Schools

Macomb's MME Scores Show Slight Increase; ACT Remains Steady

Data from the Michigan Department of Education shows the Class of 2013 at Chippewa Valley, L'Anse Creuse, New Haven and Utica did better on the Michigan Merit Exam than their predecessors.

The majority of Macomb area students continue to score above state average on the Michigan Merit Exam, but the number of students actually passing the exam suggests there is much work to be done, according to a report released by the Michigan Department of Education this morning.

The performance of Macomb area students this year takes into account a test that is more difficult to pass, based on new cut scores implemented last year by the state. Had their performance been compared to last year's actual test, Chippewa Valley students would have dropped 26 percentage points in math, for instance.

To allow for a more apples-to-apples comparison, the state has adjusted the 2011 scores, giving Chippewa's math results for this year a 3 percentage point increase.

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Across the state, the largest gains on the MME occurred in reading and writing, where reading saw an average one-year increase of 3 percent and writing an average one-year increase of 2.5 percent. These increases show roughly 56 percent of tested students are proficient in reading and 50 percent are proficient in writing across the state.

High school juniors who were tested in the spring represent the third junior class to have completed the new, more rigorous Michigan high school graduation requirements. 

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“The impact of having students engage in the rigorous Michigan Merit Curriculum is evident here,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan, in a prepared statement. “When students have the benefit of learning higher-level subject material, more will become career- and college-ready and prepared for success."

Students also took the ACT this spring. While the overall composite scores for Michigan high school juniors increased statewide, local scores stayed relatively the same, increasing no more than 1 percentage point at any Macomb area school.

ACT for Macomb Area High Schools


2012
2011
Michigan
19.6
19.4
CVHS
19.5
18.9
Dakota
20.3
19.6
LCN
20.2
19
New Haven
16.5
16.7
Eisenhower
22.1
21.7
Utica
19.5
19.7
IAM
27.5
26.8
Henry Ford II
21
21.2

The MDE adopted a tougher standard for passing the MME this year to better represent the number of students who are college-ready. Students had to score higher on the tests to receive a passing, or "proficient" score. The following numbers show scores for 2012 and 2011, which were retrospectively adjusted to reflect the new MME scoring standards.

MME – Chippewa Valley Schools

Chippewa Valley students exceeded or met state averages in math, reading,  writing and social studies, but fell 1 percentage point in science.

However, despite these improvements, less than half of Chippewa's 11th-grade population passed the math, science and social studies portions of the exam.

The Class of 2013 did better in math and reading than their predecessors.


2012 2011 State 2012 Math 33 30 29 Reading 58 55 56 Science 25 27 26 Writing 51 54 49 Soc. Studies 41 46 41

*Numbers given as percentage of students who scored proficient or above.

MME - L'Anse Creuse Public Schools

L'Anse Creuse students scored above the state average in math, but fell short in science, writing and social studies. The greatest gap was in social studies, where scores fell 7 percentage points.

Only on the reading portion did more than half of the district's 11th-grade students pass the exam.

The Class of 2013 improved on their predecessor's scores in every subject, save social studies which remained the same.


2012 2011 State 2012 Math 33 26 29 Reading 56 48 56 Science 20 21 26 Writing 46 44 49 Soc. Studies 34 34 41

*Numbers given as percentage of students who scored proficient or above.

MME - New Haven Community Schools

New Haven students posted scores below the state average in every subject, with the greatest gap occurring in writing, where New Haven scores were 29 percentage points lower than the state average. 

While more than a quarter of the student population passed the exam's reading portion, less than 10 percent passed the math section.

The Class of 2013 made significant improvements on their predecessor's scores, except in the area of writing.


2012 2011 State 2012

Math

6 4 29 Reading 29 29 56 Science 15 5 26 Writing 20 27 49 Soc. Studies 20 13 41

*Numbers given as percentage of students who scored proficient or above.

MME - Utica Community Schools

Utica scored above the state average in every subject, exceeding the state's writing average by as much as 8 percentage points.

When compared to Macomb's other districts, Utica also boasted a higher percentage of students to have passed the exam in all subject areas.

The Class of 2013 was roughly on par with their predecessors' scores.


2012 2011 State 2012 Math 36 37 29 Reading 61 59 56 Science 30 32 26 Writing 57 59 49 Soc. Studies 47 48 41

*Numbers given as percentage of students who scored proficient or above.


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