In November 2001, Arizona voters approved Proposition 301 which provided funds to the Arizona Department of Education to develop "a system to measure school performance based on student achievement, including student performance on the AIMS test." The accountability system created to satisfy the statute is referred to as AZ LEARNS. The school evaluation given by the Department to each school is referred to as the school's achievement profile. This manual describes the method and processes used to generate the AZ LEARNS achievement profiles. It provides formulas, parameters, and business rules that make up the profile calculation. Its intent is to document and explain the methods used and justify the policies adopted.

Proposition 301 also called for a state accountability system for public schools. The system created to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, commonly referred to as Adequate Yearly Progress, evaluates the performance of local public schools and schools districts, including charter schools.

During 1993-94, the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University conducted a study on behalf of the Arizona Department of Education. This document presents findings of that study, which examined linkages between health services and schools for a comprehensive service delivery to students. Following the introduction, chapter 1 provides a national overview on children's health and the public schools, presenting national and legislative initiatives and a framework for linking health services and schools. Chapter 2 reviews what is known about the major issues in child health in Arizona and its schools, synthesizing health data from several sources.

Survey results from 531 Arizona school principals about school-based/school-linked health and social services are also analyzed. A discussion of the Arizona perspective follows in chapter 3, which examines the philosophy guiding state initiatives, key players, the processes that support school-based/school-linked health services, and a sample of current state activities. The fourth chapter provides a view of how some Arizona schools are attempting to address these issues through the provision of student health services at or near school sites. The last chapter reviews action necessary to facilitate linkages between schools and health services, and the status of Arizona efforts. It concludes with some considerations for the future. A conclusion is that the state is making significant progress toward promoting and, in some schools, implementing such services. Eight tables and seven figures are included.

This report deals with state-level technical assistance and other activities pertinent to at-risk issues in the current context of educational reform. Specifically, the report discusses state options to support Arizona schools in delivering comprehensive services and implications for Arizona policymakers.

The "fit" of "at-risk" education in Arizona was examined in relation to reform initiatives. Focusing on technical assistance and related issues at the state level, researchers examined literature, interviewed a sample of Arizona Dept. of Education personnel, surveyed Arizona principals statewide, and gathered information from other states.