It can be a confusing time in Arizona public education as the state transitions from the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) to the more rigorous Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards and the Arizona’s Measurement of Educational Readiness to Inform Teachers (AzMERIT) testing platform. As a result, Holbrook High School officials have provided the following state mandated testing information and timeframes in order to keep stakeholders abreast of key developments and happenings.
AIMS
Meeting or augmenting the AIMS writing, reading and math standards is still a graduation requirement for current juniors (cohort/Class of 2016) and seniors (cohort/Class of 2015). As a result, retesting for respective juniors and seniors will take place on Monday, Feb. 23, for AIMS writing; Tuesday, Feb. 24, for AIMS reading; and Wednesday, Feb. 25, for AIMS math. There will be no make-up testing; as a result, it is imperative that juniors and especially seniors who need to conduct AIMS retesting do so on the aforementioned dates.
Though AIMS writing, reading and math will no longer be issued to current sophomores (cohort/Class of 2017) and beyond, the AIMS science assessment will remain as a state mandated test for all freshman or sophomore general biology students. The AIMS science assessment for all HHS freshman and sophomore general biology students will occur on Wednesday, April 22.
AZELLA
In Arizona, when a student enters a school district for the first time, the student’s parents or guardians complete a language survey. If the parents or guardians indicate that a language other than English was spoken at home during the student’s early childhood, the student is issued an English language assessment called AZELLA (Arizona English Language Learner Assessment). If the student does not measure proficient on AZELLA, he or she becomes classified as an English Language Learner until reclassified as proficient. The AZELLA reclassification testing window will be March 17-20.
AzMERIT
As previously indicated, Arizona is transitioning to the more rigorous Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards. Its respective assessment, AzMERIT, will be administered for the first time this spring. Unlike AIMS, AzMERIT will be issued according to English grade levels and mathematical courses. At this time, it will not act as a state mandated graduation requirement. The inaugural AzMERIT testing dates for HHS will be: Tuesday, April 14, writing for English 9, 10, and 11; Wednesday, April 15, reading part 1 for English 9, 10, and 11; Thursday, April 16, reading part 2 for English 9, 10, and 11; and Tuesday, April 21, math part 1 and part 2 for Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II. AzMERIT make-up days will include: writing on Monday, April 20, reading on Thursday, April 23, and math on Friday, April 24.
HHS Principal Lance Phaturos will be forwarding this information to HHS parents/guardians by mail and will host a meeting in the very near future.
