Glendale Elementary reported as a B district; three schools earn A grades

Glendale Elementary School District reported an overall B district letter grade for the 2025 accountability cycle, district officials said at the Nov. 13 governing board meeting. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Angelique Tsai presented the district’s school-by-school grades and the calculation components used to determine letter grades.

"The majority of our points come from the growth component," Tsai said, noting the district’s grading formula assigns 50% to growth, 30% to proficiency, 10% to English-language-learner (ELL) measures and 10% to acceleration readiness. She added that some bonus points are available for science and for special-education rates that exceed the statewide average.

Tsai gave a breakdown of school results: three schools earned A grades (Discovery, Challenger and Burton), six were rated B (including Desert Spirit, American and Sunset Vista) and three were rated C (Landmark, Mendes and Bicentennial South). Tsai also told the board that Glendale Elementary Online is in an appeal process with the Arizona Department of Education over data discrepancies.

Board members praised staff and principals for continued improvement; several trustees pointed to schools that narrowly missed A status and urged continued focus on Tier 1 instruction, instructional coaching and chronic‑absenteeism reductions. The district emphasized the role of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in supporting consistent classroom practices and said principals meet quarterly to set next steps.

Tsai said the district’s cut scores did not change from the prior year and reminded the board there is no rounding rule for letter grades. The presentation concluded with a timeline for principal-led quarterly data meetings and next-step conversations the district will pursue.

The board did not take formal policy action on the grades during the meeting; Glendale Elementary School District staff said they will continue internal reviews and pursue the ADE appeal for Glendale Elementary Online.