By Tammy Gray Holbrook schools have taken a different approach to gearing up for the Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) testing this year. In place of lectures and admonishments from teachers to rest well, eat healthy and stay relaxed for the test, junior high students were treated to a “Rock the Aims” concert by Holbrook High School’s musical group Fusion. “It’s not that we’re trying to turn our students into just test-takers,” said Superintendent Robbie Koerperich. “It’s that it’s important for them to learn to take a test and realize that these tests could pay off in the future.” Teachers and administrators spent very little time addressing students about the importance of being mentally and physically prepared for testing, and instead let Fusion members and recent HHS graduates convey the message. “We want to try to get them excited and also realize that this testing is important,” Dr. Koerperich remarked. Fusion members wrote a song titled Rock the AIMS just for the concert, and performed it as their final act, after first performing covers of a number of songs that are currently popular on the radio. As part of the finale, Fusion had students on their feet and chanting, “Rock the AIMS.” During a brief intermission, recent HHS graduates told the students what they are doing now, and how doing well on the AIMS test allowed them to get into the schools and career path they desired. Koerperich briefly addressed the students, reminding them that, “The more you know, the more you grow,” and “The more you learn, the more you earn.” Students are required to take the AIMS test, which is purportedly designed to measure proficiency in reading, math and science, and high school seniors hoping to graduate in 2014 must pass the test to receive their diplomas. Schools are also graded based on AIMS scores. This is the last year that the AIMS test will be administered in Arizona, however, since the legislature voted to end that test and adopt a new system of testing based on the Common Core curriculum. The new test, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), will be administered next spring. Sophomores will be required to pass that test for graduation. The official PARCC website, www.parcconline.com, notes that, “PARCC is based on the core belief that assessment should work as a tool for enhancing teaching and learning. Because the assessments are aligned with the new, more rigorous Common Core State Standards (CCSS), they ensure that every child is on a path to college and career readiness by measuring what students should know at each grade level. They will also provide parents and teachers with timely information to identify students who may be falling behind and need extra help.”