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Poston Butte highlights athletics, academics and steps to reach an A rating
Summary
Poston Butte High School presented student achievements and a plan to close a six‑point gap to an A school letter grade, focusing on CCRI points, dual enrollment, FAFSA completion and new programs including an Art Proficiency Seal cohort.
Poston Butte High School told the Florence Unified School District Governing Board on Jan. 14 that the school is rated a B and is six points away from an A on the state’s school letter‑grade system, and outlined strategies to raise its score.
Principal Eddie Lopez and assistant principal Dr. Burkland presented academic and extracurricular highlights and described specific steps the school is using to increase points on the College and Career Readiness Index (CCRI) and proficiency measures used by the Arizona Department of Education.
Dr. Burkland said Poston Butte’s largest scoring categories include proficiency, growth, CCRI and graduation rate. She told the board the school is targeting CCRI and proficiency as opportunities to gain points. Among the efforts she described:
- Expanding the number of seniors who take the ASVAB aptitude test to earn CCRI points and help students explore career paths. - Offering year‑long dual‑enrollment college math courses on campus (College Algebra and Introduction to Statistics) that the school says will provide students with up to eight college credits if they complete both semesters. - Promoting FAFSA completion for every student to obtain bonus points that factor into CCRI scoring. - Piloting an Art Proficiency Seal; Dr. Burkland said eight students are preparing portfolios in dance, 2‑D and 3‑D art to pursue the seal and that the school plans a public presentation night after March. - Using benchmark assessments and an online practice tool (Albert.io) to raise student familiarity with the types of questions on state assessments.
Dr. Burkland reported strong growth data and said the school earned full points for its graduation rate and five bonus points tied to special education participation and other indicators. She also said Poston Butte performs above the district average on high‑school benchmarks in courses including English and math.
Student body president Stella Bach described athletic and extracurricular successes, including cross country and swim accomplishments, band competition placements and students earning College Board National Recognition honors.
Board members asked for dates for the art seal presentation; Dr. Burkland said the event is scheduled after March and that the district will circulate invitations.
Ending
Poston Butte’s presentation emphasized multiple approaches — career testing, dual enrollment, benchmark practice, and expanded FAFSA outreach — intended to move the school closer to an A rating on the state’s letter‑grade system.
