In the moments leading up to a recent Salt River Schools board meeting, Accelerated Learning Academy Principal Barbara Wilkinson was smiling from ear to ear as she had fantastic news to share with the Education Board and school families. 

“For the first time ever, the ALA has achieved an A letter grade,” said Wilkinson proudly during her board presentation. The room then erupted with applause and cheers.

Schools earn a letter grade based on a range of metrics, which include language proficiency, graduation rate, college and career readiness of their students, and more. More than 1,500 schools in the state are assessed and given grades by the Arizona Department of Education. The lengthy grading process began in July, and on October 25, the ALA made history by achieving an A grade for the first time in its 17 years of being an accredited school.

The following grading scale is utilized by the Arizona Department of Education: A = Excellent; B = Highly Performing; C = Performing; D = Minimally Performing; F = Failing.

ALA is a credit recovery school open to students ages 16 to 21 who are behind in high school credits and seeking a high school diploma. ALA shines in its elective, extracurricular, and college and career readiness offerings, according to Salt River Schools. In recent years, ALA had received B letter grades. 

The entire ALA staff was in attendance at the November 4 board meeting and were overcome with emotion as Wilkinson presented her report, detailing how the ALA staff worked as a team to achieve their A grade. 

“Our ‘Progress Monitoring’ meetings happen weekly throughout the entire school year,” said Wilkinson. “If we do notice student(s) are falling behind, we pull them aside and provide a significant amount of intervention. We’re making sure that our students are obtaining their credits.” 

Additionally, ALA staff members also monitor the progress of students who choose to leave ALA and attend a nearby high school within the state. 

“We have students coming to us as early as 16 years old. However, we have graduating students at 18, 19 and 20 years old. They may have fallen behind, but that’s okay,” Wilkinson said. The state of Arizona allows for students to attend classes at the ALA until they are 22 years old.

She continued, “We are noticing that the ALA is a place where students want to be. For many, it is their happy place. We are in a continuous-improvement mindset; the work doesn’t stop from here. We have to keep growing, learning and providing amazing opportunities for our students.”

Following the principal’s presentation, board member Henry Osife offered his congratulations to the ALA staff, the students and their families. “It takes a community to do this; I’m really glad to see that we accomplished an A. But there’s still work to do. Thank you to teachers and staff that are a part of this, and the students and parents.”

“I am grateful,” began board chair Kyland King. “A lot of staff has been here for the long haul, from when we were Salt River High School trying to build ourselves up. I’m so grateful because some of you have taught my children, and now they’re in college. I see the good work that you are doing with the students here. They’re coming to you on the low end of their education journey. Even if it is to get them to graduate and get a job, I am grateful for everything you do for our students. Thank you.”