Arizona Science Assessment Letter
July 21, 2008
The Honorable Tom Horne
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Arizona Department of Education
1535 West Jefferson Street, Bin Z
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Dear Superintendent Horne:
Thank you for submitting evidence on Arizona’s science assessment by April 21, 2008. We appreciate your efforts in putting together this information. As I noted in my letter on February 28, for the 2007-08 school year, each state was required to demonstrate that it satisfied the following basic requirements: (1) it has approved content standards in science; (2) it administered a general and alternate science assessment in each grade span (3-5, 6-9, and 10-12); (3) it included all students in the general or alternate science assessments; and (4) it reported the results of the general and alternate science assessments on state, district, and school report cards.
My staff has reviewed the evidence submitted and determined that Arizona has met the basic requirements for administering science assessments for 2007-08. In 2008-09, Arizona must submit complete evidence of its science standards and assessments for peer review. We have scheduled peer reviews for science standards and assessments for the weeks of October 25 through November 2, 2008, and March 23 through 27, 2009. Please plan accordingly. All materials for review must be provided to the Department three weeks before peer review is scheduled.
The Department remains committed to working with Arizona to help it meet the full requirements of NCLB. If you have any additional questions, would like to discuss this further, or wish to request technical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Clayton Hollingshead (Clayton.Hollingshead@ed.gov) or Martha Snyder (Martha.Snyder@ed.gov) of my staff.
Sincerely,
Kerri L. Briggs, Ph.D.
cc: Governor Janet Napolitano
Robert Franciosi
