MEAP exams were given to students in reading and math in grades 3-8, in science in grades 5 and 8, in social studies in grades 6 and 9 and in writing in grades 4 and 7. / Susan Tusa/Detroit Free Press
MEAP results released this morning — the final school year for which the MEAP will be given — show increasing percentages of students have been passing the state exams in most grades and subjects since 2010.
But the results — released by the Michigan Department of Education — were mixed when compared with passing rates from 2012 to 2013, and the overall picture continues a troubling trend: More than half of the students who took the math portion of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program exam failed it, and in many grade levels a third of the students failed reading.
In October, children in third through eighth grades took reading and math exams, fifth- and eighth-graders took science exams, sixth- and ninth-graders took social studies tests and fourth- and seventh-graders had writing tests. The state is transitioning from the MEAP to the Smarter Balanced Assessment, which is based on a new set of common standards Michigan and more than 40 other states adopted. However, Michigan lawmakers are holding hearings that could result in Michigan choosing a different standardized exam.
■ Related: Fall 2013 MEAP results
In MEAP reading, the percentage of students who passed the exam in third through eighth grade was 68%, up from 67%; in math, the percentage was 41%, the same as the year before.
State officials were pleased that reading scores for fourth-graders improved for the fourth consecutive year; 70% of them passed the exam, up from 68.1% in 2012 and 63.5% in 2010. The fourth-grade exam tested students on what they learned in third-grade — a key grade, because by the end of third grade, it’s critically important that students have mastered the ability to read.
“This is encouraging news that more students are reading at grade-level by the end of third grade,” Gov. Rick Snyder said in a news release. “More work needs to be done, and I appreciate the hard work that teachers, parents and students are putting in to continue this positive trend.”
Some EAA students improve; many don't
Results also were mixed for the Education Achievement Authority, the statewide system for the worst-performing schools in the state. Since 2012 the EAA has operated 15 schools that were in the Detroit Public Schools district.
This is the second year EAA students have taken the MEAP. The 2012 results were more reflective of their time in DPS. But this year’s results provide a picture of how much influence the EAA is having on student achievement.
Overall pass rates were low for the 12 schools directly operated by the EAA — ranging from 0% to 3.8% in math and 8.2% to 31.8% in reading — and showed declines in some areas from 2012 results. The three EAA schools that were turned into independent charters showed mostly improved results from last school year to this school year.
But EAA leaders are encouraged by growth data showing whether students’ performance improved, got worse or remained unchanged. In math, 21% of students at schools run directly by the EAA made progress while 36.1% got worse. In reading, 38.5% improved and 35.6% declined.
“We’re really starting to see growth toward proficiency,” said Mary Esselman, deputy chancellor for instructional support and educational accountability. “Students were so far below grade level. We needed to meet them where they were and focus on filling in gaps.”
When a system is as new as the EAA, it can be difficult to gauge success, said Judy Pritchett, chief academic officer for the Macomb Intermediate School District.
“We want to look for trends,” Pritchett said. “And that’s difficult to do when you only have two years of data.”
But what you want to see, Pritchett said, is improvement and not declines.
“Nobody would have expected miraculous” results, she said. “That’s asking for too much. But certainly if I had trends going back and forth, I would be very concerned.”
DPS officials encouraged
Detroit school officials were encouraged by their own results, which like the state are more positive over a four-year period but more mixed from last school year to this school year.
Karen Ridgeway, superintendent of academics for DPS, said the district is closing the gap between itself and the state averages. African-American students in particular — the district’s largest group of students — are close to matching the performance of African-American students statewide.
She said that’s encouraging despite the fact that statewide, African-American students are struggling, and the gap between them and white students continues to widen in many grades and subject areas.
“You have to start somewhere,” Ridgeway said. Closing the gap with African-American students statewide, she said, “will actually help us in closing the gap in some other areas as well.”
Growth data for DPS show that in math, 31.9% of students are showing improvement, while 36.1% declined. In reading, 39.8% of students saw improvement, while 35.6% declined.
Staff writer Kristi Tanner contributed to this report