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Rotarians
learn top priorities from state superintendent
by Ambria
Hammel
CAVE
CREEK/CAREFREE – Even though the school year is drawing
to a close for Valley students, the work never ends at the
Arizona Department of Education. Administrators remain busy
advocating initiatives that lead to better schools, better
teachers and better curricula.
Tom
Horne, superintendent of public instruction for the state,
presented accomplishments and goals to 25 members and guests
of the Carefree/Cave Creek Rotary Club during its May 16
meeting.
“The
most important thing I can do to increase the quality of
learning is to raise the quality of teachers,” Horne said.
He identified higher pay for teachers as a priority in legislature
evidenced by his support of a bill that would give teachers
a $2,500 across‑the‑board pay raise.
In
his three years of office, Horne removed what he calls “artificial
barriers” to career professionals who want to turn to teaching
through institution of the Alternative Secondary Path to
Certification. This grants a candidate with a bachelor’s
degree and high content knowledge the opportunity to become
a teacher after an intensive summer institute followed up
with two years of mentoring and course work. If the candidate
passes a proficiency exam, a provisional teaching certificate
is awarded.
Horne
has plans for current teachers, too. Beginning with the
2006‑2007 school year, he said Arizona will be the
first state in the country to require every new teacher
to begin performance assessment. This normally voluntary
process will require teachers to submit a video of their
teaching along with written commentary and evidence that
they are instructing according to state standards. The information
will then be evaluated by peers.
The
superintendent also advocates a wider curriculum. “We want
a rich curriculum in social studies, in the sciences, and
in the arts,” Horne said.
He
has spent his term making that a reality. Horne said his
department has broadened the social studies curriculum across
the grades this year and did the same last year in science.
He implemented changes requiring high school students to
study the Constitution and America’s formative years instead
of discontinuing such studies at the middle school level.
The Arizona Department of Education spent $4 million to
enrich arts programming throughout the state as well.
“He
wants a comprehensive curriculum. So he doesn’t want to
narrow the focus to a testing environment which No Child
Left Behind has done for many,” said Dr. Tacy Ashby, superintendent
of the Cave Creek Unified School District, who attended
the Rotary meeting as a guest. Ashby served as Horne’s
deputy superintendent of public instruction for two years.
Ashby
identified Horne’s institution of the Arizona tuition
scholarship as another significant accomplishment. Designed
to support bright students pursuing higher education,
the scholarship awards full in‑state tuition waivers
to students who earn an “excelling” score in all three
areas of the AIMS test. They can also receive it by excelling
in two areas and earning a minimum score on any Advanced
Placement test.
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