Schools

Chippewa Valley, New Haven Put Declining Test Scores in Perspective

New standards, adopted by the State Board of Education in September, changed state cut scores on the MEAP and MME to make the test more rigorous.

In reviewing the results of the , local school administrators said they were not surprised to find Macomb districts showing a decline in proficiency levels.

“We weren’t surprised, but when you look at (the scores), regardless of what you know is coming, and you look at them in black and white, it’s shocking,” said Ron Roberts, Chippewa Valley Schools superintendent.

With state scoring standards for the (MEAP) and (MME) slated to change in 2012, school districts were given a retrospective look at how their students would fare had these new scoring standards been in place.  

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Students now need to get roughly 65 percent of the answers correct to “pass” the state test, instead of the previous benchmark of only 39 percent.

All of Macomb Township’s public school districts showed a decline in proficiency levels, as did most districts in the state.

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However, neither Roberts nor New Haven Superintendent Keith Wunderlich consider these scores the end-all in their district's operations, with even state officials confirming the retro-scores are for informational purposes only.

“The new cut scores won’t change our direction,” Wunderlich said. “They just reinforce our need to work even harder on the processes we’ve already implemented.”

“We will do what we always do with the scores,” Roberts said. “You do an item analysis and you do this regardless of new cut scores because what you’re looking at is the items in which the kids don’t do well. The analysis isn’t going to change.”

However, Roberts noted that any instructional changes with the MEAP and MME in mind will also be in line with ongoing efforts to teach the common core–the state-established standards for instruction in English-language arts and mathematics.

“As we’re looking at these MEAP scores now, the common core is being implemented,” Roberts said. “In 2014-15 kids will be tested on the common core, so while we’re analyzing what’s on the test now, the fact is the test won’t be the same in a few years.”

In New Haven, new programs are already being implemented to enhance students’ understanding of math and science–two areas where scores dropped significantly.

“We had already implemented a new math assessment called STAR math,” Wunderlich said. “It will help us pinpoint areas of strength and weakness in each student, grades 1-12. By knowing the exact area where a student needs support, we can be very specific with our intervention.”

In science, the district is starting an alternative energy curriculum to “help make science relevant to students.”

For students at the elementary level, this means working hands-on with solar panels. In middle school, the students will work with wind turbines, while high school deals in bio-fuels.

“These new resources will present 21st century models that represent core science concepts,” Wunderlich said. “Students are more likely to connect with the transfer of energy when they’re working with a solar panel than if they’re reading it out of a text.”

2010 MEAP

The following is the percentage of students who met or exceeded state standards on the MEAP in 2010, compared to what the percentages would have been had the new cut scores been place.

Chippewa Valley Schools (Grades 3-9)


Math % Reading % Writing % Science % Soc. Studies % 3 92.6, 30 92.5, 68


4 95.2, 40 90.4, 70 55.9, 56

5 88.5, 37 90.5, 72
88.7, 20
6 89.5, 33 89, 69

81.9, 30 7 89.1, 38 84.9, 62 54.8, 55

8 84.7, 28 87.6, 60
82.5, 11
9



82, 30

*Actual 2010 scores, restrospective scores in bold.

New Haven Community Schools (Grades 3-9)


Math % Reading % Writing % Science % Soc. Studies % 3 97.9, 38 84, 64


4 92.7, 45 88.1, 55 44, 44

5 82.5, 41 83.8, 66
84.5, 17
6 86.5, 39 81.3, 57

80.2, 32 7 76.4, 30 72.7, 40 33.6, 34

8 83.8, 31 78.1, 45
71.4, 7
9



60.5, 17


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