State scoring Gilbert Public Schools high in college- and career-readiness
Screen capture from YouTube
Krista Cox, GPS director of secondary curriculum, instruction and assessment, speaks to the Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board about the state's college and career readiness index.
The high schools in Gilbert Public Schools are churning out college- and career-ready students, at least according to the way the state measures such things.
The high schools have all increased over the past four years the points awarded to them toward their school letter grade from the Arizona Board of Education, according to data presented to the GPS Governing Board at its Aug. 27 meeting. Four of the seven schools improved every single year of those four years.
“From an accountability and data standpoint, yes, that's important,” said Krista Cox, GPS’ director of secondary curriculum, instruction and assessment. “But when you break that down to what that means for each of our students and all of our campuses, we are opening up the doors for so many of our students when it comes to access and opportunities for college and career.”
The state’s College Career Readiness Index contributes 20% to a high school's letter grade. It is designed to measure students’ preparedness for college and career pathways.
By the 2023-24 school year, all seven GPS schools, which also included the online Gilbert Global Academy, had earned at least the full 20%.
The index includes various categories such as meeting Arizona Board of Regents' program of study requirements, performance in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, SAT scores and participation in dual enrollment classes.
The Index also includes “flex points,” which can be earned through submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and earning diploma seals in biliteracy, personal finance, civics literacy or arts proficiency.
A flex point can help a school earn more than the 20%, which can help offset a portion of the remaining 80% of points figuring into a school’s letter grade, Cox said.
The board also discussed efforts to increase FAFSA completion rates among students, which Cox said included hosting districtwide college fairs and FAFSA nights.
The board expressed gratitude for the results. Board Member Lori Wood said she hoped the students will keep taking advantage of the opportunities with which they are presented.
“I know that we work really hard to make sure that every student can have these opportunities to be ready to be successful when they leave, to have challenged themselves and learn and grow,” she said. “And so I am excited to see those results and to keep pushing in and having those opportunities for our students.”
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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