Tag: AzMERIT
When Googling it doesn’t work: How to help students learn. See more state education news here
When Lorie Fitzgerald saw how her daughter Angelina struggled to keep up with her third-grade classwork at Copper Creek Elementary School in Deer Valley Unified School District, she knew she had to find a way to help her student learn.
“Angelina has a developmental delay, because of this, she has struggled to close the learning gap,” Fitzgerald said. “For so long Angelina was just sitting in class, but not fully understanding what was going on.”
While many schools offer before, during or after-school academic tutoring to help students learn who need more assistance, some schools do not have the resources to provide that service. That leaves parents with the decision of how and where to seek help for their child.
Fitzgerald turned to LearnerLink, which partners with school districts to provide quality certified teachers to help students with personalized learning in K-12 subject areas, skill development, enrichment and college prep through in-person interaction and online-learning opportunities.
Education is a top issue for Ariz. voters, survey shows. See more local education news here
For the fourth year in a row, Arizona voters have ranked education the top issue facing the state of Arizona, according to an annual survey conducted by Expect More Arizona, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan education advocacy group.
Among other state issues, such as immigration and border issues, taxes and healthcare, education earned the top ranking of the 600 statewide voters surveyed.
AzMERIT scores rise in Ash Fork and Williams
Each year, Arizona students in third through eleventh grade take the AzMERIT standardized test. Although not required for graduation or promotion, passing scores are used as a measure by administrators for school performance and in some cases as a marker for prospective parents seeking schools.
The majority of Arizona students performed poorly this year with just 41 percent of Arizona students receiving passing grades, and many northern Arizona schools were no exception. …
Williams High School made strides this year and surpassed the state average in both English and math. The results showed that 39 percent of students passed the English portion and 37 percent passed the math portion. The state average was 35 for math and 30 for English.
Students’ AzMERIT results show steady growth for past four years. See related news here
Arizona public school students’ proficiency levels statewide on the AzMERIT have shown steady growth over the past four years that the test has been given to measure students’ mastery of Arizona academic standards.
Third- through eighth-graders take grade level assessments in English/language arts and mathematics, while high school students take end of course assessments to test their proficiency in the English and math courses they take. Students who score proficient or higher are considered to have passed AzMERIT.
Yet 40 percent of Arizona students continue to score “minimally proficient,” the lowest performance level.
AzMERIT test could be replaced with selection of state-approved tests. See related news here
Instead of just one statewide test, Arizona’s public schools may soon be able to choose from a selection of state-approved tests to give their students.
That means the current AzMERIT statewide test may soon become a thing of the past.
This comes after the Arizona State Board of Education voted to put together the list of approved tests as a result of recently-approved legislation.
WUSD to offer incentives for AzMERIT teachers. See more education news here
As districts prepare for another school year, looming spring AzMERIT testing already has school administrators planning ahead.
Last year, the Arizona Department of Education returned to issuing A-F letter grades for schools, with the state’s AzMERIT standardized test results weighing heavily on those grades.
Williams High School and Williams Elementary-Middle School received B grades.
Race, income-based achievement gaps remain as Arizona kids make small gains on AzMerit. See related education news here
Arizona public school children showed small gains on this year’s AzMerit tests, as the number of students passing the annual English and math test grew by one and two percentage points respectively.
Still, only 41 percent of students statewide passed either portion of the test, which was administered last school year.
AzMerit, like many standardized tests, has been criticized by scholars and policymakers as being overly reflective of a student’s socioeconomic status.
FUSD asks for $75 million bond and override on November ballot. See more education news here
Voters will be asked to consider two local, school-related measures on the ballot in November, a school bond and the renewal of a budget override.
Together, the measures could provide the Flagstaff Unified School District continued and additional funding for the next five to six years, said FUSD superintendent Mike Penca.
AzMERIT results: 56 percent of Arizona third-graders aren’t proficient in reading. See related stories here
After four years of Arizona students taking the consequential AzMERIT standardized test, reading and math scores have improved statewide across the board — though mostly by only small percentage points.
Preliminary 2018 AzMERIT results obtained by The Arizona Republic from the Arizona Department of Education show upticks in passage rates since 2015, when nearly two-thirds of Arizona students failed the reading and math portions of the test.
Flagstaff teachers pan Ducey plan as walkout vote begins. See more education news here
Teachers in Flagstaff Unified School District and Flagstaff charter schools are voting with their cohorts across the state on whether they will walk out in support of more funding for education in the state.
