New for 2011-12: ADE's A-F School Accountability Letter Grade System

According to the Arizona Department of Education," The new A-F letter grade system better informs parents on how different schools measure-up on total academic performance because it
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."

The Arizona Department of Education will maintain the legacy labels alongside the new letter grade system for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. In 2013, only the A-F labels will be used. The two systems use different criteria to assess performance, and cannot be compared.

• 2011 A-F School Accountability Letter Grades
• Learn more about A-F labels (PDF)
• 2011 AZ Learns Results

AIMS test:

Students in grades take the AIMS 3-8 (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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