Here and Now: Education, Investigative Reporting

Is it just me or has AIMS testing totally changed the way school is taught in AZ? My kid's school now teaches to the test and spends considerable more time preparing kids to pass a test than focus on what they should be learning in class. Mr. Horne, doesn't AIMS take away from learning?

I have a question for Superintendent Horne.
I am a concerned father of a 4½ year-old girl who had the misfortune of being born in November. As such, she is ineligible for immediate admission the Gilbert Public School System kindergarten program. Instead, her mother and I have had to overcome a number of obstacles just to get to the point where she could be “screened” to determine if she meets the requirements for early admission. The requirements for early admission are based on scores on an assessment tool that determines the child’s early literacy preparedness and social skills. We were given the number of the score our daughter had to obtain in order to meet the district’s eligibility requirements. Unfortunately, the score’s relative proportion to the total score possible on the test is somewhat of a mystery to the administration, as is the percentage of candidates who take the assessment who actually achieve a passing score. Further complicating the issue is the district policy that there is no appeal procedures if a parent is unhappy with the score, nor is there a retesting procedure.
Now I realize every parent thinks their child is the best and the brightest. I’m sure my child falls well within the range of what is considered normal intelligence. I can also appreciate that districts have limited resources and limited space for all day kindergarten. My concern is that this policy essentially amounts to a “do or die” test for a little girl of 4½ years to get into a public school that taxpayers (myself included) fund. How does a parent explain the importance of this test to a small child without putting an undue burden on the student? Furthermore, what options are there for the hundreds of parents who children do not pass the screening and are then burdened with the $5000-$6000 bill for keeping the child in daycare for another year? In addition, why is my child denied the benefit of structured instruction by degreed professionals simply because of her age. If she were 2 months older, her early literacy skills, social skills, or ability to learn would not be a factor for admittance. Most confusing, why are other districts, Tempe for instance, more than willing to take in students from other districts who have not reached the mystical age of 5 by the beginning of the school year? Tempe has no screening mechanism and seems willing to admit any student born before 12/31/07.

I would be very appreciative if you would ask Mr. Horne to address my concerns as I am sure I am not the only parent this situation. You can also feel free to contact me during the show. I would be more than willing to speak with the Superintendent on the air.

Question for Tom Horne:

At the start of the 2006-2007 school year "The Arizona Republic" reported several thousand high school seniors had taken the AIMS test three times and were unable to meet the requirements to attain a passing score. And yet, when final tabulations were reported slightly less than 300 seniors statewide did not receive diplomas from their respective high schools.
Did thousands of high school Seniors statewide suddenly become "educationally enlightened"? or was the entire process of testing altered to enhance the pass rate on the AIMS test?

Mr. Horne,
I am an elementary teacher here in the Valley. Over the past 6 years I have had many new students join my third grade class from other Valley districts. i have had Hispanic students come to my district with very limited English skills. Occasionally these students' English skills are so poor that it immediately raises a red flag. When I speak with the parents I have been told that at their previous school, Spanish was the only language of instructiion until the 5th grade. I have also spoken with teachers from neighboring districts that told me that Spanish was the primary language of instruction in the K-3rd grades. Isn't this illegal ? Aren't all teachers required to teach in English at all levels of public instruction in Arizona?

Mr. Horne,

I read with interest the article in Time magazine which addressed the subject of national proficiency testing. I was distressed to see that while we report a state level proficiency of approximately 70% that on the uniform Federal test that we only achieve a score in the low 20% range. That score on the federal scale put us in approximately 42nd place. I have two questions for you:
1. Shouldn't there only be one national exam so that all states performance can be evaluated using the same yardstick? That way states like Mississippi which
report 90% state proficiency (but only 18% on the federal test) can be properly addressed.
2. Should an extended school year be instituted for students performing below grade level.

Thank you!

In regards to the recent events at Virginia Tech and the all-too-common communication breakdown between school officials and parents during emergencies on school campuses; Are Arizona schools prepared to effectively and efficiently communicate with parents during emergency situations. Have emergency alert systems that utilize technologies like SMS been evaluated and funding identified for implementing such a system? When do you think such a system will be in place to help ease a parent’s worst fear when they drop their child off at school? As a side note, I would think this type of system could also be used to notify parents of tardiness, truancy, and other types of unplanned events.

Superintendent Horne. We have a shortage of teachers. I am a retired college faculty member, one who taught educatiohn courses for over 30 years, but I dont have a teaching certificate. On the college campus I could teach 16 year olds thru 70, and I taught young children.

In Arizona, I can teach kindergarten or get a teaching certificate without extensive college classes. What is being done about this?

Message from the general website:

What are the best ways to transition from current professional vocations into teaching or administrative careers in public education? What education system needs are most pressing?



Loren Jepson

The Arizona Department of Education website is:
http:///www.azed.gov

Why does the state not help teachers pay for continuing education? Teachers are required to get their masters degree if they wish to increase their pay.

What is the schools doing about reducing toxic emissions and saving on gas? I would like to propose a product that will reduce emission from the tail pipe and increase gas/ diesel.
mileage! How do I do It?

Why aren't substitute teachers who are certified and welcomed in one school district seemlessly certified and welcomed to work in any other Arizona school district? Right now one has to repeat the onerous task of applying to each different district over and over.

Mr Horne
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