AzMERIT Practice Tests

Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessments: What You Need to Prep Your Students

Arizona’s state tests have undergone a few name changes over the years: what once was AzMerit became AzM2 and is now Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessments (or AASA). What hasn’t changed? Your students still need support and practice as they prepare for the test.

Whether you were in the classroom for AzMerit and AzM2 or not, you’ll be able to equip your students for Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessments. All you need is a little insight into what the test is like. That’s what we’ll cover next.

What Is AASA?

Arizona administers Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) to students in grades 3 through 8. AASA covers English language arts (writing and reading) and mathematics and includes Arizona-specific questions used on AzM2. The AASA ELA test for third graders consists of an Oral Reading Fluency unit.

In addition to AASA tests, Arizona students are also tested on science topics with AzSCI, the state’s science assessment, in grades 5, 8, and 11 AzSCI test content aligns with Arizona’s 2018 science standards and includes Arizona-specific items. The exam also uses technology-enhanced questions like inline answers, fill-in-the-blank, and two-part questions. It provides access to the Desmos calculator for students to answer questions.

Arizona high school students are tested with the ACT Aspire (grade 9) and the ACT (grade 11), which cover English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing.

The tests are all administered online, but there’s an opportunity for paper testing for students whose disabilities prevent them from accessing the online test in a meaningful way. Both AASA and AzSCI tests offer paper versions in Braille or large print for visually impaired students. Arizona also provides the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA), which covers English language arts, mathematics, and science, for students with significant cognitive disabilities. MSAA tests are administered individually to qualifying students.

English language learners are also assessed in the state with AZELLA, which determines where students are in their development of English language skills. English language learners are tested annually with AZELLA until they reach English language proficiency. A new AZELLA test, aligned to new standards, will be administered for the first time in spring 2023. An alternate assessment for English language learners with significant cognitive disabilities is also in development.

How to Prep Your Students for Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessments (AASA)

If you are familiar with AZ Merit or AzM2, you already know: computer-based tests require more than subject matter preparation. Your students need to know and be comfortable with the virtual testing technology they’ll encounter on test day. That means making time for virtual practice.

Computer-based tests like AASA and AzSCI (and AzM2, previously) make use of technology-enhanced questions, so your students won’t just face a slew of multiple-choice questions. They’ll be engaged with question types like drag-and-drop, multiple selection, and equation creation that take advantage of technology's unique capabilities to assess your students’ understanding on a deeper level.

For an added benefit: have your students take practice tests on the same device they’ll use for AASA and AzSCI. That way, when test day rolls around, they’ll know precisely how their device functions with the test-taking technology.

Access the AASA Practice Test in Pear Assessment

Guess what? Pear Assessment (formerly Edulastic) has already set up AASA practice content in our Pear Assessment Public Library for quick access and straightforward practice. All you have to do is set up a free account, and you’ll be able to welcome your students into a virtual testing environment where they can gain familiarity with the tools they’ll encounter on test day.

They’ll also get a sense of the content they’ll be tested on, and with every practice session, they’ll build confidence that will bolster their test performance. No test-taking butterflies here!

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