ADE recommends keeping prior-year cut scores for A–F accountability; board to vote in October

The Arizona Department of Education presented recommended cut scores for the statewide A–F accountability system and urged the board to preserve prior-year thresholds to maintain stability and predictability for schools.

Sean Smith, ADE’s chief accountability officer, told the board that retaining last year’s cut points would result in a similar distribution of letter grades and provide continuity as the state moves toward indicator-based scoring. Smith contrasted that approach with a standard-deviation recalibration — a method that would 'recenter' results and compress grades toward the middle — and said committees recommended the prior-year approach because there has been no major change to testing inputs this year.

Board members asked technical questions about how the models affect small schools and subgroup bonus points. Dr. James Francis, a superintendent who testified during public comment, warned that small K–6 campuses can be disadvantaged by models that reward grade-8 performance; board members acknowledged the concern and noted appeals and monitoring processes intended to address anomalies.

The board did not vote on cut scores at this meeting; ADE will return in October for a formal vote. Letter grades will be released after the board’s action and schools will have until Nov. 15 to file appeals under the established calendar.

Smith and board staff said they are working with appeals committees and districts to correct obvious errors before public release to minimize the need for post-release adjustments.