MUSD aims for ’10 by 2010′

Banners hang on walls, from ceilings and almost anywhere else they can be placed in every Maricopa Unified School District school and department. The topic is discussed at board meetings, among staff and by the leadership team, but what exactly does this new “10 by 2010” slogan mean for MUSD?

“The 10 percent by 2010 is a goal that came out of a leadership meeting to improve 10 percent of the students who scored at the ‘falls far below’ or ‘approaching’ categories on last year’s AIMS test,” said Krista Roden, MUSD’s director of curriculum and instruction.

To target these students, MUSD teachers and leadership are looking at last year’s test scores to identify those that scored in the lower areas.

Once these students are identified, teachers and district staff provide supplemental instruction and use other tools to help better prepare the students for the upcoming AIMS test.

However, it is not only scores from last year the district is looking at to insure a 10 percent improvement in the number of students not meeting state standards. The district will call on a new academic tracking tool this year that looks at the academic progress each student is making throughout the year and identifies problem areas.

“This seems like a lofty goal, but it is something we are confident we can do,” Roden said. “We are all here to raise MUSD’s student achievement level,” she told leadership at their before school year retreat.

A team of both certified and classified staff members will meet at least three times each year after benchmarks are in place to analyze site needs and record progress toward the 10 percent by 2010 goal. Updates will be shared with parents and stakeholders and will be communicated during leadership meetings and district school activities.

While the district is hoping to decrease the number of those who are under performing, Roden said it is not forgetting about other students.

“We would like to increase the scores of all MUSD students,” she said.

Photo by Joyce Hollis