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A REPORT TO THE ARIZONA LEGISLATURE Performance Audit Division Performance Audit and Sunset Review Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind September • 2012 REPORT NO. 12-05 Debra K. Davenport Auditor General The Auditor General is appointed by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, a bipartisan committee composed of five senators and five representatives. Her mission is to provide independent and impartial information and specific recommendations to improve the opera- tions of state and local government entities. To this end, she provides financial audits and accounting services to the State and political subdivisions, investigates possible misuse of public monies, and conducts performance audits of school districts, state agencies, and the programs they administer. The Joint Legislative Audit Committee Representative Carl Seel, Chair Senator Rick Murphy, Vice Chair Representative Tom Chabin Senator Andy Biggs Representative Justin Olson Senator Rich Crandall Representative David Stevens Senator Linda Lopez Representative Anna Tovar Senator David Lujan Representative Andy Tobin (ex officio) Senator Steve Pierce (ex officio) Audit Staff Dale Chapman, Director Shan Hays, Manager and Contact Person Kori Minckler, Team Leader Jay Rasband Beth Rensvold Richie Rinaldi Copies of the Auditor General’s reports are free. You may request them by contacting us at: Office of the Auditor General 2910 N. 44th Street, Suite 410 • Phoenix, AZ 85018 • (602) 553-0333 Additionally, many of our reports can be found in electronic format at: www.azauditor.gov STATE OF ARIZONA DEBRA K. DAVENPORT, CPA OFFICE OF THE MELANIE M. CHESNEY AUDITOR GENERAL DEPUTY AUDITOR GENERAL AUDITOR GENERAL September 20, 2012 Members of the Arizona Legislature The Honorable Janice K. Brewer, Governor Dr. Bernhardt Jones, President Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Board of Directors Mr. Robert Hill, Superintendent Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Transmitted herewith is a report of the Auditor General, A Performance Audit and Sunset Review of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. This report is in response to an October 26, 2010, resolution of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. The performance audit was conducted as part of the sunset review process prescribed in Arizona Revised Statutes §41-2951 et seq. I am also transmitting within this report a copy of the Report Highlights for this audit to provide a quick summary for your convenience. As outlined in its response, the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind agrees with the findings and plans to implement all of the recommendations. My staff and I will be pleased to discuss or clarify items in the report. This report will be released to the public on September 21, 2012. Sincerely, Debbie Davenport Auditor General Attachment cc: Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Board of Directors 2910 NORTH 44th STREET • SUITE 410 • PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85018 • (602) 553-0333 • FAX (602) 553-0051 Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ASDB can do more to promote student success PERFORMANCE AUDIT ASDB uses standardized tests Spring 2011 AIMS Test Results for ASDB Students Our Conclusion to assess student progress— and State-wide Students 60 These tests include the state-wide Math The Arizona State Schools Arizona’s Instrument to Measure 50 for the Deaf and the Blind Standards (AIMS) test as well as 40 (ASDB) serves children and another test similar to the AIMS students from birth through 30 ASDB 21 years of age who have called Measures of Academic State-wide 20 sensory impairments such Progress (MAP). Students of Percent as deafness and blindness. 10 As of April 2012, ASDB had Most ASDB students did not 0 2,240 students who either meet standards on AIMS— Falls Far Below Approaches Meets Exceeds attended one of its three ASDB students generally scored 70 on-campus schools, Reading lower on AIMS than did Arizona 60 participated in its birth to age three or preschool students as a whole. Although 50 programs, or received ASDB some ASDB students passed and 40 even exceeded standards on the ASDB services at their local 30 State-wide schools. ASDB can do more spring 2011 AIMS, most did not. Percent of Students of Percent 20 to promote student success by ensuring that children MAP results showed students 10 with sensory impairments made some progress but still 0 Falls Far Below Approaches Meets Exceeds receive services early in their testing well below grade level— lives, increasing students’ ASDB students’ MAP test scores access to highly qualified teachers, and researching showed that they start at a much follows commonly used practices, and addressing differences lower level than national norms. Although including using technology to help in students’ test scores. limited growth occurred after 5th and 6th students learn. In addition, ASDB groups ASDB should also ensure its grades and continued into high school, it students according to their academic regional cooperative was not sufficient to bring students’ scores ability rather than age. However, ASDB program, which serves students at their local within reach of national norms. For can strengthen the following practices: example, by the 11th grade, ASDB schools, more fully recovers Early Intervention—Early interven- its costs. It should also students scored the same as the average • strengthen oversight and 3rd-grade student would in reading and tion services are a critical element in management of the scored slightly below the average a student’s success. ASDB provides program. Finally, ASDB 4th-grade student in math. early intervention services through a needs to address critical program called Arizona Early Interven- information technology Standardized test scores are limited tion Program. ASDB has identified weaknesses. indicators of program success—Sensory- areas where it can do more to improve impaired students may have difficulty this program such as coordinating with taking standardized tests because of the other agencies involved in the pro- natural disadvantages these students may gram, better organizing and training face in taking these tests. In addition, there staff, and reaching out to families with is little comparative information about sensory-impaired infants and children. scores attained by similar students in other • Highly qualified teachers—Federal 2012 Arizona schools or other states’ schools. law requires that disabled students be taught by teachers who are highly ASDB uses common practices, but can September • Report No. 12-05 qualified in special education and in strengthen its practices—To help ensure core academic subjects. According success in educating its students, ASDB to an Arizona Department of Education report, ing differences in AIMS passing rates across about 90 percent of ASDB teachers were highly the various ASDB locations may help improve qualified during the 2011-2012 school year. ASDB’s student achievement. According to ASDB officials, it is difficult to hire Recommendations—ASDB should: and retain highly qualified teachers for many reasons, including lack of competitive pay and • Improve its early intervention program to ensure the challenges of obtaining the required certifi- that children receive needed services. cations. ASDB is working with the University of • Increase students’ access to highly qualified Arizona and the Arizona Department of Educa- teachers. tion to increase the pool of qualified teachers. • Study differences in test scores and implement • Studying differences in test scores—Federal potential solutions to improve student achieve- law requires that all public schools work to nar- ment. row achievements gaps in their states. Study- ASDB should review regional cooperative service fees and strengthen its operations ASDB provides services at local school districts screen children and train school staff. through its regional cooperative program—ASDB ASDB should examine fees—Each regional established a regional cooperative program in 1988 cooperative has established its own membership to help local school districts serve sensory impaired fees it charges to school districts. Districts also pay students. There are five regional cooperatives, and ASDB for direct educational services provided to each has a staff of teachers, interpreters, and other their sensory impaired students. ASDB does not specialists. About one-half of state school districts have policies for determining appropriate participate in the program. membership and other fees. Further, ASDB has not Funding comes from various sources—Funding evaluated whether such fees cover the costs of the for the regional cooperatives comes from special services provided. education vouchers through the Arizona Recommendation—ASDB should ensure that fees Department of Education for assessments, cover the cost of all services provided by regional counseling, and direct teaching services; from the cooperatives by assessing operations, tracking State General Fund for program administrative costs, and developing appropriate fees. costs; and from school district membership fees to ASDB needs to improve its information technology practices In 2009, the Arizona Department of Administration’s puters and servers, which are running critical Information Security group assessed ASDB’s infor- systems on outdated software. mation technology (IT) environment. This assess- ASDB also does not have a comprehensive disaster ment identified deficiencies and made several recovery plan and

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