Arizona AIMS at the Poor

Almost every day someone there is someone out there in the ass-kicking world of accountability who is tough, angry, and simple-minded enough to deserve the attention he/she gets. Today it is Mike Gregoire of the Deer Valley Unified School District in Arizona (read the whole piece here):

As seniors face the AIMS test — many for the fourth time — this month, educators and test-takers hope state sanctions help the outcome.

In the Deer Valley Unified School District, 169 seniors still must pass the writing portion, while 111 and 160 12th-graders must pass the reading and math portions, respectively. These figures include special education and English-language-learners and some students fall into two or three categories.

This year’s senior class is the first required to pass the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards to graduate high school.

While temporary sanctions may help students measure up to the new standard, the state is not backing down, said DVUSD Governing Board Member Mike Gregoire. He predicts parents and students who declined free tutoring will get a reality check when May comes with no diploma.

“We need one bad year to change some attitudes,” he said.

Jim Horn