Section R7-2-302.07. AIMS, Additional Credit; Graduation Class of 2011

A.      A pupil who fails to achieve a passing score on the AIMS assessment for high school graduation during the 2010 – 2011 school year may graduate if the pupil meets the alternative graduation requirements established pursuant to this Section.

B.       A school district or charter school is not required to comply with this Section if it is determined that augmenting the pupil’s score on any section of the AIMS assessment by five percent would not meet or exceed the “Meets the Standard” threshold.

C.      A pupil is eligible for the alternative graduation requirement established pursuant to this Section if all of the following apply:

1.        The pupil has completed with a passing grade all course- work and credits prescribed for the graduation of pupils from high school by the governing board of the pupil’s school district or charter school.

2.        The pupil has taken the AIMS assessment each time the test was offered when the pupil was eligible to take the test after August 12, 2005.

3.        The pupil has participated in any academic remediation program available in the pupil’s school in those subject areas where the pupil failed to achieve a passing score on AIMS.

D.      If a pupil is not eligible for the AIMS augmentation due to a failure to meet the requirements in subsections (C)(2) and/or

(3) the student may appeal this decision to the local governing board. The governing board may delegate these appeals to other school district or charter school officials. All appeals

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held pursuant to this subsection shall comply with the follow- ing requirements:

1.        The governing board shall adopt a form for a petition that a pupil, or a pupil’s parent or legal guardian, must com-

2.        The augmentation points shall be added to the pupil’s

highest achieved score on each section of the AIMS assessment where the student failed to achieve a passing score. If a pupil’s augmented score exceeds the passing score for the applicable section of the AIMS assessment, the pupil shall be considered to have passed that section of the assessment for graduation purposes.

3.        The school district or charter school shall augment the highest achieved score of each section of the AIMS assessment where a pupil failed to achieve a passing score separately and concurrently.

F.       A pupil’s augmented score shall be used only for the purpose of determining whether the pupil meets the competency test requirement for graduation from high school.

G.      All school districts and charter schools shall report to the Ari- zona Department of Education the number of students in their schools that met the alternative graduation requirement pre- scribed in this Section. School districts and charter schools shall also report disaggregated data showing the number of students whose augmented scores met or exceeded the passing scores for the reading, writing and math sections of the AIMS assessment respectively. These reports shall be made annually and shall be received by the Arizona Department of Education by June 30.

Historical Note

New Section made by exempt rulemaking at 12 A.A.R. 876, effective August 22, 2005 (Supp. 06-1). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 15 A.A.R. 1570, effective Sep- tember 25, 2006 (Supp. 09-1). Amended by exempt

rulemaking at 16 A.A.R. 2031, effective August 25, 2008 (Supp. 09-2). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 15

A.A.R. 1602, effective August 24, 2009 (Supp. 09-3).

plete to initiate an appeal. The petition shall indicate what requirement is being appealed and the basis for the appeal. The petition shall also include a written explana- tion of the appeal procedures used by the school district or charter school.

2.        The pupil, or the pupil’s representative, shall have the burden of demonstrating what circumstances prevented compliance with the requirements in subsections (C)(2) and/or (3).

3.        An appeal for failing to meet the requirement in subsec- tion (C)(2) should be granted only upon presentation of credible evidence that extreme circumstances made the pupil ineligible for each AIMS assessment administration the student did not attend.

4.        An appeal for failing to meet the requirement in subsec- tion (C)(3) should be granted only upon presentation of credible evidence that the pupil has participated in at least one state or school sanctioned remediation program in those subject areas where the pupil failed to achieve a passing score on the AIMS assessment.

5.        School district or charter school officials shall provide adequate notice to the pupil and the pupil’s parents or legal guardians regarding the date, time and place of the appeal. A pupil, or a pupil’s representative, may partici- pate in the appeal either personally, by telephone, or by providing written documentation.

6.        All other procedures regarding these appeals shall be determined by the local school district or charter school governing board.

E.       Every school district or charter school that graduates pupils from high school shall determine whether the pupils that have failed to achieve a passing score on any section of the AIMS assessment  meet  the  alternative  graduation  requirements

established by this Section. In making this determination the school or school district shall adhere to the following require- ments:

1.        The school district or charter school shall augment the score of each section of the AIMS assessment where a pupil failed to achieve a passing score with additional points derived from classroom performance. These points shall represent a potential percentage augmentation from a pupil’s original score. The number of additional points shall be calculated as follows:

a.         Only classes that satisfy the following 11 1/2 credits shall be included in the calculation:

i.         Four credits of English or English as a Second Language, which shall include but not be lim- ited to the following: grammar, writing, and reading skills, advanced grammar, composi- tion, American literature, advanced composi- tion, research methods and skills and literature. One-half credit of the English requirement shall include the principles of speech and debate but

augmentation equal to three times the amount of credit for that class.

iii.      A letter grade of “C,” or its equivalent, shall receive additional points towards the average augmentation equal to two times the amount of credit for that class.

iv.       Letter grades of “D” or “F,” or their equivalent, shall receive zero points towards the average.

d.        Pupils that have earned additional credits in any of the areas prescribed in this Section may apply the grade that would award the highest augmentation.

e.        After determining a pupil’s additional points the school district or charter school shall calculate the average number of points awarded  per credit  by dividing the sum of additional points earned by 11 1/ 2.

f.         The pupil’s augmentation shall be calculated by applying the following formula:

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ii.        One and one-half credits in instruction in the

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essentials, sources and history of the constitu-

tions of the United States and Arizona and instruction in American institutions and ideals and in the history of Arizona.

iii.      One credit of world history/geography.

iv.       Two credits of mathematics. Mathematics cred- its shall be taken consecutively beginning with the ninth grade, and the course content of the mathematics credits shall include Number Sense; Data Analysis and Probability; Patterns, Algebra and Functions; Geometry; Measure- ment and Discrete Mathematics; and Mathe- matical Structure/Logic, in preparation for proficiency, at the high school level, on the AIMS test.

v.        Two credits of science.

vi.       One credit of fine arts or vocational education.

b.        Each eligible grade in an advanced placement class, or a school district or charter school designated “honors” class, up to the 11 1/2 credits prescribed in this Section, shall receive additional points as fol- lows:

i.         A letter grade of “A,” or its equivalent, shall receive additional points equal to five times the amount of credit for that class.

ii.        A letter grade of “B,” or its equivalent, shall receive additional points equal to four times the amount of credit for that class.

iii.      A letter grade of “C,” or its equivalent, shall receive additional points towards the average augmentation equal to three times the amount of credit for that class.

iv.       A letter grade of “D” or “F,” or its equivalent, shall receive zero points towards the average.

c.         All other eligible grades, up to the 11 1/2 credits pre- scribed in this Section, shall receive additional points as follows:

i.         A letter grade of “A,” or its equivalent, shall receive additional points towards the average augmentation equal to four times the amount of credit for that class.

ii.        A letter grade of “B,” or its equivalent, shall receive additional points towards the average

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2.        The augmentation points shall be added to the pupil’s highest achieved score on each section of the AIMS assessment where the student failed to achieve a passing score. If a pupil’s augmented score exceeds the passing score for the applicable section of the AIMS assessment, the pupil shall be considered to have passed that section of the assessment for graduation purposes.

3.        The school district or charter school shall augment the highest achieved score of each section of the AIMS assessment where a pupil failed to achieve a passing score separately and concurrently.

F.        A pupil’s augmented score shall be used only for the purpose of determining whether the pupil meets the competency test requirement for graduation from high school.

G.       All school districts and charter schools shall report to the Ari- zona Department of Education the number of students in their schools that met the alternative graduation requirement pre- scribed in this Section. School districts and charter schools shall also report disaggregated data showing the number of students whose augmented scores met or exceeded the passing scores for the reading, writing and math sections of the AIMS assessment respectively. These reports shall be made annually and shall be received by the Arizona Department of Education by June 30.

Historical Note

New Section made by exempt rulemaking at 15 A.A.R.

1602, effective August 24, 2009 (Supp. 09-3).