Chandler Unified School District, which serves the west side of Queen Creek and runs Casteel High School, wants to shrink the scorecard it uses to grade itself.
The district's self-assessment currently has 11 categories worth a combined 44 points. Jennifer Fletcher, assistant superintendent of PreK-12 student services, has proposed replacing that with five categories worth a maximum of 20 points.
The governing board discussed the change at its Aug. 19 meeting. It did not vote, and members said they want further changes before it comes back.
Why the score matters
The self-assessment is not just a report card. Its result feeds a stipend paid to teachers and most other staff, which last year was worth up to $600 a year.
Fletcher said the district modelled the new metrics against past data to make sure the change would not reduce that compensation. On last year's results the district scored 39.65 of 44 points under the old system, about 90 percent. Under the proposed system the same year would have scored 18.38 of 20, about 92 percent. Both clear the 90 percent threshold.
She also said the goal was to align the assessment with the district's "Journey to Excellence" framework.
The five proposed categories
- Equity in student perception, achievement and access
- Student achievement
- Pathway to secondary readiness
- District distinction
- Resource optimization
