Glendale Elementary posts B overall; superintendent urges fair assessments for English learners

Glendale Elementary School District reported an overall B on the 2025 school and district letter grades, with Discovery, Challenger and Burton receiving A grades, the district announced at its Nov. 13 board meeting.

Angelique Tsai, the district director of curriculum and instruction, explained how letter grades are calculated: growth accounts for 50 percent of the score, proficiency 30 percent, English-language learner (ELL) measures 10 percent and acceleration readiness 10 percent, with limited bonus points available for science and certain special education metrics. "The majority of our points come from the growth component," Tsai said, summarizing the data drivers behind this year's ratings.

Why it matters: state letter grades shape public accountability and can influence district planning and public perception. Tsai also said Glendale Elementary Online is pursuing an appeal through the Arizona Department of Education over data discrepancies.

Board members praised the year-to-year progress and noted several schools narrowly missed higher grades. "We just missed the A by a couple of small points," one trustee said, adding that continued instructional focus is moving schools upward.

Superintendent Segata Jones used the presentation to press a policy point she described as urgent for English learners. Jones criticized current practice that counts students as part of a full academic-year cohort even if they enroll midyear and are not yet proficient in English. "It's wrong that we are assessing English language learners who have not mastered English... and you are asking them to sit there and take an assessment that they don't even understand the language," Jones said, calling some assessment rules "arbitrary and capricious." She urged administrators, teachers, parents and board members to advocate as Arizona plans a new AASA assessment through a request for proposals.

The board heard next steps from district leadership: principals will continue quarterly data meetings, district instructional coaching and targeted supports will focus on proficiency and Tier 1 instruction, and the district will monitor the ADE appeal for Glendale Elementary Online.

The presentation closed with trustees thanking staff and teachers for the work they said led to steady gains across the district. The board recorded no formal policy decisions on assessment at the meeting; Jones framed the item as a call for advocacy and continued district-level instructional work.