Yuma Union High School District replaces AzMERIT exam with ACT

Following the state’s decision last year to allow school districts to choose its standardized testing, the Yuma Union High School District has stopped using the AzMERIT exam in all grade levels, according to Eric Patten the district’s Communication Director.

Instead, he said the district is implementing the ACT at the junior level.

“There are actually some tangible benefits for students in taking this beyond just those on paper measurements,” Patten said.”It is used a lot of times as an entrance exam for college, it is used to get scholarships and things like that.”

The change began at the start of the 2018-2019 school year, parents were notified from the school district in January.

The ACT testing will take place at the end of April.

The AzMERIT is an online testing platform that measures the critical thinking skills of Arizona students who are getting ready to enter college and career courses.

Although the district won’t have other grade levels take the AzMERIT, the district still has other standardized tests, like AIMS, Cambridge testing, and the Science test.

However, the AzMERIT was the standardized test used to calculate the A-F letter grade system for Arizona schools.

“Because they [Department of Education] allowed schools to accept or choose an assessment from their menus of assessment that is going to change. That will be a decision by the Department of Education and we will be informed on how that will look and how that will be calculated in the future,” said Patten.

As of January, the Department of Education has not released how it will measure the A-F letter grade system.

However, getting rid of the AzMERIT allows more time for teachers and parents to focus on the curriculum according to Patten. The AzMERIT exam was a two to three-week process to initiate, prepare and facilitate, he explained.

The ACT exam allows for more resources, like ACT.org which helps students prepare for the exam by taking practice exams.