Known as experts. Renowned for service.

A Closer Look at Your ESA

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The MCESA Mission

Building alliances that support innovation and excellence in educational services throughout Maricopa County

so that all children and youth succeed.

MCESA Service Areas

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION •

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP •

ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING

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A message from Dr. Don Covey Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools

WHAT’S IN A NAME? On July 1, 2010, the Office of the Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools officially became the Maricopa County Education Service Agency—MCESA, for short. The change was a historic one for the office, which has been in existence since 1871, and operating under the constitutional authority given to the County Superintendent since Arizona became a state in 1912.

MCESA, through the County Superintendent of Schools, continues to uphold its statutory responsibilities for more than 160 mandates related to education in the county. In addition, by identifying ourselves as an Education Service Agency, we commit to re-engineer the services we provide, as well as the way in which we provide them.

Today, MCESA – your Education Service Agency – is a collaborative partner in advancing the systemic changes outlined in Arizona’s education reform plan so that the more than 700,000 school-age children and youth in our county graduate college- and career-ready.

Though the ESA model is new to Maricopa County, it is being used successfully across the nation and in several other Arizona counties. More than 553 ESAs in 45 states now utilize this collaborative, connected approach to identifying educational needs and challenges, leading the development of solutions, and responding with targeted and strategic programs and services for their regions.

In recent years, ESAs have become a vital link in state and national education reform efforts aimed at taking all students—public, private and home schooled—to the highest levels of academic achievement and personal development. Because of their unique role as regional leaders and facilitators, ESAs are able to build and support partnerships and collaborative efforts that actively engage teachers, school leaders, education and social service organizations, the business community and many others.

MCESA’s staff of more than 60 expert practitioners and service-oriented profession-als has embraced this new leadership role. The result: MCESA, in collaboration with a wide range of alliance partners, is actively engaged in creating and implementing inno-vative solutions to education’s toughest challenges here in Maricopa County. The effective and sustainable programs and services highlighted in this report exemplify our work to support excellence in Executive Leadership, Educational Innovation and Economic Management so that all children and youth can succeed.

MCESA is your ESA. Let us know how we can assist your school or district as you work to carry out your vision and mission and meet your strategic goals for improving student achievement.

Dr. Don Covey

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Spotlight on

Educational Innovation

MCESA is committed to increasing student academic progress, achievement and success in Maricopa County. We do so by building instructional leadership capacity and creating systems that provide opportunities for 21st century learners, whether they be students in traditional or non-traditional classrooms or juveniles in transition.

READING FOR THE STARS Empowering students with the competence and confidence to succeed

More than 1,000 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students at five Maricopa County ele-mentary schools are learning the skills they need to meet the goals they have set for themselves in the areas of reading, citizenship and behavior through participation in MCESA’s Reading for the Stars program. The program, in its first of three years, strives to empower youngsters in high needs schools with the competence and confidence to suc-ceed in school, at home, in their hobbies or extracurricular activities, and in service to the community. The philosophy of partner organization Kids at Hope – that “all children are capable of success, no exceptions” – is embedded in all aspects of the program.

“Research tells us that kids must be able to read to succeed in school and in life, but they also must be equipped with resiliency and a belief in themselves,” said Angie Pogue, who heads the Reading for the Stars program as MCESA’s director of literacy. “This program is purposeful about strengthening students’ skills in all these areas.”

Supporting them in their efforts are volunteer mentors and their teachers, who have re-ceived special training in literacy and goal-setting, and classroom resources. In addition, each of the 40 participating classrooms has received its own library of 200 reading-level and subject-appropriate books. “Reading for the Stars is so much more than we ever dreamed it would be,” said Chris Sargent, principal at San Marcos Elementary School (Chandler USD). “The brand new books are so motivating to the children.”

Cammie Palagonia’s fourth-grade class at San Marcos Elementary School in Chandler enjoyed time spent reading with Phoenix Cardinals foot-ball player Matt Ware.

School principals, teachers and community “stars” from business, education, sports and public service provide incentives and encourage-ment throughout the year, to celebrate students’ progress and success in meeting their personal goals.

For more information, contact Angie Pogue at 602-372-3668 or Angie.Pogue@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

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For more information, contact Dottie Wodraska at 602-506-2469 or Dorothy.Wodraska@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

JUVENILE TRANSITIONS Making connections that support the educational needs of court-involved youth

MCESA is leading a coordinated, collaborative community effort to ensure that the more than 10,000 Maricopa County youth involved in the juvenile justice system each year have the inte-grated, systemic supports necessary to find success in school, their personal lives and their communities – and make it less likely that they will re-offend or drop out of school.

Leaders from home and family services, community youth or-ganizations, the juvenile justice system, and education were con-vened by MCESA in Fall 2010 and now meet quarterly as the MCESA Youth Transition Advisory Council (MYTAC) to “connect the dots.”

"Our community is stronger and the outcomes of our efforts are greater when we work together,” said Bridget McDonald, vice president of club operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Phoenix and a member of MYTAC. “The net of safety and support that is built by pooling our talents, skills and resources can only lead to success for our kids.”

MYTAC’s efforts are based on a positive youth development model and draw heavily on resiliency research. “Youth in the justice system are not bad kids; they are broken kids making bad decisions for which there are consequences,” said Dottie Wodraska, MCESA’s director of juvenile transitions. “However, our job is to create an environment where they can learn hope-fulness and earn redemption while gaining knowledge and developing productive skills and abilities for the future.”

Essential objectives of MYTAC’s work are reinventing the sys-temic processes youth go through when they transition from de-tention or incarceration back to school and community, redefin-ing roles of youth-serving professionals, and advocating for pol-icy and procedural changes to enhance program sustainability.

SERVICE AREA SNAPSHOT • English Language Learners/Title III • Juvenile Transitions • Literacy/Reading for

the Stars • STEM Leadership for

Learning • Technology Integration

Specialists • T.E.A.C.H. 4 Today/

Title IID • Professional Learning

Communities/Title IIA • Rewarding Excellence

in Instruction and Leadership

• Small School Consortium • Home & Private School

Support • Grant Development

OUR GOAL By June 30, 2015, Maricopa County Education Service Agency will increase student academic progress, achievement, and success in Maricopa County schools and districts by 3 percent , as evidenced by an average Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) score of 53 percent.

The belief that “all children can succeed—no exceptions,” is embedded in MCESA’s prevention and intervention programs for at-risk youth.

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STEM LEADERSHIP FOR LEARNING Bridging the STEM divide through interactive video learning

In a six-week pilot, students in the Aguila, Paloma and Mobile school districts engaged in rigorous, problem-based math instruction through interactive video learning with MCESA teacher Darcy Moody to augment their regular classroom learning. Professional develop-ment for the students’ classroom teachers was embedded in instruction as well. Moody held group meetings with teachers through video conferencing each week to review stu-dents’ progress and dialog with them about effective instructional practices.

MCESA staff has assisted pilot districts in putting the video learning tools to other uses as well. In September 2010, MCESA coordinated a classroom “visit” that enabled elemen-tary students from Mobile to meet and interact with students and a scientist in Panama doing research on cutter ants.

"Interactive video learning has the potential to transform teaching and learning in Mari-copa County and beyond,” said Laurie King, MCESA’s director of innovative practices. “By extending the reach of our most effective teachers, connecting classrooms throughout the world, and modeling 21st century teaching practices, all students can benefit from world-class instruction no matter their location."

For more information, contact Laurie King at 602-372-3704 or Laurie.King@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

Middle school students in three remote Maricopa County school districts were the first to benefit from MCESA’s STEM Leadership for Learning initiative, which develops and implements solutions that provide access and op-portunity to high quality instruction and resources in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. STEM Leadership for Learning strategies such as inter-active video learning, science exposition, and profes-sional development for teachers and leaders are de-signed to enable all students to graduate college- and career-ready.

Darcy Moody (right), MCESA’s

Director of STEM, provides rigorous problem-based in-

struction to students in rural schools

through MCESA’s interactive video

learning lab. Above, three

students conference with Ms. Moody about what they

have learned.

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REWARDING EXCELLENCE IN INSTRUCTION AND LEADERSHIP Supporting teachers and principals to improve student learning

MCESA and six partner districts in Maricopa County are engaged in a five-year, $51.8 million initiative to transform how schools recruit, retain, support, and compensate effective teachers and principals, particularly those that serve high needs students. “Rewarding Excellence in Instruction and Leadership,” or REIL, which has been underway since October 2010 and culminates in 2014-15, is funded by a Teacher Incentive Fund grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The initiative’s ultimate goal is to create a replicable performance-based management system that will build the capacity of teachers and principals in Maricopa County to improve student achievement. “With REIL, we have the opportunity to move more teachers and leaders from good to great in ways that will powerfully and positively impact their careers and, more impor-tantly, the outcomes for their students,” said Dr. Lori Renfro, who leads REIL as MCESA’s assistant superintendent for performance-based management systems.

REIL teachers, school and district leaders, as well as policy-makers and partners from statewide education organizations, including the Arizona Education Association, Arizona School Boards As-sociation, Arizona School Administrators and Arizona Association of School Business Officials are working in collaboration with MCESA’s REIL management team to bring about the necessary sys-temic changes in the areas of curriculum, instruction, student assessment, professional develop-ment, teacher evaluation, program evaluation, data management and compensation that a per-formance-based management system requires.

A top priority has been the development of a teacher and principal evaluation model that in-cludes observation and documentation, as well as multiple measures of student academic pro-gress, in keeping with recently passed state legislation. The evaluation instruments will be imple-mented and validated throughout all participating districts during the 2011-2012 school year.

“This program is comprehensive, transparent, and will provide the resources and time to employ effective planning and collaboration at all levels, from the classroom to policy makers,” said Dr. Kent Scribner, superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District.

In all, 3,380 teachers, 174 principals and assistant principals, and more than 52,000 students will benefit from REIL. Partner districts are Alhambra Elementary, Gila Bend Unified, Isaac Ele-mentary, Nadaburg Unified, Phoenix Union and Tolleson Elementary.

REIL Field Specialist Linda Califano

(right) discusses essential elements

of a highly effective teacher evaluation

instrument with a teacher in the

Phoenix Union High School District.

For more information, contact Lori Renfro at 602-372-3705 or Lori.Renfro@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

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Spotlight on

Economic Management

MCESA provides leadership, support and resources that increase fiscal prudence in district programs and operations so that all youth have the educational opportunities to succeed.

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS Building a pipeline of fiscal expertise to help districts meet their goals

Future Business Leaders, a partnership between MCESA and the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, is bearing fruit. The program, designed to prepare future school business leaders for careers in school business management in Maricopa County school districts, graduated its first resident in Fall 2010.

“Our goal is to build a pipeline of expertise that will serve school districts now and in the future,” said Marc Kuffner, MCESA’s assistant superintendent for economic management and consulting.

By providing field-based opportunities for qualified individuals to develop the skills nec-essary to become highly effective and knowledgeable school business professionals, the initiative will develop school business professionals who can guide districts in making re-sponsible financial and operational decisions that support improved student learning. The first program graduate, Victoria Farrar, is utilizing the knowledge and expertise she gained through the program in her new position as MCESA’s itinerant business manager. Farrar works with small school districts in Maricopa County, helping them to develop and implement effective and sustainable solutions to their unique economic challenges and fiscal management needs.

“When I accepted the position as the School Business Resi-dent in September 2009, I never imagined the knowledge and attention to detail required in the successful operation of a public school district. The on-the-job training I re-ceived in this residency, coupled with the mentoring from AASBO’s Jeff Gadd and other school business officials, led me to knowledge and insights that you just can’t get in a (college) classroom,” said Farrar, who will complete an MBA in Finance in early 2012. “It also opened my eyes to how critical fiscal prudence is to the real bottom line – stu-dent academic success.”

Two new Future Business Leaders are now serving their year-long residencies in Maricopa County school districts. Future Business Leaders must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and plan to pursue a career in school finance or business management.

Victoria Farrar serves small school districts in the county as MCESA’s itinerant business manager

For more information, contact Marc Kuffner at 602-506-2068 or Marc.Kuffner@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

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VISIONS SUPPORT & CONSULTING Providing front-line business information system service to save districts time and money

Thirty Maricopa County school districts rely on MCESA to pro-vide training, support and consulting for Infinite Visions, an inte-grated resource planning system offering financial, human re-sources, payroll and related business data management tools to meet their unique needs.

MCESA’S Visions help desk staff pride themselves on their knowledge and responsiveness in resolving issues related to Visions use. Whether it is sharing their knowledge of the Visions system’s functional and technical operations or addressing the many specialized business and human resources issues related to Visions use, MCESA’s help desk staff are truly experts in the field.

MCESA’s Visions support does not end with a phone call or email. All Visions users in Maricopa County are invited to attend the monthly Visions user group meetings, which are led by MCESA’s Mike Martinez. “My goal is for Visions users to fully understand the options and opportunities in the system so they can be working as effectively as possible,” said Martinez. At each meeting, Martinez provides opportunities for users to dis-cuss their business management needs, so MCESA can collabo-rate with the vendor, Tempe-based Windsor Management Group, on system enhancements and improved functionality. Lastly, through the addition of a staff member in Fall 2010, MCESA will increase the number of individualized Visions train-ings the agency provides.

Through help desk support, monthly user group meetings, or one-on-one training, MCESA is committed to ensuring that districts have the right level of support for the issues they face, right when they need it.

Sandi Nelson, payroll specialist for the Queen Creek Unified School District, said MCESA support has helped the district work through many problems and described staff members’ “professional attitude and knowledge” as a real asset to Maricopa County schools.

SERVICE AREA SNAPSHOT • Fiscal Management

and Consulting • Tax Rate Calculation • Technology Support

and Consulting • Grant Management • Garnishments • Warrant Processing

OUR GOAL By June 30, 2015, the Maricopa County Education Service Agency will increase fiscal prudence for all county school districts by 10 percent as evidenced by 60 percent of districts in Maricopa County rating “compliant” according to the Arizona Auditor General.

MCESA’s Mike Martinez consults with school districts countywide, assisting

them in making the most efficient and effective use of the Visions business

information system.

For more information, contact Jean Bandes at 602-506-2889 or Jean.Bandes@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

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Spotlight on

Executive Leadership

The County Superintendent of Schools holds a ceremony each December in general election years for newly elected and appointed governing board members to subscribe to their oath of office. Pictured here are board members whose terms began in January 2011, from left Rick Fields (Glendale UHSD); Kristi King (Liberty ESD); Brenda Bartels (Glendale ESD); Linda Abril (Phoenix UHSD); Karen Bredeson (Chandler USD); Randy Schiller (Phoenix UHSD); Maxine Hill (Agua Fria UHSD); Ricardo Gallego (Phoenix UHSD); Kay Hartwell Hunnicutt (Litchfield ESD); Dr. Don Covey, Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools; Beth Brizel (Kyrene ESD); Mike Hughes (Mesa USD); and Michelle Udall (Mesa USD).

Strong local leadership is essential to increasing student success and community satisfaction in education. In compliance with Arizona Revised Statutes, MCESA applies expertise and high levels of customer service to conduct school district governing board, bond and override, and recall elections, and , through the County Superintendent of Schools, makes appointments to fill vacancies on school district governing boards for all school districts in Maricopa County.

COMMUNITIES OF SUPPORT Developing informed leaders who support student learning

MCESA works to create relationships and alliances that develop informed leaders who shape policy in support of student learning. “Preparing youth for college and career opportunities takes collaborative leadership and the collective will of leaders within and outside the education system,” said MCESA Chief Deputy Superintendent Kristine Morris.

In addition to partnering with school districts and charter schools on educational, eco-nomic and leadership initiatives, MCESA actively engages with community members interested in becoming governing board members, local, regional and state educational associations, grant-making organizations, state-level legislative and policy leaders, city and county leaders, and members of the business community to foster an understanding of and support for the education needs of Maricopa County youth.

For more information, contact Kristine Morris at 602-909-7372 or Kristine.Morris@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

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COLLABORATIVE DECISION-MAKING Opening doorways to elected service through the appointment process

A collaborative, community-focused process for selecting and appointing individuals to fill vacant seats on school district gov-erning boards in Maricopa County is resulting in high levels of community satisfaction and participation. The process was devel-oped in collaboration with education and community groups and implemented by Dr. Don Covey, Maricopa County Superinten-dent of Schools, upon taking office in January 2009. As of March 2011, it had resulted in 24 successful board appoint-ments.

Dr. Covey’s consensus decision-making approach represents a stark change from the past, when board appointments were made in isolation or with no formal opportunity for community needs to be understood and considered. The process calls for an independent, three-person team including the district governing board president, superintendent and president of the teachers’ association, to review the applications of interested individuals – now plentiful in most districts because of the open and inclusive process – and develop consensus on three candidates to recom-mend for appointment. This core group may seek the input of other community members – parents, business and civic leaders, for example, but ultimately these three are tasked with reaching consensus and forwarding their recommendations to Dr. Covey. In all cases to date, Dr. Covey has selected people for appoint-ment from those recommended by local collaboration teams.

Karen Bredeson was appointed by Dr. Covey to Chandler Uni-fied School District board in 2010 and began her first elected term in January 2011. “Board service has been a wonderful and rewarding experience,” she said. “The preparation and in-terviews I went through during the appointment process helped me gain a better understanding of the district and prepared me for some of the experiences I encountered while running for election when my appointed term was up.” Bredeson is one of many appointees who have gone on to be elected after their appointed terms expired, an indication that the process now in place represents local interests.

SERVICE AREA SNAPSHOT • Governing Board

Elections • Governing Board

Appointments • Recall Elections • Bond & Override

Elections

OUR GOAL By June 30, 2015, the Maricopa County Education Service Agency will increase satisfaction in education by 7 percent, as evidenced by 55 per-cent of Maricopa County residents surveyed in the Expect More Arizona survey rating education as “good” or “excellent.”

Dr. Camille Casteel (left), superintendent of the Chandler Unified School District, with board member

Karen Bredeson on the day of her appointment. Bredeson went on to win election to the board

when her appointed term expired.

For more information, contact Hope Olguin at 602-506-3978 or Hope.Olguin@mcesa.maricopa.gov.

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Maricopa County Youth

An Educational Snapshot

619

65

1121 18

372425

1828 29

0

20

40

60

80

Falls Far Below Approaches Meets Exceeds

Sum of Reading Sum of Mathematics Sum of Science

Maricopa County is home to more than 700,000 school-age children or approximately 63 percent of all school-age children in the state of Arizona.

ETHNIC DIVERSITY

Maricopa County is home to a diverse student population.

STUDENT SUCCESS

The majority of Maricopa County students meet or exceed state standards on reading, mathematics and science, as measured by the AIMS test. However, the most current results for Arizona fourth graders on the national NAEP test (2009) show only 24 percent are proficient or advanced in reading, 28 percent are pro-ficient or advanced in mathematics, and just 21 percent are proficient in science (with none meeting advanced).

Maricopa County Combined AIMS Results for Grades 3-12

Reading Mathematics Science

Approaches Meets Exceeds Falls Far Below

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EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS

The vast majority of students, approximately 617,000, attend on of the 785 traditional public schools in Maricopa County’s 58 traditional school districts.

Nearly 70,000 students attend the more than 270 charter schools in the county.

Approximately 16,000 attend private schools.

About 9,300 are homeschooled.

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More than 60 knowledgeable, service-oriented professionals work each day to carry out the MCESA mission of building alliances that support innovation and excellence in Maricopa County so that all children and youth can succeed. Staff also assist in up-holding the statutory responsibilities of the Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools .

Spotlight on MCESA Leadership Team

Collaboration and partnership, which are essential to MCESA’s educational, economic and leadership initiatives, also drive internal operations. MCESA’s Leadership Team, pic-tured here, exemplifies the agency’s belief that cross-functional alliances lead to effec-tive and sustainable solutions. Chief Deputy Superintendent of Schools Kristine Morris (front row center) facilitates the team, which includes staff members from MCESA’s three service areas: Educational Innovation, Economic Management and Executive Leadership.

MCESA Leadership Team members are (clockwise from far left) Jean Bandes, IT opera-tions manager; Willie Ware, network administrator; Mike Martinez, database report writer analyst; Marc Kuffner, assistant superintendent of economic management and con-sulting; Tracey Benson, director of communications; Regina Perez, human resources man-ager; Doris Waxberg, executive assistant to the County Superintendent; Lori Renfro, as-sistant superintendent of performance-based management systems; Kristine Morris, chief deputy superintendent; Tammy Blanchard, executive assistant to the deputy superinten-dent; and Victoria Farrar, itinerant business manager.

Known as experts. Renowned for service.

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Learn more about how MCESA can assist your school or district in supporting your vision and mission and meeting your strategic goals.

Call 602-506-3055 or visit www.maricopa.gov/schools.

AGUA FRIA Union High School District • AGUILA Elementary District • ALHAMBRA

Elementary District • ARLINGTON Elementary District • AVONDALE Elementary District

BALSZ Elementary District • BUCKEYE ELEMENTARY District • BUCKEYE UNION High

School District • CARTWRIGHT Elementary District • CAVE CREEK Unified District

CHANDLER Unified District • CREIGHTON Elementary District • DEER VALLEY Unified

District • DYSART Unified District • EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

FOUNTAIN HILLS Unified District • FOWLER Elementary District • GILA BEND Unified

District • GILBERT Unified District • GLENDALE ELEMENTARY District • GLENDALE UNION

High School District • HIGLEY Unified District • ISAAC Elementary District • KYRENE

Elementary District • LAVEEN Elementary District • LIBERTY Elementary District

LITCHFIELD Elementary District • LITTLETON Elementary District • MADISON Elementary

District • MARICOPA REGIONAL • MESA Unified District • MOBILE Elementary District

MORRISTOWN Elementary District • MURPHY Elementary District • NADABURG Unified

District • OSBORN Elementary District • PALO VERDE Elementary District • PALOMA

Elementary District • PARADISE VALLEY Unified District • PENDERGAST Elementary

District • PEORIA Unified District • PHOENIX ELEMENTARY District • PHOENIX UNION

High School District • QUEEN CREEK Unified District • RIVERSIDE Elementary District

ROOSEVELT Elementary District • SADDLE MOUNTAIN Unified District • SCOTTSDALE

Unified District • SENTINEL Elementary District • TEMPE ELEMENTARY District

TEMPE UNION High School District • TOLLESON ELEMENTARY District

TOLLESON UNION High School District • UNION Elementary District • WASHINGTON

Elementary District • WEST-MEC • WICKENBURG Unified District

WILSON Elementary District

•

CHARTER SCHOOLS

•

HOME & PRIVATE SCHOOL FAMILIES

Serves

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4041 N. Central Ave., Ste. 1100, Phoenix AZ 85012 Phone: 602.506.3866 Fax: 602.506.3753

www.maricopa.gov/schools

Creating innovative, effective, sustainable solutions to education’s toughest challenges.

March 2011