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Most Ahwatukee schools far exceed state test averages BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
A
ll schools in Ahwatukee exceeded the statewide passing rates for the 2019 AzMerit tests - except for Mountain Pointe High School. Mountain Pointe recorded a 27 percent passing rate in English and a 26 percent passing rate in math – roughly half the statewide average of 42 percent in both subjects, according to data released last week by the Arizona Department of Education. AzMerit measures whether students are performing at grade level according to state education standards. The test results are part of the formula the department uses to grade schools and give parents an idea of how well a school is preparing students for college and the workforce.
Mandan Street
All public and charter students in grades 3 through 12 take the tests, although data released last week shows hundreds of students in high schools either avoided taking them or opted for a different assessment test. Education Department spokesman Stefan Swiat said the English Language Arts test is a combination of essays and pull-down choices. The test also assesses students’ knowledge of literature they are expected to have read. Data released last week indicates Mountain Pointe’s passing rate is the second-lowest in the Tempe Union High School District – with Tempe High’s scores trailing behind at 17 percent in English and 14 in math. Desert Vista High School led the district‘s seven campuses with scores of 54 percent in both subjects. In a further breakdown of proficiency levels, the results in English showed 73 percent of Mountain Pointe students were below pro-
Victors!
ficiency level, with 54 percent showing minimally proficienvy. For math, 44 percent were minimally proficient and another 22 percent partially proficient. Conversely, more than half of Desert Vista students were proficient to highly proficient in both subjects. That exceeded Tempe Union’s district-wide showing; less than half of all students were either proficient or highly proficient in math and English. Meanwhile, Kyrene School District’s test results are near the head of the class among other East Valley public school systems. Kyrene’s district-wide scores of 60 percent in English and 57 percent in math were beaten only by Higley nified in Gilbert. Kyrene’s district-wide passing rates amounted to 59 percent in both subjects.
�ee MERIT page 7
nears reality BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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t wasn’t quite a round of Middle East peace talks, but the negotiations that have led to a solution to perennial flooding on Mandan Street in Ahwatukee weren’t easy. With at least seven different entities that each had their own concerns, Maricopa County Flood Control District officials weren’t even sure if they could achieve an agreement on a project to divert South Mountain runoff from pouring down into 17 homes during heavy rains. But last month, Flood Control District officials told residents they had finally settled on a solution. As a result, a permanent fix to a problem
Coming October 25, 2019
�ee MANDEN page 1
Desert Vista High School players view the trophy they’ll get to keep for another year after winning the 23rd Ahwatukee Bowl over Mountain Pointe last Friday. For a full wrap-up of the big game, see page 42. (Zach Alvira/AFN Sports Editor)
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