Gilbert Public Schools celebrates strong state letter grades 

By Tom Blodgett
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Gilbert Public Schools leaders celebrated continued academic gains across the district as demonstrated through the Arizona Department of Education’s latest school letter grades, with GPS again earning an overall “A” rating.

Superintendent Shane McCord praised the work of students, staff and families before the presentation, saying he was “extremely proud” of the district’s progress and teamwork. 

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Jared Ryan told the governing board that collaboration and focus on continuous improvement are driving results.  

“Everyone’s in it together” Ryan said. “Dr. McCord’s arm in arm with us as we do the work. The data will support that. We’ll see tonight a tremendous amount of numbers that will speak to the growth, that will speak to the development, all the excitement across the school district.” 

Ryan noted that while failing schools have more than doubled statewide since last year, Gilbert’s schools continue to excel.  

“Over 85% of our schools are A’s — we have so much to celebrate, yet we have a lot of work to do,” he said. 

Elementary Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Robert Bircher reported that 24 of the district’s 26 elementary schools earned A grades, and 19 of 24 eligible schools received at least 90% of available points for English language learners.  

“We also have 50% of our elementary schools maximize the acceleration and readiness points,” Bircher said, giving special recognition to Neely Traditional Academy for earning a perfect proficiency score and to Canyon Rim, Gilbert Elementary, Islands and Sonoma Ranch for achieving perfect growth scores. 

Bircher highlighted several schools for major improvements.  

“Burk Elementary, well done Bobcats,” he said of the school’s move to an A grade under a new principal.  

Gilbert Elementary and Pioneer Elementary also rose from B to A, while Quartz Hill Elementary jumped from a C two years ago to become “the largest point earner in the district.” 

At the secondary level, Director of Secondary CIA Krista Cox said the district’s graduation rate has climbed to nearly 93%, the highest since at least 2018.  

“Gilbert Public Schools is proving that we are not only back, but we have surpassed in some of those academic areas, including graduation rate,” she said. 

Cox credited districtwide teamwork for improved scores in college and career readiness. 

 “It takes a village to get to this,” she said, noting that GPS has reached full points — and even bonus points — in that category for two consecutive years. 

 “We actually have people around the East Valley that have sought us out to present… on our dashboard and the success that we have with not just the numbers but preparing students.” 

Ryan said the district’s overall progress reflects years of work on aligned curriculum and instructional practices.  

“We were able to look at the average point total per campus across Gilbert Public Schools,” he said. “When we look at the health of a system and we look at the trajectory of a system … the results that we’re seeing on our students right now (are) something I don’t think any of us would’ve predicted.” 

For the third straight year, Gilbert Public Schools earned an “A” as a district.  

“With large districts, we are one of three that have maintained that ‘A’ across the entire state,” Cox said.  

Ryan added that the district’s GPA from school letter grades has climbed from 3.5 three years ago to 3.84 this year. 

Board members praised the teaching and learning team for their collaboration and commitment.  

“It has taken a lot of work and a lot of intentionality,” Board Member Jill Humpherys said. “It’s a lot to celebrate, and I think it’s a moment to be very proud of all that we’ve been able to accomplish.” 

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Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert

tblodgett@iniusa.org

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).