The state legislature has also mandated a method to measure progress toward this goal to assure that this goal is met. It is therefore entirely appropriate for the legislature to address the shortcomings of the system of accountability that they have mandated. The legislature's goal to measure progress toward mastery of these standards and to require accountability at local school sites for failure to meet them is laudable. Students are being allowed to move up through the grade levels in our schools without being held to the state-adopted standards. It defies common sense to allow children to arrive at high school, well below grade level, and expect them to suddenly do high-school level work.
Remediation is most effective, both educationally and fiscally, at early grade levels.
As children continue to be passed along, remediation becomes exponentially more difficult. We have to put in requirements for advancement at earlier grade levels that are clear, consistent and have teeth if we want to hold students accountable by the time they are seniors. To that end, accountability can best be achieved through a series of cumulative exams that increase financial and academic accountability at all grade levels. Every student must pass a standard assessment that measures student progress in relation to the Arizona Academic Standards before moving up to the next grade level. Every twelfth grade student must pass a standard test that is aligned with the Arizona Academic Standards prior to earning a state-certified diploma.