June 9, 2010

The Honorable Tom Horne
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Arizona Department of Education
1535 West Jefferson Street, Bin Z
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Dear Superintendent Horne:

On behalf of Secretary Duncan, I want to thank you for your hard work in implementing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. I am writing in response to Arizona’ request to amend its state accountability plan under Title I of the ESEA. Following discussions between the Department and your staff, you made changes to Arizona’ accountability plan, which are now included in the amended state accountability plan that Arizona submitted to the Department on June 1, 2010. I am pleased to approve Arizona’ amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of Arizona’s requested amendments is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend Arizona’s accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.

Please also be aware that approval of Arizona’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

I am confident that Arizona will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact (Victoria.Hammer@ed.gov) or (Clayton.Hollingshead@ed.gov).

Sincerely,

Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D.

Enclosure
cc: Governor Jan Brewer
Robert Franciosi

The following is a summary of Arizona’s amendment request. Please refer to the Department’s website (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for Arizona’s complete accountability plan.

Defining public high school graduation rate for use in adequate yearly progress (AYP) determinations (Element 7.1)

Revision: Arizona will combine a four- and five-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate for AYP determinations based on 2010–11 assessment results, weighting the four-year rate at 60 percent and the five-year rate at 40 percent.

Decision Letters on State Accountability Plans