Standardized Tests in Arizona

To gauge how well students are learning in Arizona, the Department of Education uses  several main measures:  the TerraNova test, the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) Test, and AZ LEARNS.  The Academy is proud to announce that we are designated an Excelling school  by AZ LEARNS.  Our students are also top in the state in many  categories on  both the TerraNova and the AIMS tests.  You may click on the name below to view Academy test results.

1. The TerraNova is a national test that compares how well students in Arizona performed compared to their peers nationally. TerraNova scores are reported in terms of a national percentile rank (NPR). An NPR of 80, for example, means that the student's score on that test is equal to or better than those of 80% of the students in the national sample.
2. The (AIMS) is a test designed specifically to assess how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Arizona. The AIMS test is designed specifically to measure students' progress toward achieving Arizona's standards in mathematics, reading and writing. Achievement is measured by how well students learned the skills described in the state standards at each grade level.
3. AZ LEARNS is Arizona's system for designating overall performance levels for each school.  The profiles for elementary and middle schools are based on: The percent of students passing the AIMS test; the improvement or decline of AIMS scores over three years; the percent of students in each grade making year-to-year academic progress.  Using these indicators, the state rates schools as Excelling, Highly Performing, Performing, Underperforming, or Failing.  The Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies is rated as an Excelling school.