On Friday, February 20 at approximately 3:30pm, Arizona school districts began to receive word that the AIMS testing requirement for high school students had been waived, effective immediately. Testing was scheduled to begin on Monday. By the time they received email notification, many school administrators had already gone home for the weekend.
This news came as a shock to educators and students alike, who had spent months preparing for the exam. Many schools had invested thousands of dollars into AIMS tutoring and preparation programs. Teachers had devoted countless classroom hours to AIMS prep.
This news came as a shock to educators and students alike, who had spent months preparing for the exam. Many schools had invested thousands of dollars into AIMS tutoring and preparation programs. Teachers had devoted countless classroom hours to AIMS prep.
What is lost when the state’s expectations for our schools change overnight?
So, what can we do now? Sample tests for the new state assessment, the AzMERIT, are available online at http://azmeritportal.org/. Teachers, parents and students can practice test questions and familiarize themselves with the test format. Although there are no guarantees in the world of education, we will continue to do our best to ensure that our students are as prepared as possible for whatever comes their way.
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