MEAP - It's Hard
to Miss the Excellence
October 2003
 

The latest MEAP test scores came in early this month. And if you've seen the
latest Winter 2003 MEAP test scores (see right-hand column below), chances are you've noticed a common trend within the Novi Community School District from year to year: excellence.

MEAP stands for Michigan Educational Assessment Program. Portions of this assessment are given during 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 11th grade. The MEAP serves to in order to measure academic achievement over a period of time.

Throughout elementary school and middle school the state uses standard-setting, to determine the setting for which test scores fall under which category. Categories range from low, moderate, and satisfactory, or
proficient, and not yet proficient etc. (And wouldn't you know the students' level of enthusiasm for taking the test is about parallel with its exciting grading system).

As with most standardized tests across the country, students are simply told, "Here's a few days off of normal school, now take this
test," so they do. Getting a satisfactory and/or proficient grade in elementary or middle school simply earns the students of the school a pat on the back, and provides them with raised expectations for following tests. Yet that always seems to be enough for students in Novi Community Schools.

On October 3rd, test results for 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th graders from individual
schools were released. The Novi Community School district dominated. The lowest
difference between a Novi school and the state average, of students who met
state standards for a certain test, was 7% (54% of Novi 7th graders met standards for Writing, 47% did from the state).

In almost every grade, around 90% of Novi students met the Michigan standards for a certain portion of the test. Novi students especially excelled in Math, Reading, English, and Science. Weaknesses were writing, which was still significantly above the state average, and social studies, a test based on fact memorization, which isn't even counted for the MEAP scholarship in 11th grade.

The MEAP takes on a whole new meaning for students during high school. Due to the high school MEAP's hefty reward, the 11th grade test is by far the most important assessment as far as students are concerned. The grading system for this test is divided into four categories: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4. Earning a Level 1 grade means a student surpassed the state's expectations. Level 2 means the student met the state's expectations, and Levels 3 and 4 mean a students did not meet the state's expectations.

Juniors who earn a Level 1 or Level 2 on the 11th grade assessment, are not only given a pat on the back for their improved "academic achievement over time," but are rewarded
with a $2500 college scholarship. Luckily, for Novi High School students, their excellence in MEAP testing continues into 11th grade, and the majority of juniors receive that scholarship. 

The same MEAP results can be seen from year to year in the Novi Community School
District. The MEAP may be testing individual students, but the obvious reason for the MEAP is to test the schools. MEAP grades don't necessarily only reflect how smart an individual is, rather how well the school teaches that student. The Novi Community School District averaged 19% more students that met expectations on each test than the state did -- It's hard to miss the excellence.

(c) 2003 the Novi Information Network