Helping your child have a
successful AIMS testing
experience.
Tonalea Title 1
March 24th, 2010
Donna M. Stokes, MEd (2010)
When is AIMS testing this year?
• Testing at Tonalea will be during the week of
April 12th through April 16th.
• Testing will occur shortly after breakfast and
morning announcements.
• Visitors will be restricted from campus during
testing periods to maintain the optimal testing
environment and security.
Does my child have to take the test?
• Yes. Both state and federal laws require every
child in a public and/or charter school to
participate in student progress testing.
• The state is required to ensure that the
mandated tests are administered correctly at
both the district and school levels.
What does AIMS mean?
• AIMS stands for Arizona’s Instrument to
Measure Standards
• It is sometimes referred to as AIMS DPA. The
DPA means Dual Purpose Assessment.
– Reduced testing time
– Provide data on a student’s weaknesses and strengths
What kind of data is collected?
• AIMS DPA measures data in two ways.
– It is standards based. This measures your child’s
learning based on Arizona’s curriculum or academic
standards.
– It is norm-referenced. This means your child is
compared to other students of the same grade level
across the country.
• The norm-referenced test items are from the
Stanford 10 assessment.
What do the scores mean?
• First, your child receives an AIMS overall score
in each of the tested areas: reading, math, and
writing (5th-7th). Science is also given in 4th and
8th grades.
–
–
–
–
Exceeds the Standards (passing)
Meets the Standards (passing)
Approaches the Standard (failing)
Falls Far Below the Standard (failing)
What do the scores mean?
• Second, your child receives a percentile ranking
(for example, 83rd % or 65th %) based on the
comparison of your child to other students in
the country on selected test items.
• This means, in the first example above, that your
child scored the same or better than 83% of
students in the same grade and/or age group on
those test questions.
What are the parts of the test?
• In grades 3-8, students are assessed in:
– Reading: 3 test sessions
– Math: 3 test sessions
– Writing: 2 hours (Grades 5th-7th this year)
• Grade 4 also is assessed in Science: 2 sessions.
• This year, 2nd Grade students will be taking the
Stanford 10 assessment in Reading, Language
Arts, and Math.
What can I do as a parent to
help my child?
Before the test…
• Keep a positive attitude about tests.
• Mark down the test days on your calendar so that both
you and your child are aware of testing dates.
• Talking about the test with your child can help them
decrease their anxiety.
• Encourage them to do well, but without pressure. It is
important for them to stay relaxed so their brain can
function at its best.
During test week…
• Make sure your child gets enough sleep at night.
• Ensure that your child gets a healthy breakfast.
Avoid heavy foods ( may make them groggy) or
foods with high sugar content (may make them
hyper).
• Make sure they get up early enough to arrive on
time to school.
During test week…
• Let your child relax for a few hours before
bedtime.
– Go for a walk together.
– Listen to music together.
– Play a simple board or card game together.
• Talk to your child about their feelings. Don’t
hesitate to contact the teacher or school if your
child appears overly concerned or anxious.
After the tests…
• Congratulate your child on a job well done.
• Encourage them to stay on task in the
classroom.
– Just because AIMS is done, doesn’t mean we don’t
have a lot of learning left to do!
– The work they are doing now will prepare them for
success next year.
When are the school’s results
published?
• The schools usually get the results at the end of the
school year or early in the summer.
• Newspapers print the results usually in July.
• The district has the results on the SUSD website usually
in August.
• This year we have heard that the results will be available
much earlier, but that may change due to budget
concerns.
Your Child’s Report
• Each child has a printed report of their results.
• The reports are explained in words and by
visuals.
• We are always happy at Tonalea to sit down with
you to review/explain those results.
Any Questions?
• Handouts with tips are available.
• Sample questions and information are available
on the AZ Dept of Education website:
– http://www.ade.state.az.us/AIMS/students.asp