Good For Arizona

Finally, some legislators and a governor with common sense in Arizona when Arizona has done away with passing proficiency exams to graduate from high school.
From Arizona Central: The high-stakes AIMS test is officially dead.
On Friday, Senate Bill 1191 was signed into law, immediately lifting the requirement that students pass a standardized test in order to graduate from high school.
Until now, that test was the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards.
The requirement had been set to expire in December 2016.
But the bill has an emergency clause, calling for it to take effect immediately.
Gov. Doug Ducey, who is in Washington, D.C., to attend a conference, asked Secretary of State Michele Reagan to sign the legislation on his behalf, according to Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato.
The change will affect several thousand students statewide — juniors and seniors who failed at least one portion of the AIMS test they first took in 10th grade. Students had to pass math, reading and writing portions.
In the past, those students would have retaken the AIMS until they passed in order to graduate. Now they won't have to.
Diane Douglas, superintendent of public instruction, praised the move in a statement released by her spokeswoman Friday afternoon.
"I hope this decision relieves much of the stress that parents and their children face when a high-stakes test determines whether or not a student can graduate from high school," she said in the statement.
"High academic standards and tests that provide information and accountability are very important, but placing all the responsibility and stress on individual students for the success of our educational system is unfair," Douglas said.  http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/02/20/new-law-repeals-aims-graduation-requirement/23771057/
Proficiency exams are a waste of time and money.
Many people make money off these proficiency exams.  Test writers, distributors, test scorers and many people in the Department of Education in Arizona all make tons of money off of proficiency exams.
Because of these exams in high school, learning is not possible when they give the test at least 2 times a year.  If the kid doesn't have to pass the test they are given, then more than likely, they just sit around the school, not learning for at least half the day.
Finally and hopefully, this will stop teachers teaching to the test and have them actually teach subjects that the kids need in Arizona.
So, good for Arizona for leading the way by getting rid of proficiency exams.
Now, if they can only get rid of Common Core, which is a complete disaster, thanks to President Obama and Congress.