ADE's A-F School Accountability Letter Grade System

According to the Arizona Department of Education, the A-F letter grade system informs parents on how different schools measure-up on total academic performance. The system evaluates both academic outcomes and academic growth, including student academic growth in an accountability system is particularly important because it takes into account the unique student demographics of each school, and the different challenges those raise.

• 2012 A-F School Accountability Letter Grades
• Learn more about A-F labels (PDF)

AIMS test:

Students in grades 3 - 8 take the AIMS (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards). The AIMS 3-8 is a combination of AIMS criterion-referenced assessment questions developed by Arizona educators and based on the Arizona Academic Standards, and questions from the Stanford 10, a national norm-referenced test.

Students in grade 10 take the AIMS HS (High School) and continue to test twice annually in grades 11-12 until they have met or exceeded the standard in each area tested. The AIMS HS is a criterion-referenced test with questions developed by Arizona educators and based on the Arizona Academic Standards. It is an assessment of four content areas: writing, reading, mathematics and science.

• AIMS testing calendar
• District results
• More about AIMS
• Private school students and AIMS
• Homeschool students

College Entrance Exams

Most colleges and universities will accept either Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT) scores for college entrance. Some out-of-state colleges also require SAT II Subject Tests as well as SAT or ACT scores.

The ACT can also be used as a replacement for the SAT II requirement at certain universities. Students should consult college catalogs for specific test requirements.

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