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Superintendent's Message March 30, 2018

AIMS Science is in the Books and AzMERIT is Just Ahead

On Tuesday, the district completed the AIMS Science testing for all 4th and 8th graders, plus high school students who are currently enrolled in Biology. This was the first year that the AIMS test was administered online and I'm happy to report that through the hard work of our IT staff, site test coordinators, and select teachers, the test administration went off without a hitch. The very few students who missed testing on Tuesday will have the chance to make it up in the coming days.

With the AIMS Science testing behind us, we're looking ahead to the AzMERIT testing being completed at all sites by April 27th. Attendance is always important but it's even more important during the month of April in order for students to complete the required AzMERIT assessments and not miss out on instruction.

As a reminder, all students in grades 3 through 8 will take the AzMERIT grade level tests in English Language Arts and Math. The exceptions to this are the middle school students, regardless of grade level, who are enrolled in either Algebra or Geometry. Students in those courses will take the grade level test in English Language Arts but will take the appropriate high school "end of course" assessment that goes with either Algebra or Geometry. Similarly, for our high school students, they will take the English Language Arts "end of course" assessment and Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II "end of course" assessment, depending on which course they are currently enrolled in. In other words, the tests high school students take are not determined by the grade they are in but rather the courses in which they're enrolled. While most 9th graders are in English 1-2, most 10th graders are in English 3-4, and most 11th graders are in English 5-6, enrollment in math courses is often much more varied. It is not unusual to have a freshman in Algebra 2 and a junior in Geometry, so students will take the "end of course" assessment for the course in which they are currently enrolled.

Student performance on AzMERIT assessments is important and I encourage all teachers and parents to encourage our students to take the upcoming AzMERIT assessments seriously and to strive to do their best. Here's a link to the AzMERIT online portal that has resources for students and parents: http://azmeritportal.org/users/students-and-families.stml If you go to this site you'll have access to Student and Family Resources, Sample Tests, and the Arizona Academic Standards.

Regards,

Patrick Sweeney, Ed.D
Superintendent