by Eugene Scott

The Arizona Republic

June 21, 2010

PARADISE VALLEY - Two Paradise Valley Unified School District schools were named among "America's Best High Schools," an annual list published by Newsweek magazine recognizing schools with an exceptional number of students excelling in Advancement Placement tests. The exams allow students to take college-level courses while still in high school.

Pinnacle and Horizon high schools made the list of more than 1,600 schools. Selected schools make up 6 percent of the country's 27,000 public schools.

Newsweek researchers take the total number of AP, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school and divide that by the number of graduating seniors.

"Pinnacle and Horizon have worked very hard to promote their AP programs and build those programs, so it's not surprising seeing them recognized for that," said Patrick Sweeney, the district's assistant superintendent for secondary instructional support. "They've put a lot of time into it and the kids have risen to the challenge."

DEFINITELY AN HONOR

Pinnacle High was ranked 407 and Horizon was ranked 1,135. Both schools have been previously recognized by the list.

"Making the list is like anything else, you like when others recognize the things you do and when they are working out and going very well. We're certainly glad to have been chosen. And we're proud of Pinnacle and Horizon," Sweeney said.

IMPROVING OTHER SCHOOLS

Less than 10 percent of students at Pinnacle and Horizon qualify for subsidized lunch. Critics of the list say that schools with higher percentages of low-income students face challenges that other schools do not.

"We're always working to improve those programs at the other schools," Sweeney said. "It's not an easy thing to do (getting more students in college classes). Horizon and Pinnacle put a lot of effort in that. You have to have tough students that are willing to take more challenging courses."

NEW ACTION PLANS

As a part of the district's Compass 2015 plan, a five-year strategic plan, each school must develop action plans on how they will improve their academics, Sweeney said. The district has recently begun initiatives to get more students of color enrolled in AP and honors classes.

"Everybody could always get better," Sweeney said. "There are two kinds of schools - those that are getting better and those that are getting worse."

BEYOND NE VALLEY

Other Arizona schools ranked were Basis Charter (Tucson), University High (Tucson), Northland Prep Academy (Flagstaff), Sonoran Science Academy (Tucson), Hamilton (Chandler), Basha (Chandler), Cactus Shadows (Cave Creek), Desert Mountain (Scottsdale), Chandler (Chandler), Chaparral (Scottsdale), Mountain View (Mesa) and Canyon del Oro (Oro Valley).

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/06/21/20100621pv-schools-newsweek-honor.html#ixzz0sDyyBzWU