We’re one of five elementary schools in the J.O. Combs Unified School District, located in the warm and beautiful San Tan Valley of Arizona. You’ll find our school conveniently located at the southeast corner of Combs & Gantzel Roads. We proudly serve students in kindergarten through 5th grade.
What makes us unique is our “Back-to-Basics” philosophy. Here at Combs Traditional Academy we develop a solid foundation of fundamental and higher-level thinking skills through a structured curriculum that is consistent and sequential throughout grade levels. We deliver curriculum using direct teaching techniques, whole class instruction, and other approved teaching methods. We also plan our teaching and learning around textbooks and written assignments and do not interrupt classes for non-curricular programs or activities.
Browse our Web site to find out more about who we are and our educational philosophy. If you feel your child would benefit from what we have to offer, don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to meeting you!
Dear Knight Families,
This month is an extremely important month for Combs Traditional Academy and its students. Every year, students throughout the state of Arizona in 3rd-8th grades and 10th grade take the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards exam. This exam measures a student’s mastery of the Arizona State Standards. You can find a reference to these standards on the Arizona Department of Education’s website. Our current standards are applicable to this year’s 2nd-5th graders. By the 2014-2015 school year, we will have moved all of our grade levels to the new 2010 standards in language arts and mathematics, or the Common Core State Standards as they are more commonly known.
The AIMS test is important for us in a number of ways. The first is that it gives us a bench-mark snapshot of your child’s progress in mastering our state’s standards. We look at each student’s scores over the summer and the fall, and we evaluate his/her progress and success on the exam. This helps us evaluate the success of our core program in meeting the needs of our students. Our goal is to see 100% of our students at least meet the standards and a large proportion of those students exceed the standards.
Additionally, every school receives a label from the Arizona Department of Education of an A, B, C, D, or F. A formula that is primarily driven by the AIMS test determines the label. Half of our score comes from the percentage of students that pass the exam. The other half of our score comes from the growth students show relative to other similarly performing students. It is our goal and intent to be an A school. When we achieve it, this rating will validate our efforts. We did not receive a label this past year due to the low number of students in our 3rd-5th grades testing. We have a greater number of students testing this year and anticipate receiving a quality label.
Finally, your child must currently pass the AIMS test as a 10th grader in order to graduate from high school. If we can develop the desire and aptitude for them to pass the test in the lower grades, then it should not be difficult for a child to pass the test in high school, thereby relieving them of the stress and anxiety of retaking the test multiple times in order to pass. Our 1st graders this year must also pass the AIMS test in reading during their 3 grade year in order to progress past 3rd grade.
The AIMS test this year is April 16-19. Please ensure that your child is here on time each day and that you do not plan any appointments or vacations during that time. Help your child stay healthy by ensuring he/she get a good night sleep the night before each testing day and eat a good, healthy breakfast each morning.
Together, we can ensure success for both your child and Combs Traditional Academy!
Thank you,
Marcus Berkshire
Principal
