We performed this inspection of Lukachukai Community School on the Navajo Reservation in Lukachukai, AZ, to evaluate programs the school had in place to help close the educational achievement gap and increase graduation rates. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in January 2002, requires schools to complete a comprehensive needs assessment with which to develop a strategy aimed at meeting students' academic development needs. We used the assessment to help evaluate Lukachukai's progress.
We found that Lukachukai Community School's comprehensive needs assessment did not address any of the assessment areas. Systematic identification and prioritization of student needs can help decision makers develop school-wide reform strategies that offer increased academic achievement opportunities for school children. The needs assessment might also help decision makers allocate scarce resources wisely in support of students' educational achievement.
The English language learner (ELL) assessment test is required of schools in Arizona to help educators identify students who may have mastered conversational but not academic English. We found that Lukachukai had administered ELL as required by the State, but that afterwards all students reported to standard classrooms regardless of their assessment. As a result, ELL students were properly identified and should have received the additional support necessary to help them achieve academically.
We provided one recommendation to help Lukachukai Community School improve its efforts to promote educational achievement among its students and close the achievement gap.