is illegal, citing an audit of the program his office commissioned earlier this year.