A judge has rejected a legal challenge to the curriculum standards-based "AIMS" test which Arizona high school students must pass to get a diploma.
A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of high school students contended that the state failed to provide programs and services necessary for "economically disadvantaged" students to meet the state's academic standards.
The suit cited the Arizona Constitution's mandate for a "general and uniform" public school system.
But the ruling by Judge John Buttrick of Maricopa County Superior Court says the challengers failed to prove a relationship between unavailability of programs and students' failures to pass the test.
State Superintendent Tom Horne calls the ruling a loss for "forces of mediocrity."
