Tests are part of school life anywhere you live, and it’s no different in Arizona.   Standardized testing in Arizona gauges student progress and is taken seriously to encourage student success.

Standardized Testing in Arizona

According to the Arizona Department of Education, the statewide educational assessment program includes the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS).  The AIMS test is given in several tests depending on grade level and is designed to measure each student’s progress in learning.  These particular standards define what students should be proficient in reading, writing, and mathematics through the course of a student’s K-12 education.  The students are then grouped based on performance on the test into groups:  Readiness (Kindergarten), Foundations (grades 1-3), Essentials (grades 4-8), Proficiency (grades 9-12), and Distinction grades (9-12).

Beginning with the class of 2006, 10th-grade students must pass the AIMS High School (AIMS HS) test to graduate. Students begin taking the test in the 10th grade.  They continue to test twice a year in grades 11 and 12 until they have met or exceeded the standard in each area tested, including reading, writing, and mathematics.

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