Official: Arizona moves on student tests puts funds at risk

PHOENIX (AP)- A U.S. Department of Education official says Arizona policy changes on student testing go against federal law and put substantial education funding provided to the state at risk, but state officials aren’t expressing alarm.

The Arizona Capitol Times reports that “upwards of $300 million” could be withheld under conflicts cited by Assistant Secretary Frank Brogan in a March 28 letter to state officials.

The conflicts center on Arizona’s decisions to allow districts to choose to offer a “menu of assessments” rather than require one statewide standardized test, currently AZMerit.

Federal officials denied Arizona’s request for a waiver.

Republican Rep. Regina Cobb and Arizona School Boards Association lobbyist Chris Kotterman expressed optimism that the state should come out all right, and the state Department of Education downplayed any immediate impact.