Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards
Encyclopedia
Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) is a standardized test
administered by the state of Arizona
. AIMS is a standards based assessment aligned to the Arizona Academic Content Standards.
If a student does not exceed standards on all three tests, they may still qualify for a scholarship if they exceed standards on two of the AIMS sections and meet standards on the other section. Additionally, they would either need to receive at least a score of 3 on two Advanced Placement tests or at least a score of 4 on two International Baccalaureate exams.
Qualified students will receive a full state university tuition waiver valid for one year following graduation from high school. The scholarship is renewable for four years based upon university-determined criteria. The actual dollar amount of the scholarship will vary based upon the tuition charged by the state university in which they have enrolled.
However, on September 23, 2010, the Arizona Board of Regents
voted 9-1 to cut AIMS scholarships to just 25% of freshman year tuition, stating that the scholarship was too easy to earn. Students will also have to have an ACT
score of at least 28 or an SAT
-1 score of at least 1300 (i.e. the reading and mathematics scores must be at least 1300). The changes in AIMS scholarships will apply beginning with the graduating class of 2013.
measures for students in grades 3-8 and 10. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability.
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
administered by the state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. AIMS is a standards based assessment aligned to the Arizona Academic Content Standards.
Test contents
All Arizona public school students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 are required to take the AIMS test. The AIMS test includes four content areas: writing, reading, mathematics, and science. The reading and mathematics content areas are administered in all grades. The writing content area is administered in grades 5, 6, 7, and 10. The science content area is administered in grades 4, 8, and 10.High School Graduation
To graduate from an Arizona public high school, a student must meet the AIMS High School Graduation Requirement. The most common way to meet this requirement is to pass the writing, reading, and mathematics content areas of the AIMS HS test. High school students have multiple opportunities to take and pass these content areas. For students who do not pass all three required content areas of the AIMS HS test, there are alternative methods for meeting the AIMS High School Graduation requirement.AIMS scholarships
Additionally, starting with the class of 2006, high-school students in Arizona who exceed all three standards in reading, writing, and math may be eligible for a scholarship to any of the three public state universities if they also meet certain criteria. Students must complete all 16 core competency courses (4 units English, 4 units Math, 3 units Lab Science, 2 units Social Science, 2 units Foreign Language, and 1 unit Fine Arts) by graduation with a B or better in each course. Students must also meet at least one of the following academic requirements: Have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher on an unweighted 4.0 scale, or rank in the top 5% of their graduating class.If a student does not exceed standards on all three tests, they may still qualify for a scholarship if they exceed standards on two of the AIMS sections and meet standards on the other section. Additionally, they would either need to receive at least a score of 3 on two Advanced Placement tests or at least a score of 4 on two International Baccalaureate exams.
Qualified students will receive a full state university tuition waiver valid for one year following graduation from high school. The scholarship is renewable for four years based upon university-determined criteria. The actual dollar amount of the scholarship will vary based upon the tuition charged by the state university in which they have enrolled.
However, on September 23, 2010, the Arizona Board of Regents
Arizona Board of Regents
The Arizona Board of Regents is the governing body of Arizona's public university system, providing policy guidance to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona and their branch campuses.-Organization:...
voted 9-1 to cut AIMS scholarships to just 25% of freshman year tuition, stating that the scholarship was too easy to earn. Students will also have to have an ACT
ACT
ACT may refer to:* Australian Capital Territory, the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia* ACT , a college placement exam in the United StatesIn aviation:...
score of at least 28 or an SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
-1 score of at least 1300 (i.e. the reading and mathematics scores must be at least 1300). The changes in AIMS scholarships will apply beginning with the graduating class of 2013.
Additional facts
In 2007, the AIMS Test began to report out LexileLexile
The Lexile Framework for Reading is an educational tool that uses a measure called a Lexile to match readers of all ages with books, articles and other leveled reading resources....
measures for students in grades 3-8 and 10. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability.