2016-17 Academic Report
As Chief Academic Officer for CFE Management Group, I help manage and expand schools by providing academic, business and development services. I also serve as the Local Education Agency (LEA) representative for Legacy Traditional Schools. I am very pleased to report Legacy’s educational progress during the 2016-2017 school year. In 2014, all Legacy schools received an A label, and the network became the highest rated K-8 school system in the state of Arizona based on the now archived local state academic standards.
Arizona schools were not rated for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years. During this period, the state transitioned to new Common Core-aligned standards and from a paper-based assessment (AIMS) to a computer-based assessment (AzMERIT). Legacy schools made modifications to our curriculum and instructional practice to adjust to the high rigor of these new standards and the method by which we administer assessments. Some key alterations to our program included:
- Acquiring mobile computer labs at every grade level in each Legacy school
- The adoption of a new English Arts curriculum to supplement Spalding
- An expansion of remedial tutoring during intersessions and summer break
- The implementation of engaging student educational software to further differentiate instruction
- The implementation of a progressive teacher appraisal and accountability model
- Increasing the level of depth and frequency of Professional Development offered to all Legacy teachers
After a two-year transition period, and as a result of the modifications that we made to our program, the Legacy network once again demonstrated academic excellence by earning an A label. The network is also rated in the top 10% of Arizona school systems as measured by the Arizona Department of Education for the 2016-2017 school year. In 2017, 75% of our schools received an A label. As a result, Legacy Traditional Schools has the highest percentage of A-rated K-8 schools of all charter school networks in Arizona.
I am pleased to report that our 2016-2017 academic achievements include:
- Nine Legacy Traditional Schools received an A label from the Arizona Department of Education. The other three schools received a B label. As the data currently stands, only 16% of all Arizona schools received an A label, compared to 75% of Legacy Traditional Schools.
- Each Legacy school outperformed the state proficiency percentage and MAP growth average at all grade levels and by each content assessed.
- Legacy students outperformed each of their peer subgroups in both Math and English Language Arts.
- Legacy Traditional School’s Queen Creek and Casa Grande campuses were the only schools in Pinal County, Arizona, to receive an A rating.
- Legacy Traditional School – Avondale was the highest scoring school of all 540 Arizona charter schools and the fourth highest scoring of all 1,465 Arizona public district and charter schools.
- Finally, Legacy’s English Language Learner’s reclassification rate for full English proficiency was nine percent higher than the state average.
In conclusion, the Legacy network has grown from one school with 521 students to 12 schools with over 12,000 students in 10 years, all while maintaining exceptional academic outcomes and outscoring state proficiency averages each year since our inception. At Legacy, growth and
year-over-year high academic performance run parallel.
