In late April, Robert Rice Elementary celebrated making the annual Arizona Educational Foundation A-Plus School of Excellence for the first time. Staff from the school, which opened in 2020, along with the school’s Rhinos mascot and Chandler Unified School administrators and Governing Board members, were on hand to celebrate.

The AEF’s A-PLus program provides school teams with a comprehensive framework that serves as a basis for school self-assessment and planning.

View A-Plus school eligibility, process and timeline information here. 

Dozens of Chandler Unified schools have made the A-Plus list since the mid-1980s, some more than once.

The program’s webpage describes Arizona schools that ultimately earn the A-Plus School of Excellence designation consistently share these traits:

•Model quality and equity.

•Demonstrate a strong commitment to academic excellence.

•Respond successfully to the changing environment of education.

•Cultivate learning-centered, safe school environments.

•Encourage innovative instruction by supporting teachers.

•Actively address students’ social, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs.

•Demonstrate superior ability to go above and beyond the norm in providing services to children, families, and the local community.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic.  Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.