Standards and Testing.

Grades and Credits.

All courses taught for credit receive a letter grade or a pass/fail option. Grade point and the percentage used are listed below.

Please note, students earning a letter grade of a “D” will receive only half of the assigned credit for the class. (A “D” in a 1-credit class will only earn the student ½ credit.) Therefore classes required for graduation must be repeated even if a “D” was earned. Elective classes earn only ¼ credit per semester with the exception of Study Hall which earns only 1/8 credit per semester.

Percentage Letter Grade Grade Quality
Point Value
97 & Above A+ 4.33
93 – 96 A 4.00
90 – 92 A- 3.67
87 – 89 B+ 3.33
83 – 86 B 3.00
80 – 82 B- 2.67
77 – 79 C+ 2.33
73 – 76 C 2.00
70 – 72 C- 1.67
67 – 69 D+ 1.33
63 – 66 D 1.00
60 – 62 D- .67

AIMS (Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards).

In addition to the specific course and credit requirements, students graduating in the year 2006 and beyond will be required to pass the State of Arizona AIMS tests. These tests measure the students’ competency in math, reading and writing.

Students who exceed the standards and meet certain criteria may qualify for tuition wavers to the State Universities.

In order qualify for tuition waiver students must meet the following criteria:

Part 1: Students must complete all 16 Core Competency Courses by graduation with a B or better in each course. (16 Core Competency Courses: 4 units English; 4 units Math; 3 units Lab Science; 2 units Social Science; 2 units Foreign Language; and 1 unit Fine Arts.)   AND

Part 2: Students must meet at least one of the following academic requirements: Option 1 – GPA: Cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale Option 2 – Class Rank: Student is in the top 5% of high school graduating class upon graduation.   AND

Part 3: Students must meet at least one of the following assessment options:

Option 1: EXCEED Standards on all 3 of the AIMS Tests.
Option 2: EXCEED Standards on 2 of the AIMS Tests and MEET Standards on 1 of the AIMS Tests. Additionally, they would either need to receive at least a score of 3 on two Advanced Placement tests or a score of at least 4 on two International Baccalaureate exams.