Pizza Camp was the kick-off for this year’s Arizona Summer Feeding Program on Thursday, June 14th from 1-2pm at Chief Hill Learning Academy in Chandler. The Dairy Council of Arizona awarded a total of $20,000 in grants to the Summer Feeding Program to celebrate June’s Dairy Month. The Chandler Unified School District was one of 32 programs to receive $2,000 of this total to help feed children who would otherwise go hungry when out of school.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas was on hand, along with The Arizona Diamondback’s organist Bobby Freeman and alumni player Kelly Stinnett, as well as the folks at the Dairy Council of Arizona and the Chandler Firefighters to help make pizzas. The groups interacted with 50+ hungry kids, as they made their own pizzas and watched the dough being hand-tossed by pizza professionals before baking them in a state-of-the-art conveyor pizza oven.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded child nutrition program which was established to ensure low-income children, ages 18 and younger, continue to have an opportunity to receive nutritious means when school in not in session. In Arizona, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), Health and Nutrition Services division, directly administers the program.
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, Diane Douglas, noted that the Summer Food Services Program (SFSP) has begun.
So far, one thousand and fifty-five (1,155) SFSP sites have been approved in the State of Arizona. This is an increase over last year’s total of one thousand and seventy-three (1,073). As with every summer, additional SFSP sites are added through the summer. Some of the sites are already opened, others will open soon. The sites will remain open through the first week in August.
Last year, during the summer of 2017, more than 3.1 Million meals were served at SFSP sites in Arizona. With the increase in sites, it is anticipated that even more meals will be served. The majority of sites serve breakfast and lunch. Some also serve dinner and/or snacks.
Following the decision made yesterday evening by teachers to strike next Thursday, Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas has implored teachers not to walk out of their classrooms if their salary demands are not met by that time.
“I have long been a vocal proponent of providing teachers with significant pay raises,” Superintendent Douglas said. “No one has more respect for the jobs that teachers do, which is why I proposed a viable, meaningful increase in their salaries last year, as well as sustainable funding specifically for them and school facilities.
In preparation of a potential walk out on Thursday, the Department will issue guidance in the coming days from program areas such as School Finance, Health and Nutrition and Assessment. The Department is already working with schools that are deciding to remain open to provide free and reduced meals, as well as provide direction regarding the legal amount of annual instructional hours necessary for schools that close.
Superintendent Douglas will also present more guidance and provide an update at the upcoming State Board of Education meeting on Monday regarding a potential walkout.
The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) has released fourth and eighth grade math and reading results from the 2017 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is designed to inform the public about academic achievement of American elementary and secondary students. As Arizona continues to tackle numerous important educational challenges, the Arizona 10-year (2007-17) trend NAEP scores remain strong, while the two-year (2015-17) comparative results are mixed.
The Arizona average scale scores for 2017 NAEP are +8 in Grade 8 Reading, +6 in Grade 8 Math, +5 in Grade 4 Reading, and +2 in Grade 4 Math when compared to Arizona average scale scores for 2007.
Arizona students maintained the same average scale score in 2017 that they received in 2015 (263).
Arizona students with a disability (SD) had an average scale score of 233; this was +7 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona SD students in 2015 (226).
Arizona African-American students had an average scale score of 254; this was a +5 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona African-American students in 2015 (249).
Arizona American Indian/Alaskan Native students had an average scale score of 254; this was a +10 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona American Indian/Alaskan Native students in 2015 (244).
Arizona students had an average scale score that equaled the national average scale score (282).
Arizona Asian students had an average scale score of 316; this was a +11 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona Asian students in 2015 (305).
Arizona African-American students had an average scale score of 272; this was a +3 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona African-American students in 2015 (269).
Arizona American Indian/Alaskan Native students had an average scale score of 263; this was a +3 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona American Indian/Alaskan Native students in 2015 (260).
Arizona SD students had an average scale score of 183; this was +6 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona SD students in 2015 (177).
Arizona English Learner (EL) students had an average scale score of 171; this was a +6 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona EL students in 2015 (165).
Arizona white students had an average scale score of 232; this was a +3 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona white students in 2015 (229).
Arizona students had an average scale of 234; this was a -4 scale-point decrease from that of Arizona students in 2015 (238).
Arizona American Indian/Alaskan Native students had an average scale score of 223; this was a +3 scale-point improvement from that of Arizona American Indian/Alaskan Native students in 2015 (220).
Basic denotes a partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work.
Proficient represents a solid academic performance with demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter.