The proponents of Common Core promised great strides in academic performance, but the AzMERIT results show those promises were not kept. On Monday, the Arizona Department of Education released the abysmal preliminary state level AzMERIT results for the 2015-2016 school year.
The results of the untested Common Core-based test included statewide passing and proficiency rates for both English language arts and mathematics in grades 3-8 and high school.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas tried her best to put the best spin on the disasterous news. “I am pleased to see that our students are improving in both English language arts and mathematics at several grade levels,” said Douglas. “However, these results also underscore that as a state we still have much work to do. I will continue working with our parents, teachers and community members to find the best possible ways to support our students and help them achieve their dreams.”
Arizona public school students in third grade through high school take AzMERIT. Students in grades 3 through 8 take an assessment in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics at their grade level. Students taking high school level English and math take End-of-Course assessments that test their proficiency in those subjects.
2015-2016 AzMERIT Preliminary Passing and Proficiency Rates
Mathematics
| Test Level | % Passing | % Minimally Proficient | % Partially Proficient | % Proficient | % Highly Proficient | |||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Grade 3 | 42 | 46 | 27 | 25 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 13 | 17 |
| Grade 4 | 42 | 44 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 32 | 34 | 10 | 10 |
| Grade 5 | 40 | 46 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 12 | 15 |
| Grade 6 | 33 | 39 | 37 | 37 | 30 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 11 | 15 |
| Grade 7 | 31 | 32 | 47 | 46 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 13 | 10 |
| Grade 8 | 34 | 26 | 41 | 51 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 9 |
| Algebra I | 32 | 36 | 45 | 44 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 9 | 9 |
| Geometry | 31 | 34 | 42 | 41 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 6 | 7 |
| Algebra II | 30 | 30 | 46 | 46 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 7 | 7 |
English Language Arts (ELA)
| Test Level | % Passing | % Minimally Proficient | % Partially Proficient | % Proficient | % Highly Proficient | |||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 29 | 11 | 12 |
| Grade 4 | 42 | 46 | 41 | 40 | 17 | 14 | 36 | 34 | 6 | 12 |
| Grade 5 | 32 | 45 | 36 | 31 | 31 | 23 | 28 | 32 | 4 | 13 |
| Grade 6 | 36 | 37 | 39 | 41 | 25 | 22 | 32 | 31 | 4 | 6 |
| Grade 7 | 33 | 38 | 42 | 38 | 25 | 21 | 29 | 35 | 5 | 3 |
| Grade 8 | 35 | 34 | 39 | 44 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 8 | 8 |
| ELA 9 | 27 | 34 | 44 | 38 | 29 | 28 | 22 | 25 | 5 | 9 |
| ELA 10 | 32 | 29 | 47 | 54 | 21 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 9 |
| ELA 11 | 31 | 29 | 51 | 53 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 11 | 10 |
Final AzMERIT results for all Arizona public schools, districts and charter holders will be made available in late August. Data released at that time will also include demographic breakdowns and performance by school type (district, charter and alternative).
Paper AzMERIT family reports will be made available to districts and charters in mid-July. Parents can contact their child’s school for more information on when and how they will have access to results for their students.
“While these types of results can show general trends, I still firmly believe that Arizona needs to move away from the high stakes, snapshot assessment model,” continued the Superintendent. “Testing was not originally created to determine how well a teacher or school is performing; it was designed to show us how to help students improve. I will keep that focus in mind as we work with Arizonans to develop our state’s future assessment systems.”