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Ash Fork Middle School honored with Arizona Education Foundation award

A teacher instructs at Ash Fork Middle School in 2017. (Wendy Howell/WGCN)

A teacher instructs at Ash Fork Middle School in 2017. (Wendy Howell/WGCN)

ASH FORK, Ariz. — Ash Fork Middle School has been identified as one of 44 Arizona public schools to receive the Arizona Education Foundation’s A+ School of Excellence Award.

“This is just one more accolade to show the good things that are happening in Ash Fork,” said Ash Fork Unified School District Superintendent Seth Staples. “Our staff, parents and students are doing and good job and it’s great to be recognized.”

Staples said the screening process for the award was in-depth and thanked the efforts of the middle school staff.

“It was a grueling process, which included on-site observations,” Staple said. “We are really proud of our school.”

AEF has been honoring public schools with the A+ School of Excellence Award program since 1983. The A+ Award is a way to identify, celebrate, and recognize educational excellence in PreK-12th grade schools throughout Arizona, the organization said in a statement.

“The A+ School of Excellence™ Award shines a spotlight on the positive stories and successes occurring in public schools,” said AEF Executive Director, Kim Graham. “The application and evaluation process for this program is comprehensive and rigorous. We applaud these schools for exceeding expectations to meet their students’ needs and for achieving overall success despite the many challenges that face the education community statewide.”

In addition to showcasing outstanding public schools, the program provides school teams with an extensive comprehensive framework that serves as a basis for school self-assessment and planning.

Applicant schools are evaluated in the areas of student focus and support, school culture, active teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, community and parent involvement and assessment data.

Applications are made available to Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade public schools statewide. Evaluation of schools is based on a written application submitted by the school and a site visit conducted by a team of trained judges. In the application, each school provides demographic information, a description of current programs and practices, documentation of parent and community involvement, and a profile of the school’s principal and the school community’s commitment to excellence, equity, service and sustained high achievement. Preparation of each school’s application involves collaboration among all stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members.

Schools receive $500 and a banner designating them as an A+ School of Excellence™ winner. The award is valid for four years.


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