Across the state, students fared better on the AIMS test this year than last year in all subjects except writing.
Scores released by the Arizona Department of Education this week show the same holds true for most of the nine Tucson-area school districts: Amphitheater, Catalina Foothills, Flowing Wells, Marana, Sahuarita, Sunnyside, Tanque Verde, TUSD and Vail.
The state-mandated high-stakes test measures a student's knowledge in reading, writing and math at the 10th-grade level.
While students struggled with the adoption of new, rigorous math standards last year, writing proved to be the most challenging this year.
In 2010, 71 percent of students statewide passed the writing portion of AIMS. This year, that number dipped to 56 percent. In Pima County, 54 percent of students passed.
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The drop was expected because the test changed this year to reflect higher standards of what students should know about writing, said Andrew LeFevre, public-relations director at the Department of Education.
"The end result is that holding students to a higher standard in their writing throughout their academic careers will lead to greater success when they enter the workforce," concluded state schools chief John Huppenthal.
Though gains were seen on the math portion, they were slight, with 59 percent of students passing across the state, compared with 57 in 2010. In Pima County, 55 percent of students passed - an increase of 1 percentage point.
In the area of reading, all nine of the local school districts saw a boost in the percentage of students who passed.
This year's AIMS test held considerably more weight for high school seniors - the first class that had the test determine 95 percent of their eligibility for a diploma.
There were nearly 200 seniors in the Tucson area who did not graduate despite having completed their required course work and having passing grades.
Reporter Becky Pallack contributed to this report. Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at ahuicochea@azstarnet.com or 573-4175.
