Testing


AIMS TESTING
APRIL 7-10, 2008

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Students across Arizona in grades 3-8 are required to take the AIMS Dual Purpose Assessment this school year.  The assessments will be administered between April 7 and April 10 at all elementary and middle schools.  This year, 4th and 8th grade student will also be administered AIMS Science on April 11.  Your child’s teacher or school can give you more detailed information about the testing schedule.  

You can help prepare your child for the exam by making sure he/she . . .
- gets plenty of sleep during the testing week
- has a good breakfast each day
- knows that you think he/she will do well on the test
- is on time to school each day

AIMS (Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards) evaluates students’ knowledge of the Arizona Academic Standards in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics.  These standards have become an integral part of our curriculum over the past several years. TerraNova Achievement Test questions are also included in the reading and mathematics portions of the exam, thus the reason for the title AIMS Dual Purpose Assessment.

According to the Arizona Department of Education, test results will be sent to districts during the first week of June 2008.  If you would like to pick up your parent report during the summer months, you may call the Prescott Unified District Office (445-5400) and ask for the curriculum office.  The report will include the AIMS performance levels:  Meets the Standards, Exceeds the Standards, Approaches the Standards, or Falls Below the Standards in each content area.  The report will also include TerraNova Achievement Test results reported as percentile rankings.

Thank you for your support and partnership in your child’s education.  Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or principal if you have any questions regarding testing procedures.

Sincerely,

Linda Ryan, Curriculum and Testing Coordinator

Periodically, all students at Granite Mountain will be given tests for achievement, intelligence, and aptitude. Your teachers and the counselors will give these. This will help to assure your placement in classes best suited to your abilities and interests.

Standardized Testing
The Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 15-744, mandates that a nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement testing program in the subjects of reading, grammar, and mathematics be adopted and implemented for use in Arizona schools. The legislation exempts the testing of pupils with specified disabilities and allows the governing board of a school district to exempt pupils who are limited English proficient for up to three consecutive years.

Test scores are reported by subject, subtest and skill at the pupil and classroom levels. Aggregated scores are provided for the school, district, county, and state levels. PUSD students consistently score above county, state, and national averages in reading and mathematics. Please go to the District Testing Page to view test results.