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Higley student test scores beat state averages BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
NEWS ......................... 12 Gilbert mayor hit with another ethics complaint.
Sunday, August 27, 2023
W
hen it comes to math, English and science skills, Highly Unified School District students on average are more proficient than their peers in the state. And students in grades, 3, 4, 6 and 8 in 2022-23 showed improvement in Arizo-
na’s Academic Standards Assessment, or AASA, in English compared to the previous school year. The exceptions were fifth and seventh graders. “In both of those grades the state also saw decline in proficiency so we pretty much mirror the state in terms of our performance,” Marcus Berkshire, director of assessment and student information told the HUSD Governing Board Aug. 23.
“But you can see consistently our schools outperformed the state average.” In the math portion of the AASA, only grade 6 dropped its score from the prior year. HUSD “outperformed the state pretty consistently across the board again increases in proficiency in all grade levels
see SCORES page 6
Gilbert cop Footloose writes to close 19 literacy gap
COMMUNITY............
Gilbert birder honored for her volunteer work.
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
A
BUSINESS................. 25 Gilbert business strives for honesty in makeup industry. COMMUNITY............................. 19 BUSINESS .................................. 25 SPORTS ......................................28 GET OUT.....................................30 CLASSIFIEDS ............................ 32
Gilbert cop is penning books in an effort to close the literacy gap for elementary school students who come from homes where Spanish is primarily spoken. Officer Levi Leyba has written eight bilingual children’s fiction books portraying as youngsters historical figures such as Amelia Earhart and Benjamin Franklin. “The reason why I started writing the books is I’ve learned that early literacy when children know how to read is tied to parental involvement,” said the Mesa resident.
see LEYBA page 10
Katie Elia helps Madelyn, age 2 ½, get her shoes off before hopping into a bounce house last week during a “Playdate on the Green” event held by Verde at Cooley Station in Gilbert periodically for kids.The Aug. 22 playdate’s activities were tied to popular “Toy Story” series of animated films. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
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