Arizona high school graduation test put on four-year hold
Feb 20, 2015, 3:55 PM | Updated: 4:20 pm
PHOENIX — Arizona high school students will no longer need to pass the AIMS standardized test to graduate, at least in the next four years.
Senate Bill 1191 was signed into law by acting Gov. Michele Reagan on Friday while Gov. Doug Ducey was out of the state. The bill placed a four-year moratorium on the Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards test, which students must pass to graduate.
The Legislature eliminated the requirement for passage of the AIMS test last
year, but current juniors and seniors still needed to pass. As of last fall,
33,000 hadn’t passed the math portion, 9,000 the reading part and 20,000 the
writing test.
“I hope this decision relieves much of the stress that parents and their children face when a high stakes test determines whether or not a student can graduate from high school,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas said in a release.
Students will still be required to pass a state-mandated civics test before graduation.
The bill met little opposition in either house.
The moratorium goes into effect Monday. AIMS testing for scholarship purposes will be allowed next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
