az pusp implementation report 012312

8/2/2019 AZ PUSP Implementation Report 012312

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DECONCINI MCDONALD YETWIN & LACY, P.C.2525 EAST BROADWAY BLVD., SUITE 200

TUCSON, AZ 85716-5300

(520) 322-5000

Richard M. Yetwin, Esq. (AZ #03196)[email protected] K. Gaines, Esq. (AZ #18447)

[email protected]

Sesaly O. Stamps, Esq. (AZ #25773)

[email protected]

TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

LEGAL DEPARTMENT1010 E. TENTH STREET

TUCSON, AZ 85719

(520) 225-6040

Samuel E. Brown, Esq. (AZ # 27474)

[email protected]

Attorneys for Defendants

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

ROY and JOSIE FISHER, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Intervenor,

vs.

ANITA LOHR, et al.,

Defendants,

and

SIDNEY L. SUTTON, et al.,

Defendants-Intervenors,

No. CIV 74-090 TUC DCB

NOTICE TO COURT

Case 4:74-cv-00090-DCB Document 1353 Filed 01/23/12 Page 1 of 60


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MARIA MENDOZA, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Intervenor,

vs.

TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. ON

et al.,

Defendants.

No. CIV 74-204 TUC DCB

The Tucson Unified School District (the District) by and through counsel

undersigned, hereby gives notice that it is filing the Report on the Status of Implementation

of the PUSP, attached hereto as Exhibit A. This Report is being filed pursuant to this courts

Order dated January 6, 2012. A copy of the Report is being sent via e-mail to the Specia

Master concurrent with this filing and a hard copy will be hand-delivered to the Specia

Master by counsel undersigned on January 24, 2012.

DATED this 23rd

day of January, 2012.

DeCONCINI McDONALD

YETWIN & LACY, P.C.

By: /s/ Heather K. Gaines

Richard M. YetwinHeather K. Gaines

Sesaly O. Stamps

Counsel for Defendant Tucson Unified

School District



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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

X I hereby certify that on January 23, 2012, I electronically transmitted the attached document to

the Clerks Office using the CM/ECF System for filing and transmittal of a Notice ofElectronic Filing to the following CM/ECF registrants:

Rubin Salter, Jr., Esq.177 N. Church, Ste. 805

Tucson, Arizona 85701

William J. Maledon, Esq.2929 N. Central Ave.

P.O. Box 36379

Phoenix, Arizona 85067-6379

Christopher Awad, Esq.

Civil Rights DivisionU.S. Department of Justice

Washington, D.C. 10530

Lois D. ThompsonJennifer L. Roche

Proskauer Rose LLP

2049 Century Park East, Suite 3200Los Angeles, California 90067

Nancy Ramirez

MALDEF

634 S. Spring Street, 11th FloorLos Angeles, California 90014

X I hereby certify that on January 23, 2012, I electronically transmitted the attached document tothe following, who is not a CM/ECF registrant:

Dr. Willis Hawley

2138 Tawes BuildingUniversity of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742

[email protected]

I:\FILES\DOCS\TUCS03\860789\PLDG\M73427.DOC



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DECONCINIMCDONALDYETWIN&LACYAPROFESSIONALCORPORATION

ATTORNEYSAT LAW2525EASTBROADWAYBOULEVARD,SUITE 200

TUCSON,ARIZONA 85716-5300

EXHIBIT A



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Pursuant to the Courts order, the District submits the following report on the status of

implementation of the PUSP, with specific reference to each affirmative obligation thereunder.

For ease of reference, each affirmative obligation will be numbered and will appear herein in the

order it appears in the PUSP. At the end of each section, the District identifies the current status

as Not Implemented Initiated or Implemented. Appendix 1 summarizes the current status

of all affirmative obligations under the PUSP.

CONTENTS

Strategic Student Assignment ..........................2

Strategic Recruitment, Retention, and Placement of Staff ..............................................................5

Intentional Equal Access........................11

Restorative School Culture and Climate ................24

Intentional Student Advocacy ........................................................................................................42

Annual Monitoring of Progress and Compliance.. ............43



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STRATEGIC STUDENT ASSIGNMENT

1. Pilot Student Assignment Plan [pp. 5-7] (Initiated)For the balance of placements (for seats left after students enrolled in their home schools)for School Years (SY) 2009-10 and 2010-11, the District initiated a pilot Student Assignment

Plan (SAP) in elementary and middle schools. Per the PUSP, the District would analyze the

pilot and submit a permanent plan to the Governing Board by October 1, 2011. Though the

pilot had not been fully implemented by the end of SY 2010-11 (see section 2 below), most

components had been implemented: schools were divided into three zones based on four

criteria; schools developed specialized First Choice themes to attract non-neighborhood

students; the District marketed options to parents and students; and free transportation was

provided to students who voluntarily transferred outside of their zone. The District, with

input from the PUSP Committee (PUSPC)1, determined that a pilot analysis would be

incomplete if based on anything less than full implementation, and that a third year of data

(after the plan had been fully implemented) would yield more accurate analyses for use in

developing a permanent plan. The third-year data is now available and has been shared with

the PUSPC. The District will meet with the PUSPC in the coming weeks to discuss and

analyze the results.

2. Marketing and Recruitment [p. 8, VI.]Beginning in August 2009, the District initiated a pilot program of program of marketing of

magnet and open enrollment schools, including the availability of transportation for eligible

students. Marketing strategies focused special attention on African American and Hispanic

students, and included the following:

a. District-wide marketing fairs for parents [p. 8, bullet 1] (Implemented)The District has hosted annually a Festival of Schools and a High School Fair for parents

and students to attract and recruit students.

1 The PUSPC is comprised of Plaintiffs representatives, Dr. Len Stevens, Dr. John Pedicone, and other TUSD staff.The PUSP identified three specific areas where the District would work with the committee: (1) the hiring of theInternal Compliance Officer; (2) the selection of an External Compliance Officer; and (3) the analysis of the pilotStudent Assignment Plan and development of a permanent Student Assignment Plan.



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b. Mailings to households across geographical zones [p. 8, bullet 2] (Implemented)Mailings include a Catalogue of Schools highlighting District options (also distributed

at marketing fairs), school brochures, and targeted mailings to attract diverse students to

schools. Flyers reflecting the Districts cultural diversity and the diversity of educational

options were sent home with each District student advertising the Festival of Schools.

c. Home visits [p.8, bullet 3] (Not Implemented)The District made a conscious decision not to implement this obligation due to the

overwhelming numbers of information-seekers that visit the Dept for School Community

Services (DSCS) each year (over 25,000 phone calls, and approximately 10,000 visits

from families interested in information on school options and other information.)

d. Outreach conducted in multiple languages [p.8, 2] (Implemented)Outreach has included advertisements on TUSD TV, recruitment at individual sites, and

recruitment and contact from the Ethnic Studies Departments2. The implementation of

this outreach has been a joint effort between the Meaningful Access Dept, Title I Parent

Liaisons, Parent Involvement Coordinators, MASD, APASD, and the Family and

Community Outreach for Refugees Department.

e. Outside marketing expert [p. 8, 4] (Initiated)In SY 2010-11, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was initiated and sent to potential vendors.

An expert was selected and data was made available to examine the impact on enrollment

from Open Enrollment and Magnet schools. The expert worked on several initiatives and

conducted focus groups. We are in the process of reviewing the focus group results.

f. Review and adjustment in SY 2009-10 [p. 8, 4] (Not Implemented)

2 The Ethnic Studies Departments consist of the Mexican American Studies Department (MASD), African AmericanStudies Department (AASD), Native American Studies Department (NASD), and Asian Pacific American StudiesDepartment (APASD)



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As the marketing expert was not hired until SY 2011-12, the District will review and

adjust the marketing program in the spring of SY 2011-12. The review and adjustment

will be done in consultation with the outside marketing expert, and adjustments will be

made for SY 2012-13.

3. Registration and Enrollment Process [p. 8-9, VII.] (Implemented)The District uses rank-ordered priorities to admit students to magnet schools, magnet

programs, and through open enrollment. Students not admitted through this process are

placed in a waiting pool and considered for acceptance when space becomes available.

Beginning in November 2009, the District began accepting applications for open enrollment

and magnet school placement. The priority window for applications closed in February 2010.

Applications continued to be accepted through the spring, summer and fall for SY 2010-11.

The Open Enrollment and Magnet School Lottery is managed by the Office of School

Community Services, and was held in late February 2010 as needed for schools in which

applications out-numbered seats. Student assignments were made, parents were notified and

officially accepted placements, and the process continued throughout the year as applications

were received and space was available in our schools. Beginning in October 2010,

applications were accepted for placements for SY 2011-12, and the Lottery was held at the

end of January 2011. Student placements were made immediately through a lottery process,

and continued to be made based on available space and prioritized according to the PUSP.

4. Transportation [p. 9, VIII.] (Implemented)District resident students accepted into magnet schools, and open enrollment students

accepted to schools in a different zone (A-B-C) from where they resided, were eligible for

transportation. The District provided transportation for many of these students.

5. Incentives [pp. 9-10, IX.] (Initiated)Schools were required to develop and implement school choice plans, but were not required

to show continuous progress. The District has hired a consultant to develop and implement a

budget process that requires schools to justify the receipt of desegregation funds by

demonstrating continuous progress with their individual plans. In January 2012, District staff



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members and the consultant conducted training to all District administrators on the new

budget manual and budget process for Desegregation/OCR funding.

STRATEGIC RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND

PLACEMENT OF STAFF

6. External Recruitment/Retention [pp. 11-12, B(1)]

a. National recruitment campaign [p. 11, B(1)(a-c)] (Implemented)Since SY 2009-10, the national campaign: included recruitment outside of the U.S.

Southwest; focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

institutions, teacher colleges, and institutions in areas of the country with large African

American populations; and focused on all grade levels and subject areas. Specifically, the

Districts national recruitment efforts have included virtual recruitment, and postings at

the following print and/or online locations:

Teachers of Color (print and web) Teach.gov (web) Teachers-Teachers.com (web) Want to Teach.com (web) Career Media Solutions-HBCU (print and web) American Association for Employment in Education Education America.net (web) Craigslist and Regional Advertisement for areas of recruitment trips Targeted college/university career center postings

The District has utilized incentives (identifying critical need areas and hard-to-staff sites,

and providing opportunities for stipends in accordance with federal guidelines), and hasdeveloped job pools to screen, interview and rank perspective candidates and provide

hiring agents with a compiled list of qualified candidates. The Districts recruiter has

made several recruitment trips to HBCUs and has conducted outreach (primarily through

job fairs) to areas with large African American and/or Hispanic populations in Alabama,

Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana and



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Utah. The national outreach has helped highlight some of the barriers to national

recruitment, and some successful strategies employed by other school districts.

Examination of these issues should lead to the development of successful strategies:

Candidates are hesitant to leave their home-state, or general region Arizona generally, and TUSD specifically, pays lower teacher salaries than even

some of the poorest southern states (which also have lower costs of living)

Southern school districts in particular recruit in the West Indies Arizona certification requirements create significant financial obligations to first-

year teachers, especially limited reciprocity (as of SY 2008-09, out-of-state

candidates faced obligations ranging from $800 to $4,000 to meet reciprocity

requirements)

That Arizona is only one of five states that do not use the Praxis for certification,in addition to NCLB requirements, makes it difficult to actively recruit

In SY 2011-12, Human Resources has been working with the Legal Department to revise

board policies to among other things better support recruitment/retention goals. The

District recruiter is actively developing a diversity plan that focuses on increasing staff

diversity. The District recruiter is strategically focusing in-person efforts on the

Southwest region, including West Texas, New Mexico, and California, but is alsoplanning efforts the East Coast, Mid-West, and the South.

b. Partnership-building with local companies [p. 11, B(1)(d)] (Initiated)The District has explored the idea of using employee assisted housing and/or down-

payment assistance to recruit minority teachers in partnership with the City of Tucson

and Old Pueblo Comm. Foundation. Through this initiative the District assisted two

teachers in purchasing a home (at least one was a minority). This program did not

produce the desired results and the partnership was dissolved. The District has worked

Raytheon by providing Raytheon with District recruiting materials to share with family

members of prospective engineers. For SY 2011-12, the recruiter is actively engaging

organizations such as U of A South, Raytheon, Davis-Monthan AFB, the Urban League,

and Pima County One-Stop to network and to develop recruiting strategies. The recruiter



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has also been in contact with the Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics

teachers to develop a partnership to place graduating students in critical-needs schools.

c. Partnership-building with Tucson Values Teachers [p. 11, B(1)(e)] (Initiated)Three meetings were held with Executive Director Jacquelyn Jackson when the

organization first formed. She has subsequently been invited to join the Districts

Recruitment/Retention Advisory Committee, but has not attended any meetings.For SY

2011-12, the District will seek to re-establish this partnership.

d. Teach for America as a recruitment strategy [p. 11, B(1)(f)](Initiated)The District has held a yearly meeting with TFA to explore whether the District can

support the number of teachers to create a Tucson Program. The requirement of 30

teachers per year for three years has been the challenge to moving forward with TFA. For

SY 2011-12, the recruiter will re-engage TFA to reestablish this partnership.

e. Track students in Future Educators program [p. 11, B(1)(g)] (Not Implemented)This program no longer exists.

f. Utilization of the Education Professions class [p. 11, B(1)(h)] (Not Implemented)This class no longer exists.

7. Hiring Process [p. 12, B(2)] (Implemented)The District has actively monitored ethnic/racial diversity and the hiring process district-

wide, and provided training on the importance of ethnic/racial diversity to all school

personnel. School Site Council members and site administrators have received training on the

importance of ethnic/racial diversity, the competitive hiring process, and EEOC guidelines.

The District, as a matter of course, seeks racial, ethnic, and gender diversity for all of its

interview panels. Human Resource staff members, to the extent practicable, form interview

committees that include at least one each of the following: union representative; parent;

teacher; community member; central administrator; African American; Anglo; Asian;



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Hispanic; Native American; male and female. Additionally, interview panel forms include

space to identify the student ethnic/gender breakdown for the relevant job site.

8. Recruitment/Retention Advisory Committee [p. 12, B(3)] (Initiated)An ethnically/racially diverse Advisory Committee chaired by the District recruiter had

actively engaged key constituencies in the Districts recruitment and retention plan and

worked collaboratively to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers who will live and work

in the District. The committee was composed of 15 members representing a wide-spectrum

of community members. The committee analyzed: obstacles to recruitment (and potential

solutions); priority hiring needs and vacancies; potential incentives; community outreach; the

need for adequate marketing and networking; specific state-law obstacles such as the

reduction-in-force (RIF) process; low-teacher salaries; lack of intercultural understanding;

and the effects of state laws on Arizonas image (i.e. SB 1070, Ethnic Studies law, etc.). The

Committee has not met since 2010 but the recruiter has scheduled a meeting with the

committee for January 31, 2012 to continue the committees effort. The committee reviewed

and updated recruitment materials, but had not done so in collaboration with the Internal

Compliance Officer (who was not hired until 2011). The current iteration of the committee

will collaborate with the ICO, or equivalent position.

9. Focus Groups and Surveys [p. 12, B(4)] (Initiated)In 2008-09, the District organized focus groups to gain varying perspectives on teachers

needs. These focus groups did not continue to meet beyond SY 2009-10. In SY 2010-11 the

District developed and conducted exit surveys for educators who had left the District to

identify root causes, perceptions of employment, and job satisfaction. This information will

be used to improve employee satisfaction and retention.

10.Goal Setting [pp. 12-13, B(5)] (Not Implemented)The PUSP required the Superintendent, with the advice of the External Compliance Officer

(ECO), to set annual or biennial statistical goals for certified staff diversity district-wide as

well as for staff categories specifically addressed in the PUSP. An ECO was not selected, and

these goals were not set.



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11.School-Level Faculty Diversity [pp. 13-14, B]

a. Track and compare faculty diversity levels [p. 13, B(1)] (Implemented)The District actively tracks and compares faculty diversity levels.

b. Address faculty diversity disparities[p. 13, B(2)] (Not Implemented)Beginning in SY 2011-12, the Districts Stipend Committee has been exploring strategies

to entice current teachers to transfer to high-need areas.

c. Ensure diverse candidate pools [p. 13, B(3)] (Initiated)See sections 6 and 8, above.

d. Ensure diverse interview panels [p. 13, B(4)] (Implemented)See section 7, above.

12.New Teacher Support [pp. 14-15, B]

a. New-Teacher induction and mentoring program [p. 14, B(1)] (Implemented)The District implemented this program in 2007, and expanded it to all schools in 2008

including development of a formalized structured program with defined criteria.

Beginning in SY 2010-11, the program became mandatory for teachers new to the

profession, new to District, or for teachers on Intern Certificates, and lasts for three years.

Based on site administrative recommendations, participants in the TUSD

Induction/Mentoring Program may remain in the program for their fourth year. A list of

seminars is provided to all site administrators to facilitate recommendations from

administration to staff. Program components include: orientation; mentor support;

professional development; and evaluation.

b. Training through the Mentor Academy [p. 14, B(2)] (Implemented)The District has identified mentors for new teachers, and has trained these teachers

through the Arizona K12 Center in the UC Santa Cruz New Teacher Center model.



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c. Assignment of new teacher mentors [p.14, B(2)] (Implemented)The District assigns each new teacher with a mentor, who meets with the teacher for

approximately two hours per week for the first three years.

13.Continuing Teacher Support [p. 15, 3]

a. Mentor support program for struggling teachers [p. 15, 3(a-b)] (Implemented)Since SY 2009-10, struggling teachers in their 3rd through 5th years of service have been

referred to the mentor support program by administrators based on evidence that the

teacher requires additional mentor support in order to provide more effective classroom

management, lesson planning, or student instruction. Mentors have been assigned so that

all eligible teachers referred to the program have received a mentor.

b. Training on effective teaching in diverse settings [p. 15, 3(c)] (Implemented)Since SY 2009-10, the District has provided high-quality in-service training on effective

teaching in diverse settings to experienced teachers.



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INTENTIONAL EQUAL ACCESS

14.Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) [pp. 16-190]

a. Middle and high school GATE classes [p.17, D(1)] (Initiated)Grades 6-12 course offerings exist but continue to be inconsistent despite that the GATE

Coordinator and the Assistant Superintendent who supervises the GATE programs have

met with HS/MS leadership teams and principals each year since SY 2008-09. The

District is moving towards using a systemic course offering with class codes that takes

into account other advanced academic courses such as pre-AP and AP. A source for

consistent data has been difficult: the GATE department has not been able to consistently

track the number of GATE students served who are not in self-contained GATE in grades

6-12 (even though the District has maintained such data prior to SY 2009-10). As result,

the GATE department does not have a 6-12 student recruitment and retention strategy to

increase enrollment in HS/MS GATE courses. The GATE department is making progress

in helping HS/MS teachers obtain their endorsement through supplemental trainings,

offered since spring 2009. Additionally, a special Saturday provisional endorsement class

was provided to 58 HS/MS teachers (the GATE Coordinator estimates over 100 more

will need to be trained to have an impact on increasing HS/MS GATE offerings.

b. K5 gifted-endorsed teacher initiative [p.17, D(2)(a)] (Implemented)Since SY 2009-10, the GATE Department has maintained a database of District teachers

who either have a gifted endorsement or are working to obtain such endorsement. In

summer 2009, and again in spring 2010, Human Resources provided the GATE

Department with the list of endorsed teachers. That list was then shared with appropriate

site administrators for purposes of building class lists and placing students. In SY 2011-

12, the GATE Coordinator is consulting with Central administration on how best to

distribute the following documents: Gifted Endorsed 2-Year Comparison and Gifted

Endorsement Contact Hours Progress. Please note that Arizona law allows a teacher to

work with gifted students if they are pursuing an endorsement. Thus the Gifted



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Endorsement Contact Hours Progress document is very useful for identifying and

interviewing candidates for K-5 GATE positions.

c. Recruitment / recommendation of teachers of color [p.17, D(2)(b)] (Initiated)The District has recruited teachers of color with GATE endorsements through numerous

publications. The recruiter has not recommended any specific teachers of color with

endorsements for hire. The GATE Coordinator has also provided training announcements

to Ethnic Studies Departments for dissemination to prospective teachers of color. For

example, the Ethnic Studies Departments invited current teachers to the spring 2011

HS/MS Provisional Endorsement Training.

15.GATE Identification [pp. 17-18]a. Recruitment of underserved students [p.17, D(3)(b)] (Implemented)

In SY 2008-09, GATE screenings with the RAVEN were expanded to include all 1st, 5th,

and 8th graders. These screenings proved to be costly in terms of time and effort while not

identifying large numbers of additional students for testing. Nearly all parents of students

who were identified with the screening requested full-testing by returning postcard

referrals. The postcard referral process was also being piloted at the same time and as a

result, the GATE department did not continue the RAVEN screening in SY 2009-10 but

did continue the Postcard referral process.

The District has actively recruited underserved students by: screening all students in

kindergarten and grades 1, 5, and 8; and by testing students in grades 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7

upon parent request and by underserved indicators (AIMS, Terra Nova, language

acquisition scores, teacher recommendation) through the opt-out process. The GATE

Department has worked with schools and departments, such as the Ethnic Studies

Departments, in the recruitment of students who have been identified as eligible for

GATE services. Their process has been to personally contact parents of students who

decline placement and/or do not respond to our mailings. The focus of these personal



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phone calls has been to ensure parents know about the Districts comprehensive K12

gifted services and to encourage them to enroll their children.

b. Quarterly meetings (GATE / Ethnic Studies) [p.17, D(3)(c)] (Implemented)The GATE Coordinator made attempts to meet in SY 2009-10. Government Program

Department meetings have served as a way to communicate GATE efforts with Asian,

African, and Native American Studies Departments since 2009-10. MASD began to

participate in the Government Program meetings in spring 2011. In addition, the

Directors of Mexican, African, and Native American studies are members of the GATE

Advisory Committee. The AASD Director, or his representative, has attended most of the

12+ meetings that have been held since February 2010. The MASD Director attended

once and NASD has attended a few times.

c. Outreach [p.17, D(3)(d)] (Initiated)Outreach has included the following strategies:

Direct home contact by GATE teachers during the placement process - asdescribed above, the District has engaged in initiating personal contacts between

self-contained sites and families (through the Ethnic Studies Departments). Asystem of reporting would have to be created and required to measure outreach

efforts.

Quarterly parent information meetings - This has yet to occur in a consistentmanner. However, Spring Open Houses are consistently held each school year.

The Coordinator has held annual meetings in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Meetings in

2010-11 have been site specific (Tully, Doolen, Gale). Some sites have held

special events such as White Elementary.

Quarterly parent-student-teacher conferences - This has yet to occur in aconsistent manner and typically occurs at parent request and during the official

District calendar times each semester. It may not be realistic for teachers to meet

with every parent each quarter but should be a goal each semester.



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Quarterly newsletters - This has yet to occur in a consistent manner and dependson site expectations. Itinerant staff members will communicate through

newsletters, progress reports and/or projects each quarter. The Coordinator

supervises the Itinerant staff. The Coordinator does not supervise the

resource/self-contained staff and is therefore not sure how often these teachers

communicate with parents. A GATE department newsletter was distributed in the

2008-09 and 2009-10 school years but was not sent in the 2010-11 school year

due to numerous challenges and changes taking place. The GATE Coordinator

hopes to communicate more consistently in the 2011-12 school year with the help

of the Parent Support Group.

Web pages, DVDs, and online videos the website has been continuously updatedas needed and in accordance with software capabilities. Nine video segments were

created representing the following self-contained programs: Corbett, Doolen,

Hollinger, Lineweaver, Pistor English, Pistor Dual Language, Tully, Vail, and

White. DVDs were sent home with GATE offers in SY 2009-10. All segments

are available online and promoted in placement literature.

16.GATE Placement [p. 18] (Implemented)This continues to be a topic of frequent discussion amongst staff, leadership, and the GATEAdvisory Committee. The GATE Coordinator and the Assistant Superintendent who

supervises the GATE program (Dr. Lupita Garcia) have attended national and state

conferences to explore new methods and assessments. As with the Naglieri Nonverbal

Ability Test pilot conducted in Spring 2009, sufficient budgetary and human resources will

have to be allocated for future pilots that may include, for example, an inventory checklist or

a creativity screening assessment. The District has continuously explored and considered

alternative methods of defining and identifying giftedness, including teacher

recommendations, parent referral, administrator referral and self referral for placement in

GATE. In SY 2011-12, new policies were implemented that allowed students to continue to

qualify for GATE services without having to retest in the fifth and eighth grade years.



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17.GATE Retention [p. 18, D(5)]

a. Parent/Staff support group [p.18, D(5)(1)] (Implemented)The GATE coordinator has facilitated a GATE parent/staff support group (GATE

Advisory Committee) that has met regularly since February 2009 to provide feedback

about program satisfaction and ideas for improvement. Starting in SY 2011-12, staff

members have met and are developing strategies based on parent input from the previous

two years.

b. Collaboration with other departments [p.18, D(5)(2)] (Implemented)See section 15(b), above.

c. Professional Development to Leadership Teams [p.18, D(5)(3)] (Implemented)The GATE coordinator has met with Leadership Teams to provide professional training

regarding gifted services. Elementary and Middle School Leadership Team Meetings

over the last two years have included sufficient time to provide information regarding

gifted services. The District is working to improve professional development

opportunities with High School Leadership (typically, GATE has had minimal contact

through sporadic presentations at High School Leadership Team Meetings).

18.Honors/AP Recruitment and Outreach [p. 19]3

a. Equitable enrollment opportunities [p.19, C(1)(a)] (Implemented)See 37(3), below. The District has taken actions to ensure that all students have equitable

opportunities to enroll in Honors/AP courses and for dual enrollment. Counselors have

been trained and directed to use the AP Potential Report (based on PSAT scores) to

identify underrepresented students who have demonstrated potential for success in

Honors/AP classes.

3 The curriculum department was disbanded for SYs 2009-10 and 2010-11 due to fiscal constraints. For SY 2011-12, a Deputy Superintendent (Dr. Maria Menconi) was hired to begin the process of writing a cohesive Districtcurriculum. Her office is analogous to the former curriculum department.



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b. Grade review and recruitment meetings [p.19, C(1)(b)] (Initiated)The PUSP components, Action Plan and an historical review of TUSD desegregation and

post-unitary status were presented to all school counselors in SY 2009-10. Also, a new

electronic pre-registration process was put in place. High school students pre-registered

for classes using an intranet-based system where they aligned required coursework with

personal interests and aspirations for post-secondary options. Students received

intentional, focused guidance (often in classroom or small group settings) from

counselors regarding graduation requirements, career pathways and course selection.

Transcripts for all students are reviewed each semester by counselors, with AASD and

NASD placing special emphasis on their respective student populations. Students are

identified and encouraged to take rigorous coursework based on grades, test scores and

personal commitment to do advanced work. These efforts resulted in an increase in the

number of minority students enrolled in advanced academic courses. In comparing 2009-

10 and 2010-11 school years, there were 98 fewer African American students enrolled in

District high schools, however, there was an increase (11) in the number of African

American students enrolled in one or more AP/IB classes. For Hispanic students, the total

number enrolled in District high schools increased by 322 (3%) and the number of

Hispanic students enrolled in one or more AP/IB classes increased by a total of 222

(21%). During SY 2010-11, the pre-registration process was improved and counselors

increased efforts to meet with students prior to course selection. A limited number of

parent meetings were held to encourage enrollment. In SY 2011-12, increasing the

number of meetings with individual students parents is a priority for 2011-2012.

c. Information to parents [p.19, C(1)(c)] (Initiated)On a limited basis, site administrators and middle school teachers have provided parents

with information on Honors/AP classes and the importance of early academic success in

preparing students for advanced work at the high school level. These meetings have

generally been parent-initiated. In SY 2011-12, the District is working to increase parent

contacts through campus-initiated and District-initiated meetings.



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d. Recruitment collaboration [p.19, C(1)(d)] (Not Implemented)This has not been implemented; the District did not have a Curriculum Department for

two years (see section 18 fn. 3, above).

19.Honors/AP Retention [pp. 19-20]

a. Student feedback to school administration [p.19, C(2)(a)] (Not Implemented)In SY 2011-12, the District has been developing a plan to survey students in advanced

academic courses. Survey results will be used to launch student/teacher/administrator

discussions, and to improve instructional delivery, improve teacher/student interactions,

and ultimately to improve academic performance and retention.

b. Interventions for students earning a B or lower [p.19, C(2)(b)] (Not Implemented)To date, interventions have been left to the discretion of teachers and site-administrators.

Once in the classroom, teachers are expected to contact parents if students are

experiencing academic problems. Learning Support Coordinators (LSCs) also assist with

the removal of student learning barriers. Additionally, sites offer tutoring for students

during conference periods. This intervention time also allows students one-on-one time

with AP, Honors or regular education teachers. The District has not implemented,

District-wide, a process to engage students based on a B or lower.

c. Parent interaction [p.19, C(2)(c)] (Initiated)Mexican American Studies Department

MASD is a curriculum-based program, and is not structured to facilitate this obligation.

African American Studies Department

Since SY 2009-10, AASD staff members interacted with parents via email, phone calls

and conferences. AASD staff members reviewed student data using Mojave to identify

potential honors and AP students. AASD participated in the Rincon registration round

robin process and walk-through with students advising them on class options. AASD



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21.International Baccalaureate (IB) [pp. 21-22, C]

a. IB recruitment [p. 21, C(1)] (Implemented)The District has recruited students from throughout the District and from other districts to

the IB Program with emphasis on African American and Hispanic students. Cholla High

School (site of the High School IB Program) has taken the following actions:

Celebration of 2010 Students included student reflections of their IB experience IB Information Night, October 12, 2010 IB Showcase, February 15, 2011 Recruitment meeting with pizza for incoming 2011-12 Juniors, February 2011

The District has supplemented Chollas site recruitment with the following actions:

Festival of Schools Middle School Recruitment at the U of A Beardown Gym The IB Coordinator has assisted Cholla counselors in registering middle school

students for 9th grade classes

b. IB outreach [p. 21, C(2)] (Implemented)To encourage interest in the IB Program, school staff has developed an outreach plan to

contact both underserved student groups and their parents, beginning in the elementary

and middle schools. The Outreach has included the following actions:

October, 2010 Sent invitations to 2,300 8th graders at Doolen, Pistor, Roskruge,Hohokam, Maxwell, Mansfield, Safford, Valencia, Wakefield and Miles for the

October 12th

Information Night at Cholla (and advertised the event on the TUSD

website and on Chollas marquee).

February, 2011 Sent out invitations to all 8th graders at Doolen, Pistor,Roskruge, Hohokam, Maxwell, Mansfield, Safford, Valencia, Wakefield and

Miles for the Showcase at Cholla (and advertised the event on the TUSD website

and on Chollas marquee).



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May, 2011 Revamped the information brochure and IB flier which is beingprinted in May. It will also be translated and printed in Spanish.

Articulation between Cholla and Safford Middle Schoolo October 2010 Cholla and Safford staff met to discuss the articulation

between the schools to improve the IB Pipeline and the need for

implementing the Middle Years Program (MYP) in grades 9-10 at Cholla.

o March, 2011 Annelies Brabant, former MYP teacher, went to Safford tohelp the Middle Years teachers understand how to develop their MYP

curriculum maps.

o March, 2011 Frank Armenta, Frank Moraga, Joyce Meyer, AnneliesBrabant and Nour Jandali presented to the Safford staff Chollas plans for

developing the MYP and IBCC Programs at Cholla.

o March, 2011 Jim Fish, Terry Tenance, Sarah Costello, Frank Armenta,Frank Moraga, Joyce Meyer and Annelies Brabant met to discuss

articulation of the Districts IB Pipeline

o August, 2010 through May, 2011 Nour Jandali has been teaching Arabicat Safford and Cholla through the Foreign Language Assistance Program

(FLAP) Grant.

c. IB elementary and middle school [p. 21, C(3)] (Implemented)A minimum of one elementary and one middle school will be identified and funded for

an IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and an IB Middle Years Programme (MYP),

respectively, for 20102011 school year. Robison Elementary School has been identified

as an IB PYP is supported by grant funding. Safford K-8 School has been identified as

an IB MYP and is supported by grant funding. Both school programs are in their second

year of operation in SY 2011-12, considered the candidacy phase. Robinson will seek

full IB PYP status in March 2012; Safford will seek full MYP status in September 2012.

d. IB support plan [p. 21, C(4)] (Implemented)When student progress reports are issued every four and one-half weeks, school staff

members identify IB students who received grades below a B, and communicate with



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parents. The Ethnic Studies Departments assist in this effort by informing parents about

their childs progress, teacher expectations, and additional academic support available to

students. The following actions have been taken:

Intervention plan written to include a student/parent/coordinator contract, timeschedule for tutoring/tutoring log/home study time log and weekly progress report

Staff members have met with Diploma Programme students who had poor gradesat the end of the first progress report; the Diploma Programme is in full

implementation at Cholla High School for students in grades 10-12.

Solidified the curricular goals of the 9th and 10th grade IB Prep courses to givestudents intentional access and preparation to the Diploma Programme.

Invited African American students through AASDs Showcase in February. Provided Saturday workshops for the Extended Essay, CAS and other needed

coursework in Diploma Programme classes.

22.University High School (UHS) [pp. 22-23, C]

a. UHS teacher recruitment [p. 22, C(1)] (Initiated)UHS has aggressively recruited and sought to hire African American and Hispanic

teachers. While UHS is committed to recruiting African American and Hispanic faculty,District hiring policies are restrictive in nature. In SY 2008-09, UHS hired an African

American teacher but that teacher was subjected to a reduction-in-force in 2009 due to a

lack of seniority. In SY 2010-11, UHS hired an African American College and Career

Readiness Coordinator, and a Hispanic Learning Supports Coordinator.

b. UHS student recruitment [p. 22, C(2)] (Implemented)As a result of two successive Interim Principals beginning the academic school year in

SY 2009-10, long term planning relating to the PUSP did not occur the first semester.

During the 2010 spring semester, the Interim Principal, Elizabeth Moll, sent the Mentor

Recruiters to each middle school to meet with 7th grade students to encourage them to

apply and test for admission. The Mentor Recruiters contacted the families of all

qualified African American and Hispanic students and encouraged them to attend UHS.



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A series of Breakfast Orientations were organized. During the summer of 2010 UHS

administration partnered with the Accountability and Research Department to make the

application process more streamlined, accessible and transparent. UHS stakeholders met

for three days to develop strategies for recruitment and retention of students of color. A

Recruitment and Retention subcommittee was established and meets once a month during

the school year to monitor progress and support continuous improvement. The District

extended the application deadlines and provided more testing opportunities.

In 2010-11 UHS implemented several recruitment strategies. Led by its Learning

Supports Coordinator (LSC), UHS initiated three parent Informational Nights at strategic

middle schools. The District developed an advertising campaign with KVOA, which

aired 17 times in January with the message You Should Be Here. To improve

communication with the middle schools, UHS hosted an Informational Breakfast for

Middle School Counselors and LSCs in spring 2011. Feedback indicated that counselors

gained an understanding of the UHS admissions process. The UHS contacted potential

African American and Hispanic students and families to invite them for a tour and

information session. Having a bilingual coordinator has facilitated this process.

In order to be more strategic in its recruitment UHS has developed a calendar for 2011-

12, which includes school visits, parent information nights, and targeted outreach in

partnership with the Ethnic Studies Departments including 8th

grade recruitment mailing.

In addition, UHS has redesigned its website and, in partnership with AASD, has

redesigned its brochure to include more diverse images in order to better target minority

students. After student qualification we will offer site tours, Freshman Orientation, and

targeted outreach. The events are not new but the timing is earlier in the calendar year in

order for students and families to be more knowledgeable about UHS before they make

their school placement decision.

c. UHS Retention [pp. 22-23, C(3)] (Implemented)In the summer of 2010, UHSs Site Council Summer Advisory Committee made

recommendations to UHS to address the provisions of this section. Tracy Benson (Pima



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County School Superintendents Office) facilitated the UHS Site Council Advisory

Committee, which was made up of stakeholders who met for three days to make

recommendations for enhancing parent communication. Recommendations were

presented to the faculty and adopted by the Site Council on August 17, 2010. Once the

recommendations were approved, Site Council established a Recruitment and Retention

Committee to monitor the implementation of the recommendations. This committee

meets on a monthly basis and reports to Site Council and the Parent Association.

Additionally, UHS and the Site Council have taken the following actions:

Used existing data (e.g. placement test, COGAT, transcripts) to identify studentsareas of potential strengths and weakness with emphasis on 9th and 10th graders

Held grade-level meetings every four weeks to identify struggling students acrossthe curriculum and to develop instructional strategies addressing the identified

needs of the students

Designated a point person from the grade-level meetings to contact parents and tomonitor students progress. Parents were made aware of after school tutoring,

writing and math centers and conference periods on Monday and Tuesday for

additional support.

Instituted express bus transportation. Extended bus travel resulted in negativeimpacts on student academic performance. Therefore, student surveys were sentout to determine the length of travel time. Multiple meetings were held with

parents and a strategy was established to work with the Transportation

Department to minimize travel time for students who were on buses more than 1

hour each way. As a result express transportation was instituted on January 31,

2010.

Created a Learning Supports Coordinator position at UHS to meet with studentsand parents to communicate and provide academic and social support.

In SY 2010-11, UHS plans to re-establish professional development time to continue

with grade level meetings, promote more faculty communication with parents, explore

additional strategies to ensure more faculty communication with parents occurs, and

continue with express transportation.



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RESTORATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE AND CLIMATE

23.Diversity Leadership Review and Assessment [p.24 B(1)]

a. DSE tracks student experiences; identifies interventions [p.24 B(1)(a-b)] (Initiated)In April 2011, the Accountability and Research (A&R) Department gave the Department

of Student Equity (DSE) approval to commence this research. The research project is

being conducted in conjunction with the DSE, MASD, and AASD. In SY 2010-11, the

departments worked together to identify students to be interviewed. This has not

continued in SY 2011-12.

b. DSE assessments of staff intercultural proficiency [p.24, B(1)(c)] (Implemented)In SY 2010-11, surveys were piloted at Safford, Robison, and Ochoa Elementary

Schools. In SY 2011-12, DSE has expanded the pool of schools assessed by partnering

with AASD to administer surveys at Mansfield MS, Safford K-8 MS, Dodge Magnet MS,

and Catalina Magnet HS. DSE will submit a preliminary report on the findings.

c. DSE curriculum and teaching reviews [p.24, B(1)(d)] (Implemented)In SY 2010-11, January 21, 2011, the DSE reviewed UHS and Mission View, Ochoa, and

Warren elementary schools. Further reviews continued through the end of SY 2010-11.

The DSE, in partnership with MS Leadership, continues to participate in walkthroughs to

review teaching methods and curriculum to ensure that principles of equality and equity

are being reflected.

24.Diversity Leadership Implementation [pp. 24-25, B(2)]

a. Academic equity [p.24, B(2)(a)] (Initiated)DSE has collaborated with staff to design, implement, and assess effective methodologies

that contribute to greater academic equity. In SY 2010-11, A&R gave DSE approval to

commence this project. DSE started this work at Mission View Elementary, Ochoa



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Magnet Elementary, and Warren Elementary. DSE has conducted three rounds of

principal interviews, and site observations have commenced. Although this process was

initiated, the research was suspended and planned interviews with teachers, students, and

parents have not occurred.

b. New-hire orientation on cultural responsiveness/relevance [p.25, B(2)(b)] (Initiated)In 2010 the District in conjunction with the DSE developed a 45-hour Intercultural

Proficiency (Culturally Responsive Pedagogy) course. The course was offered through

the Professional Development Portal in 2010 and in the summer of 2011 but few, if any,

enrolled. Because participation was voluntary there was minimal participation. In SY

2010-11, Dr. Maria Menconi (Deputy Superintendent) met with the DSE to review the

course, and directed DSE to collaborate with MASD and AASD to redesign the course

into three, four-hour blocks that can be offered to all new employees. The course has

been developed but has not been offered to new-hires.

c. Leadership Academy (aka Leading the Learning) [p.25, B(2)(c)] (Initiated)The redesign of the Leadership Academy was not started. At end of SY 2008-09, the

Academy was eliminated when the District eliminated the Professional Development

Department that had previously operated the Academy. The goal of the Academy was to

grow our own administrators and principals. While operational, the Academy lasted the

entire year, every Wednesday from 4-6pm. Participants discussed public relations,

management, etc. all with an eye towards bettering student achievement. Members

included District teachers and some people from outside of the district. For every five

members there were two administrators who worked closely as mentors. The Academy

cost little to nothing to operate, as the mentor administrators volunteered their time, and

District members could earn a salary increment credit for the hours they attended.

In SY 2010-11, attempts were made to initiate the redesign through Middle School

Leadership and to rename the initiative Leading the Learning and to refocus it on

teaching Restorative Practices. Most elementary, middle, and high school principals have

received training in Restorative Practices. In SY 2011-12, Professional Learning



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Communities are being developed for each administrative level. Within those

communities, seminars are offered on cultural responsiveness and further training will be

given in restorative practices.

d. Cultural responsiveness/relevance [p.25, B(2)(d)] (Implemented)This work has been conducted in two parts. First, starting in SY 2010-11, DSE

collaborated with AASD to conduct cultural responsiveness workshops for staff and

administration at sites throughout the district including Palo Verde High School, UHS,

Santa Rita High School, Sabino High School, Doolen Middle School, and Booth-Fickett

K-8. These workshops continue to be offered based upon site requests and central

administrations input. Second, in SY 2010-11, the DSE-designed course was offered for

anyone interested in increasing their depth of understanding in the area of cultural

responsiveness, or for those who have been deemed in need of this type of continuing

education. This course will be assessed for effectiveness and will continue to be offered

based on central administrations input. In SY 2011-12, DSE has continued to partner

with AASD to expand this work to include Mansfield MS, Safford K-8 MS, Dodge

Magnet MS, and Catalina Magnet HS.

25.Discipline [pp.25-26, C]

a. Review suspension data for root causes of disparities [p.25, C(1)] (Implemented)Starting in SY 2010-11, reviews began at: Catalina, Cholla, Palo Verde, Sahuaro, and

Santa Rita High Schools; at Carson and Hohokam Middle Schools; and at Booth-Fickett,

Safford, and Townsend K-8s. DSE has conducted quarterly suspensions dialogues with

each of the sites listed above. In these dialogues, suspension and abeyance contract data

is reviewed, and trends in the data are addressed. DSE has provided three Abeyance

contracts colloquiums in order to help administrators and other staff members better

understand how to best utilize abeyance contracts. Based on identified negative data

trends existing at the end of SY 2010-11, DSE is collaborating with site administration

and teachers to design protocols to minimize referrals. Within these protocols restorative

practices will be implemented. Additional schools have been identified for SY 2011-12.



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In SY 2011-12, the DSE has continued to monitor and work with the schools identified in

SY 2010-11 and has expanded the list of schools being monitored to include: Gridley

Middle School, Magee Middle School, and Doolen Middle School.

b. Updates and actions to address disparities [p.25, C(2)] (Implemented)Beginning in SY 2010-11, DSE has worked with the Assistant Superintendents to provide

updates on suspension. Based upon requests from Leadership and other department

directors, special suspension reports and semester reports have been created. In SY 201-

12, the DSE continues to offer monthly suspension disparity updates to Leadership, and

to present suspension disparity data presentations at the monthly Middle School and High

Leadership meetings.

c. Focus on improvement, not punishment [p.26, C(3)] (Implemented)The DSE has continually worked to ensure that disciplinary policies focus on improving

students future behavior, rather than inflicting punishment, and that they represent a

commitment to social justice for all students. The DSE has continued to provide seminars

on abeyance contracts and restorative practices. In addition, the DSE hosts quarterly data

review meetings with sites that have demonstrated a high per capita suspension rate

and/or demonstrated ethnically disproportionate suspension rates. During these meetings,

the focus of the discussion centers on restorative practices, abeyance contracts, and a shift

in pedagogy and curriculum as a method of improving student engagement. During the

2011-12 an added focus within these meetings is a focus on Maslows Hierarchy of

Needs as a means of developing stronger communities of care.

26.Discipline Goal 1 [p.26, 2]Goal 1 is to change the punitive nature of the Districts discipline policies and practices.

a. Relationship training [p.26, 2(a)] (Initiated)The design for this course was completed in August of 2010, based on the Authentic

Caring model, and was offered during the summer of 2011. Based upon central



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administrations recommendation, this course could be provided throughout the district.

The course has been developed but has not been made available

b. Student surveys [p.26, 2(b)] (Not Implemented)Students were to be surveyed each semester to gauge student perceptions about teacher-

student interactions. Staff members were to be surveyed to gauge effectiveness of

Capturing Kids Hearts, which is being implemented at Hohokam, Valencia, Wakefield,

and Maxwell Middle Schools. This was not implemented.

c. Minimize referrals and suspensions [p.26, 2(c)] (Implemented)See section 25, above and sections 37(b, f, g and i), below.

d. Address race / racism issues [p.26, 2(d)] (Implemented)Starting in SY 2010-11, DSE and the Ethnic Studies Departments have advocated on

behalf of students and parents to ensure that issue are resolved in a restorative and just

manner. In SY 2011-12, DSE is creating a reporting matrix to track and baseline the

number of incidents throughout the school year.

e. Accountability conference training [p.26, 2(e)] (Not Implemented)Administrators and staff were to be provided training on conducting accountability

conferences with misbehaving students. This was not implemented.

f. Anti-Bullying training [p.26, 2(f)] (Initiated)Throughout SY 2010-11, DSE conducted three Anti-Bullying colloquium with K-12

administrators and support staff. In SY 2011-12, DSE will continue for offer its Anti-

Bullying colloquiums. The Districts Guidance and Counseling Department has offered

anti-bullying initiatives, including:

In September 2011, the Director for Guidance and Counseling surveyed each siteto identify whether they had strategies in place to address bully prevention. This

information is being used to identify successful strategies and to develop and

strengthen district-wide efforts.



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Kind Busses program to train bus drivers and monitors on identifying andaddressing bullying

Facilitating the participation of 43 schools in Bens Bells Kind Kids Program(affecting 17, 245 students)

Beginning in January 2012, 14, 900 District high school students will attend aKind Campus. Bens Bells Kind Campus program is currently in place at the

University of Arizona.

Facilitating participation from 13 high school students who are members of theSuperintendents Student Advisory Council to spearhead the Kind Campus

program

Facilitating bully-prevention workshops from Dr. Sheri Bauman (U of AProfessor and anti-bullying expert), presented to 112 crossing guards and Ethnic

Studies Department staff members, and presented to 11 schools,

27.Discipline Goal 2 [pp. 26-27, 2]Goal 2 is to reduce the disproportionate number of suspensions of African American and

Hispanic students.

a. Strategies to address student management [p.27, 2(a)] (Initiated)See section 25, above and sections 37(b, f, g and i), below.

b. Restorative practices training [p.27, 2(b)] (Implemented)See Appendix 2.

c. Additional restorative practices training [p.27, 2(c)] (Implemented)Training was to be provided by approved trainers throughout SY 2011-12; training for all

new hires was available in the fall semester as well as capturing the remainder of the

teachers that have not received training. MS teachers will begin to receive training during

the fall 2011 semester. Approved trainers worked collaboratively with the Department of

CIPL to coordinate all training. The District developed a universal LSC data

collection/log section in Mojave, and continues to train all certified high school staff and



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administration in Introductions to Restorative Practices and Using Circles Effectively.

By December 2011, the District had trained the entire High School LSC Team on

Facilitating Formal Restorative Conferences.

d. DSE review of all long-term suspensions [p.27, 2(d)] (Implemented)Since SY 2010-11, all long-term suspensions have been reviewed, and according to

Governing Board policy JK-R2, all outcomes have been reported to the Governing Board.

e. Identifying unusual discipline patterns [p.27, 2(e)] (Implemented)DSE began collecting data on unusual patterns in SY 2010-11 at the following schools:

Catalina, Cholla, Palo Verde, Sahuaro, and Santa Rita High Schools; and at Booth-Fickett

K-8, Carson Middle School, Hohokam Middle School, Safford K-8, and Townsend K-8.

DSE has conducted quarterly suspensions dialogues with each of the sites listed above. In

these dialogues suspension and abeyance contract data is reviewed, and trends in the data

are addressed. DSE has provided three Abeyance contracts colloquiums in order to help

administrators and other staff members better understand how to best utilize abeyance

contracts. New schools were identified for review in SY 2011-12. See section 25(c),

above and sections 37(g and i), below.

28.Discipline Goal 3 [pp. 27-28, 2]Goal 3 is to reduce in-school suspensions and to change the punitive nature of in-school

suspension (ISS) programs.

a. ISS restorative practice training and integration [p.28, 2(a)] (Initiated)Schools have trained ISS teachers in restorative-based or similar practices and continue to

require them to integrate these practices into ISS programs. This has not been

implemented district-wide.

b. ISS placements [p.28, 2(b)] (Not Implemented)



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Reflects in its content the aim of the district to: have all students perform at gradelevel; provide supplementary services to targeted students in grades 4 through 6

who fall seriously behind grade level in basic skills; keep targeted elementary

school students receiving supplementary services instructionally integrated with

the regular curriculum of the schools to the maximum extent practicable; offer

supplementary services to students who fall seriously behind grade level in basic

skills and keep services instructionally integrated with the regular curriculum of a

school to the maximum extent practicable; monitor and assist students whose

academic performance or personal problems place them at risk of failing courses

or eventually dropping out of school; intervene as early as practicable in

achievement problems; use the expertise of the African American and Mexican

American Studies Departments in identifying issues and setting objectives.

c. Equity Plan Process [p.29, C(7-10)] (Not Implemented)

31.MASD, Limited Expansion [p.31, B] (Initiated)Within budget constraints, the MASD expanded at the middle and high school levels to more

adequately meet the needs of the student population. The MASD has not been provided with

adequate budget to expand services in elementary schools by developing systems of supportto schools directed towards the elimination of disparities for Hispanic students in the

following areas: achievement, discipline, exceptional education placement, grade retention,

GATE placement and IB enrollment, as the budget permits.

32.MASD Course Offerings [pp. 31-32, B(1)]4

a. High School [pp. 31-32, B(1)(a)] (Implemented)In the 20092010 school year and thereafter, MASD offered the following courses:

11th-grade American history/Chicano perspectives courses at Cholla, Pueblo, Rincon,and Tucson High Schools

4 Note that effective January 10, 2012, classes were suspended as a result of Supt. of Public Instruction JohnHuppenthals determination that the courses violate A.R.S. section 15-112.



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12th-grade American government/social justice education project at Cholla, Rincon,and Tucson High Schools

11th-grade English/Hispanic literature courses at Pueblo and Tucson High Schools 12th-grade English/Hispanic literature course at Tucson High School In the 20102011 school year, the following additional elective courses will be

offered:

11th-grade English/Hispanic literature at Rincon and Catalina High Schools 11th-grade American history/Chicano perspectives at Catalina High School 12th-grade English/Hispanic literature at Catalina, Pueblo, and Rincon High Schools American government/social justice education project at Pueblo and Catalina High

Schools

b. Middle School [p.32, B(1)(b)] (Initiated)In the 20092010 school year and thereafter, MASD offered sixth- through eighth-grade

courses at Hohokam, Mansfeld, Wakefield, and Pistor Middle Schools. In the 20102011

school year, MASD expanded its sixth- through eighth-grade course offerings to Maxwell

and Roskruge, but not Valencia Middle Schools.

c. Elementary School [p.32, B(1)(c)] (Not Implemented)33.MASD Teacher Continuing Education [p.32, B(2)] (Implemented)

MASD collaborated with the University of Arizonas College of Education in developing and

hosting the Institute for Transformative Education for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011

academic years. For SY 2011-12, the Institute has been cancelled as a result of increased

scrutiny on the money spent as well as the increased amount of scrutiny that was placed on

the scholars that were brought in to work with District participants.



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34.MASD Student, Parent, and Community Involvement [p. 32, B(3)]

a. Parent Encuentros [p.32, B(3)(a)] (Implemented)MASD began facilitating Parent Encuentros at the following schools during the

following academic years (either per quarter or per semester):

Davis Bilingual Elementary School (2003-2004) Cholla High Magnet School (2003-2004) Pueblo Magnet High School (2003-2004) Tucson High Magnet School (2003-2004) Rincon High School (2007-2008) Pistor Middle School (2008-2009) Wakefield Middle School (2008-2009) Ochoa Elementary School (2009-2010)

In SY 2010-11, at sites that hosted MAS courses, and only for parents of studentsin those courses.

b. Student surveys [p.32, B(3)(b)] (Implemented)Students enrolled in HS MASD classes completed pre- and post- student surveys as a

way to monitor and adjust the efficacy of MASD classes at the following schools during

the following years: Cholla (2003-2004); Pueblo (2003-2004); Rincon (2007-2008); and

Tucson High (2003-2004). In SY 2010-11, surveys were conducted at the above-named

high schools. Based on student responses, adjustments were made to the program.

c. Monitoring student progress [p.32, B(3)(c)] (Implemented)In SY 2010-11, MASD tracked the percentage of low socioeconomic students for the

2007-2010 academic years. Students enrolled in MASD classes at Cholla, Catalina,

Pueblo, Rincon and Tucson High Schools were found to have graduation rates that were

substantially higher for district-defined Low Income and Very Low Income students.

For these two groups, students taking MASD courses substantially outperformed their

non-MASD counterparts:

Low income students: 7.8 percentage point difference (74.9 percent graduationrate, non-MASD; 82.7 percent, MASD)

Very low income students: 14.7 percentage point difference (64.3 percentgraduation rate , non-MASD; 78.9 percent, MASD)



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There were 3,338 DISTRICT students in the 2010 cohort who did not take an MAS

course. Iflow and very low income students who did not take an MAS course were able

to graduate at the same rates as their MAS peers, it would have translated into roughly

104 more students graduating from THE DISTRICT in May 2010.

35.MASD Equitable Representation of Hispanic Students [pp. 32-33, B(4)]

a. Retention and matriculation [p. 32, B(4)(a)] (Implemented)Since SY 2003-04, MASD staff members have provided student mentoring, student

advocacy, and counseling for Hispanic students in conjunction with site

administration/teachers at Cholla, Pueblo, Rincon and Tucson High Schools. This work

has focused on student achievement generally, but also specifically on retention and

matriculation. MASD staff has continually assessed graduation rates of students enrolled

in Mexican American Studies (MAS) courses compared to students not enrolled in MAS

courses. During SY 2009-10, Senior students who took MAS courses graduated at a

10.9% higher graduation rate than their Senior peers (Comparison Group) who did not

take the courses. Also, it is important to note that for the previous 5 academic years, 2005

to 2010, Seniors enrolled in MAS courses graduated on average at a rate of 92.8%

compared to the Comparison Group who graduated at an 85.8% rate. In SY 2010-11,

MASD in conjunction with A&R, began to disaggregate the graduation rate data by

ethnicity to identify the disparities between Hispanic students enrolled in MAS courses

and Hispanic students not enrolled in MAS courses. Recognizing the correlations

between retention, matriculation, and discipline, MASD collaborated with AASD to

provide Professional Development for Rincon High School teachers examining

disparities in suspensions/expulsions of African American and Hispanic students

compared to White/Anglo students.

b. Advanced Placement [pp. 32-33, B(4)(b)] (Not Implemented)In SY 2009-10, MASD began examining Hispanic student representation in AP courses

at Cholla, Pueblo, Rincon and Tucson High schools. DSE has identified trends in

Hispanic Student enrollment in AP classes, and has assisted in analyzing the data.



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Maxwell, Cholla, Safford, Roberts-Naylor, Erickson, Drachman, Wright, Catalina,

Cavett, and Doolen. AASD has used the reading program Achieve 3000 to provide

literacy tutoring and support before, during, and after school, and has held several

academic empowerment workshops for students. At Sahuaro, AASD worked to increase

African American enrollment in AP courses. District-wide, AASD has developed a male

leadership academy with an emphasis on empowering 8th grade students. In SY 2011-12,

AASD will continue these efforts.

b. Drop-Out, suspension, expulsion interventions [p.34, B(2)] (Implemented)At the same sites listed above in section 37(a), AASD has developed and implemented

the following interventions aimed at decreasing drop-out, suspension and expulsions:

One-on-one tutoring/advising, parent meetings, phone calls, home visits, smallgroup sessions, guest speakers

Empowerment workshops for high school male and female students at TucsonHigh Magnet School, Santa Rita, Rincon

Achieve 3000 reading program Male leadership academy Collaborations with the DSE, including interventions for individual students

Increased support at the middle school level has had a direct impact as a result of a 30+%

reduction in middle school suspensions district-wide. For example, Mansfeld had a 101%

suspension rate to African American student enrollment during the 2009-10 school year.

In SY 2010-11, suspensions have been reduced greatly at Mansfield and Doolen middle

schools. AASD has increased its overall visibility in schools by providing additional staff

support/mentor support in additional schools at least one day per week. Male leadership

academy participants suspensions have dropped when comparing students suspensions

for the previous year.

c. Parent forums [p.34, B(3)] (Implemented)Starting in SY 2009-10, AASD has disseminated a quarterly parent newsletter mailed

home to all students and multiple local businesses and churches, posted on the web, and



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emailed to all District employees. In the summer of 2010, AASD hosted a parent

workshop to introduce and train parents on using the Achieve 3000 reading program to

help improve their students reading.

In SYs 2010-11 and 2011-12, AASD hosted a Parent University with workshops for

parents on community-building in partnership with Pima Community College. AASD has

partnered with school sites by attending school site events and encouraging parents to

attend due to AASD participation and staff have continually supported school sites

reading and math nights, family nights, etc. In SY 2011-12, AASD is expanding

outreach by encouraging parents to get involved with the School Community Partnership

Council (SCPC).

d. Culturally responsive curriculum [p.34, B(4)] (Implemented)See section 36, above. AASD created a Staff Development & Multicultural Curriculum

Coordinator position, and began providing support to Cholla in August 2010. Schools

receiving direct support through staff development, one-on-one teacher collaboration, and

professional development opportunities include: Pistor, Alice Vail, Gridley, Safford,

Hohokam, Mansfeld, Booth-Fickett, Doolen, Sahuaro, Santa Rita, Cholla, Tucson, Palo

Verde, UHS, Southwest Alternative, and Sabino. AASD has also implemented

Harambee curriculum at the following elementary sites: Blenman, Cragin, Brichta,

Tully, Holladay, Roberts-Naylor, Erickson, Booth-Fickett, Cavett, Hughes. AASD has

provided curriculum resources online through the Districts Curriculum Connect, and

has provided direct staff development and professional development for more than 350

certified teachers, counselors, social workers, and psychologists (minimum 3 hrs) in the

area of culturally proficient practices, multiculturalism and understanding. AASD has

also hosted professional development directed toward implementing a multicultural

approach and Afrocentric perspectives in the curriculum, a Harambee cultural concert

and lesson plans for elementary schools, a scope/sequence development to address the

achievement gap at Sahuaro, and co-hosted a Multicultural symposium attended by

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e. Enhancing access to higher-level courses [p.34, B(4)] (Initiated)Starting in February 2010, AASD began making personal calls and following-up with

students eligible for GATE enrollment. AASD partnered with UHS to implement

minority student and parent recruitment breakfasts. The Department initiated a pilot

program at Sahuaro High School focused on increasing African American student

enrollment in Advanced Placement courses, resulting in an additional eight students

enrolling in AP. In SY 2010-11, AASD staff members have consistently attended GATE

advisory meetings to better understand how to help parents take advantage of GATE

opportunities, and understand the GATE identification and placement process. From this

information, AASD developed and presented strategies at a high school leadership

meeting focused on increasing enrollment in higher-level courses.

f. Assist in reducing disparities in exceptional education [p.34, B(5)] (Implemented)Starting in SY 2009-10, AASD has assisted with efforts to reduce the overrepresentation

of African American students in special education classes by:

Providing an AASD behavior specialist who serves as a member of the districtbehavior intervention team to reduce misplacement of students in exceptional

education

In August 2010, AASD hosted a staff development for all psychologists andsocial workers covering culturally proficient advocacy practices

In November 2010, AASD hired an additional behavior specialist to increasesupport advocacy and reduce misplacement of students in exceptional education.

The additional specialist allows AASD to service more sites. These specialists

also help sites develop behavior plans to support student needs, with the goal of

reducing suspensions for African American students in exceptional education.

g. Monitoring performance and developing student plans [p.34, B(6)] (Initiated)AASD has increased its utilization of the Districts Mojave student tracking system to

monitor student progress grades, discipline incidents, attendance, and GPA to identify at-

risk students. Although AASD has not developed individual student academic plans, per

se, AASD does maintain hot lists of 25-30 students at the sites served by AASD. The



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purpose of the lists is to monitor students who have poor attendance, failing grades, or

discipline issues. For students on the lists, AASD staff members: implement one-to-one

interventions; make parent contacts through phone calls and home visits; facilitate small

group sessions to discuss strategies to increase academic outcomes; serve as liaisons

between the site and the students families; and advocate on behalf of students at

disciplinary hearings.

h. Assist with recruitment, hiring, retention [p.34, B(7)] (Implemented)AASD has worked to share employment opportunities with potential candidates in the

District and in Tucson community, has assisted individuals with interview preparation,

and staff members have served on a human resources recruitment committee to address

recruitment and retention of African American employees. Staff members have actively

networked with potential candidates from out of state and assist with navigating the

application process.

i. Assist in reducing disproportionate disciplinary actions [p.34, B(7)] (Implemented)See section 37(g), above. AASD has increased staffing at the middle school level for

increased presence, visibility, and interactions with site administrations. AASD has

implemented a leadership academy with bi-weekly meetings, and hired an additional

behavior specialist to provide behavior intervention support. Staff continues to provide

one-to-one support, small group support, empowerment conferences, and to consistently

respond to site requests for assistance regarding discipline. Beginning in SY 2010-11,

AASD began to actively monitor district suspensions and individual incidents to identify

opportunities for AASD to intervene on behalf of students.



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INTENTIONAL STUDENT ADVOCACY

38.Elementary-Level Advocacy [p.35, A] (Implemented)In SY 2010-11, the following activities occurred: Each site administrator school administrator and Learning Support Coordinator (LSC)

received training in Learning Supports with experts from UCLA on building

comprehensive systems of supports within sites which reduce barriers to learning.

Each school administration and LSC received training by UCLA experts on re-engagingdisconnected students, which is critical to advocacy.

Half time LSCs have been assigned to each of 29 schools to model advocacy practices forteachers and have done this all school year.

Six school faculties, along with principals, will be trained in Capturing Kids Hearts, withemphasis on student advocacy, this June.

In SY 2011-12, Elementary Leadership has planned the following activities:

Complete the hiring so all schools will have a half time LSC Train the newly hired LSCs, continue the training of the initial LSCs who, along with

principals, will train all teachers in advocacy.

Develop a foundational advocacy model that is standardized across schools. Thismodel may be enhanced by individual sites, but the minimal standard will be set.

39. Secondary-Level Advocacy [p.35, B] (Initiated)In SY 2010-11, the following activities occurred at the middle schools:

Students have been identified Teachers have received parent permission Staff members have worked with students to create strong relationships Staff members have continually checked student grades, absences, discipline, etc.See section 36, above. The culturally responsive training provided by the AASD and the DSE

to teachers and administrators includes a component called Culturally Proficient Advocacy

in which staff and administrators learn strategies to support the needs of traditionally

underserved students.



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ANNUAL MONITORING AND REPORTING

40.Internal Compliance Officer (ICO) Selection [p. 37, A(1)] (Implemented)

First Hiring Process Spring 2010 (Job No. 09-7137)

In January 2010, one month after the District Court adopted the PUSP, the District initiated

the first hiring process for

az pusp implementation report 012312

Documents