E.V. districts dispute fed label: Some highly touted schools fail No Child Left Behind standards.

Byline: Andrea Falkenhagen

Sep. 1--East Valley educators say the federal government is painting an unfair and inaccurate picture of the quality of their schools.

More than 100 public schools throughout the East Valley -- including some with outstanding academic reputations, such as Mesa's Mountain View High School and Gilbert's Highland High School -- failed to make "adequate yearly progress" as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The results released today by the Arizona Department of Education were determined by test scores on Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, attendance and graduation rates, as well as other require- ments such as the percentage of students tested. Often, such reports break down along economic lines, with schools in poorer areas not faring as well as those in more affluent neighborhoods.

But this year, the list includes a number of higherincome schools such as Chandler's Hamilton High School and Mesa's Stapley Junior High School. Fremont Junior High School, located at Power and Brown roads in east Mesa, also is on the list. "It's a tragic situation for Fremont because we…