District Corrective Action

The 2007-2009 Sunnyside Corrective Action Plan serves as the foundation from which the Blueprint for Student Achievement is derived.

Published May 2008

Since 2004, our district has not made “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) in either the content areas of math and reading across all levels (elementary, middle and high school) or graduation rate. Beginning in 2004, the Sunnyside District was identified as in “Improvement,” and by 2007-2008 was classified as in “Corrective Action II.” AYP is determined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It is based on gains in the percentage of students passing reading and math as measured by Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). In addition, there are requirements for the percentage of students tested, graduation rate for high school, and attendance rate for elementary and middle schools.

The district in 2008 developed a new structure to address our status of Corrective Action. A District School Improvement Committee was formed to discuss major issues related to district and school improvement with the purpose of aligning priorities, setting agendas, establishing timelines, and guiding the activities and tasks of the district/school improvement process.

As the next step, more than 70 members of a District/School Improvement Steering Committee conducted a districtwide self-assessment to identify
areas of need in curriculum and instruction, resource management, use of data, communication and climate, and leadership. Based upon information from the self-assessment and the academic data trends, a two-year improvement plan was developed.

The goals of the Corrective Action plan are:

Goal 1: Improve the overall graduation rate for 2008 by 1%, and ensure that 100% of the seniors who began the school year are academically on track to be a part of the 2008 graduating class.

Goal 2: Increase the reading achievement scores of students in grades 3-8 and 10 by 20% as measured by the state standardized assessment (AIMS) by spring 2009.

Goal 3: Conduct a complete curriculum audit focusing on reading and math to determine the extent of congruence among the written, taught and tested curricula leading to the alignment between design and delivery of a new curriculum.

Goal 4: Increase parent participation by 100% by the end of the 2007-08 academic year as indicated by parent attendance at major events.

Goal 5: Develop a new standardized process for school improvement to be implemented in 2008-09.

An NCLB resource team from the Arizona Department of Education reviewed the Sunnyside Corrective Action Plan and conducted a districtwide onsite visit. Based upon observations and interviews, the ADE resource team produced a report commending SUSD for current improvement initiatives and recommending modifications to increase district effectiveness.

ADE recommendations, listed below, are aligned with the goals from the Sunnyside Corrective Action Plan and include:

• the establishment of a common curriculum
• increasing the quality of instruction
• more effective development of professional learning communities
• a more rigorous focus on academic achievement, particularly for special education
• advancing instructional leadership across the district.

Due to our district’s status of Corrective Action II, the Arizona Department of Education will monitor and support our district’s initiatives, goals and activities throughout the next two years.