May 2016
Dear Higley Unified School District 3rd Grade Parents,
This letter, provided to all parents with a child in third grade, is intended to provide information
on Arizona’s Move On When Reading (MOWR) law and the importance it places on your child’s
ability to read at or above grade level. Arizona Revised Statute § 15-701 states that if data on the
third grade statewide reading assessment demonstrates that a student scores at the lower end
of the “Minimally Proficient” level, the student shall not be promoted from the third grade.
School districts must use the scores to identify third grade students who scored below the
MOWR cut score set by the Arizona Department of Education and must be retained in third
grade for the 2016-17 school year. The Higley Unified School District will provide each third
grade student performing below the MOWR cut score with at least one of the four
intervention/remedial strategies identified by the State Board of Education.
ARS § 15-701 – The four interventions are:
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Assignment to a different teacher for reading instruction
Summer school reading instruction
Intensive reading instruction that occurs before, during, or after the regular school day
Online reading instruction
If your child’s score shows he/she scored low on the Spring 2016 third grade statewide reading
assessment, your child is entitled to receive one or more of these reading interventions.
In order for our district to be compliant with the MOWR policies, report cards for all third grade
students will be sent home in June after we receive the AZMerit results. Please contact your
child’s school if you have any questions about this new policy.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Sheryl Rednor
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Mike Thomason
Superintendent