Phoenix – Over half of Arizona’s third grade students failed to pass the reading portion of the 2019 AzMERIT test. That state-wide failure along with others was revealed on Monday, with the release by the Arizona Department of Education of the final combined performance results from the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 administrations of AzMERIT.
Despite an increase in school funding, Arizona students continue to struggle with the very basic skills tested in the state’s standardized test.
Still, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman issued a press release in which she said she was proud of “the hard work my Assessment and Accountability teams have done in incorporating AzMERIT data with the rest of the Menu of Assessments data into the scores this year.”
Remarkably, Hoffman also claimed she was pleased with the minor improvement in “13 of the 22 grade-level and test categories.”
“Until we address the root of the problem, that our children are not taught the foundational skills – reading, writing and basic arithmetic – with appropriate instructional methods we will continue to see nothing more than insignificant changes to student achievement,” former Superintendent of Public Education Diane Douglas told the ADI.
Douglas and others question just what the “Move On When Reading” funding is being used for in light of such low reading levels.
From the ADE:
The results include the total percentage of Arizona public school students who passed the assessments and the percentage at each performance level. In addition to the statewide results, proficiency rates are available for schools, districts/charter holders and counties. Breakdowns by grade level, subgroup (e.g., students with disabilities, English language learners, economically disadvantaged students) and ethnicity are also provided.
Arizona public school students in third grade through high school take AzMERIT or either the SAT or ACT from the Menu of Assessments. 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.
AIMS Science assessment results were not included in this release. Once AIMS data is completely validated, those results will also be posted on ADE’s website.
2018-2019 AzMERIT Final Passing and Proficiency Rates
Mathematics
| Test Level | Percent Passing | Percent Performance Level 1 | Percent Performance Level 2 | Percent Performance Level 3 | Percent Performance Level 4 |
| Grade 3 | 51 | 23 | 26 | 33 | 18 |
| Grade 4 | 48 | 27 | 25 | 33 | 15 |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 16 |
| Grade 6 | 41 | 38 | 21 | 24 | 17 |
| Grade 7 | 38 | 44 | 18 | 20 | 18 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Algebra 1 | 76 | 13 | 11 | 39 | 36 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Algebra 2 | 98 | * | * | 14 | 85 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled All Math Assessment | 41 | 41 | 18 | 23 | 19 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Geometry | 94 | <2 | 5 | 41 | 52 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Grade 8 Assessment | 32 | 48 | 20 | 18 | 13 |
| Algebra I | 43 | 39 | 18 | 28 | 15 |
| Algebra II | 40 | 40 | 21 | 26 | 14 |
| Geometry | 37 | 42 | 21 | 28 | 9 |
| ACT Mathematics | 33 | 50 | 17 | 19 | 14 |
| SAT Mathematics | 80 | 11 | 8 | 36 | 44 |
| All | 42 | 36 | 22 | 27 | 15 |
English Language Arts
| Test Level | Percent Passing | Percent Performance Level 1 | Percent Performance Level 2 | Percent Performance Level 3 | Percent Performance Level 4 |
| Grade 3 | 46 | 39 | 14 | 32 | 14 |
| Grade 4 | 51 | 33 | 15 | 37 | 14 |
| Grade 5 | 52 | 28 | 20 | 32 | 20 |
| Grade 6 | 42 | 34 | 24 | 34 | 8 |
| Grade 7 | 41 | 39 | 19 | 31 | 10 |
| Grade 8 | 38 | 40 | 21 | 25 | 13 |
| Grade 9 | 37 | 40 | 23 | 24 | 12 |
| Grade 10 | 34 | 51 | 15 | 23 | 10 |
| Grade 11 | 33 | 51 | 16 | 20 | 13 |
| ACT ELA | 29 | 49 | 22 | 16 | 13 |
| SAT ELA | 73 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 39 |
| All | 42 | 39 | 19 | 29 | 13 |
Comparison
Mathematics
| Test Level | Percent Passing | Percent Performance Level 1 | Percent Performance Level 2 | Percent Performance Level 3 | Percent Performance Level 4 | |||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Grade 3 | 53 | 51 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 31 | 33 | 22 | 18 |
| Grade 4 | 47 | 48 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 34 | 33 | 13 | 15 |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 46 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 19 | 16 |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 41 | 36 | 38 | 20 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 17 | 17 |
| Grade 7 | 36 | 38 | 44 | 44 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 18 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Algebra 1 | 73 | 76 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 41 | 39 | 32 | 36 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Algebra 2 | >98 | 98 | * | * | * | * | * | 14 | * | 85 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled All Math Assessment | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 19 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Geometry | 92 | 94 | <2 | <2 | 7 | 5 | 37 | 41 | 55 | 52 |
| Grade 8 Enrolled Grade 8 Assessment | 32 | 32 | 48 | 48 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 13 |
| Algebra I | 39 | 43 | 42 | 39 | 18 | 18 | 27 | 28 | 12 | 15 |
| Algebra II | 34 | 40 | 45 | 40 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 14 |
| Geometry | 36 | 37 | 39 | 42 | 24 | 21 | 27 | 28 | 10 | 9 |
| ACT Mathematics | 33 | 50 | 17 | 19 | 14 | |||||
| SAT Mathematics | 80 | 11 | 8 | 36 | 44 | |||||
| All | 41 | 42 | 36 | 36 | 22 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 15 | 15 |
English Language Arts
| Test Level | Percent Passing | Percent Performance Level 1 | Percent Performance Level 2 | Percent Performance Level 3 | Percent Performance Level 4 | |||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Grade 3 | 44 | 46 | 43 | 39 | 13 | 14 | 30 | 32 | 14 | 14 |
| Grade 4 | 47 | 51 | 40 | 33 | 12 | 15 | 34 | 37 | 14 | 14 |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 52 | 30 | 28 | 22 | 20 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 20 |
| Grade 6 | 39 | 42 | 38 | 34 | 24 | 24 | 33 | 34 | 6 | 8 |
| Grade 7 | 45 | 41 | 36 | 39 | 19 | 19 | 35 | 31 | 10 | 10 |
| Grade 8 | 39 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 22 | 21 | 30 | 25 | 10 | 13 |
| Grade 9 | 41 | 37 | 35 | 40 | 25 | 23 | 28 | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| Grade 10 | 32 | 34 | 53 | 51 | 14 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 13 | 10 |
| Grade 11 | 28 | 33 | 53 | 51 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 9 | 13 |
| ACT ELA | 29 | 49 | 22 | 16 | 13 | |||||
| SAT ELA | 73 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 39 | |||||
| All | 41 | 42 | 40 | 39 | 19 | 19 | 29 | 29 | 11 | 13 |
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