CFSD students excel!
Updated: Sep 20, 2022
Academic achievement is a high priority in CFSD, as evidenced by test scores that exceed state and national averages. The District has been recognized by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) as one of the top-performing school districts in the state of Arizona, and by Niche as the top non-selective school district in the state. Many outside organizations have highlighted the District’s accomplishments. These accomplishments reflect the efforts of many: the achievement of our students, the hard work and commitment of teachers and staff, focused and effective leadership, and strong family and community support.
The most recent State Achievement Test Scores were released earlier this week. The data shows that CFSD students continue to perform very well - contrary to what you may have read elsewhere. The first table below shows a summary of students' Math performance, with the full data set available here. The second table shows a summary of students English Language Arts (ELA) performance, with the full data set available here.
Caution: Importantly, the data below shows students who are fully proficient or highly proficient in the subject area. This data does not include students who are partially proficient. So for example, looking at 3rd grade math students we see that 63% of our students are proficient or highly proficient. It is incorrect to conclude that the remaining 37% of students are not proficient. Rather, of the remaining 37% of students, some are partially proficient and some are not proficient.
| MATH | |
|---|---|---|
Grade | CFSD performance 2022: Percent of students proficient or highly proficient | State average 2022: Percent of students proficient or highly proficient |
3rd grade | 63% | 40% |
4th grade | 69% | 40% |
5th grade | 65% | 37% |
6th grade | 60% | 31% |
7th grade | 45% | 28% |
8th grade | 51% | 27% |
9th grade | no testing | no testing |
10th grade | no testing | no testing |
11th grade | 59% | 32% |
| ENGLISH | |
Grade | CFSD performance 2022: Percent of students proficient or highly proficient | State average 2022: Percent of students proficient or highly proficient |
3rd grade | 67% | 41% |
4th grade | 80% | 44% |
5th grade | 67% | 39% |
6th grade | 58% | 39% |
7th grade | 62% | 43% |
8th grade | 64% | 36% |
9th grade | no testing | no testing |
10th grade | no testing | no testing |
11th grade | 73% | 41% |
While we're proud of these results, we're even more proud that our District continues to work hard with students to raise the bar even further. This is why administrators, teachers, and staff tear into this data at the student level each year to identify students who need intervention and to devise strategies to work with kids who might be struggling.
We also need to remember that standardized testing is just one way of assessing student performance - and our schools assess students in many different ways. Classroom work, grade-level assessments, and district common assessments inform instruction and provide roadmaps for improvement for our students.