Schools, districts, and education policy in Arizona.
The Arizona Department of Education reset cut scores after a field test with 600 native English speakers found nearly half failed. The statewide reclassification rate jumped from 12% to 26%.
The August 24 vote is the first step in a broader overhaul after an Auditor General audit found Arizona's grading system was the only one among states reviewed that used bonus points and that more than 77% of schools received A or B grades.
The initiative to restrict Arizona's universal ESA program is roughly 10,000 signatures short under a lower court ruling. The high court is weighing whether duplicate signatures were double-counted, which could add back about 24,000 signatures and save the measure.