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Merit test scores fall short: Most high school juniors fail math, writing on new exam
Clever name: Merit Test.
Jennifer Mrozowski, Shawn D. Lewis and Karen Bouffard
More than half of Michigan's high school juniors failed the state's new exam in math and writing and fewer than 60 percent passed reading and science, according to results released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Education.
The new Michigan Merit Examination, which replaces the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) in high school, is billed as a tougher gauge of how well prepared students are for college, and it showed in test scores.
While state officials said they expected room for improvement, some district officials expressed shock over their scores.
"I am very, very disappointed in the test results," said Michael Horn, principal of Southfield High School, where students struggled in math and writing. "All of us are at fault. We must acknowledge that. We failed our kids."
The results are the first indicator of whether Michigan is on the road toward increasing college readiness, and it likely will present a roadmap of where improvements must be made.
Statewide, 47 percent of juniors passed the math section; 60 percent met or exceeded standards in reading; and 56 percent passed science. The worst scores were in writing, which just 40 percent passed. Students registered their best scores in social studies, where 83 percent passed.
"I think it shows we all continue to have a lot of work to do," said Jan Ellis, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Education.
A fifth of the juniors in Southfield Public Schools district -- or 19 percent -- passed the math test and just over a fourth -- 27 percent -- passed writing.
Horn said he especially was surprised because the juniors who took the test had the highest grade-point averages in the school, but excuses are not an option.
"We will be holding a retreat for teachers and administrators to take some time away from the work environment to decide strategy," he said.
Official: Scores not that bad
The new exam is made up of three components: the WorkKeys job skills assessments in reading and math; Michigan tests in math, science, social studies and persuasive writing; and the ACT college entrance examination, a factor that carried greater weight with students.
State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus said the results were expected because the state's new mandatory curriculum, geared toward boosting standards, hadn't yet been implemented when the test was administered.
"It sounds terrible, but I don't think it's as bad as people think," she said. As the new content is added to classes, results will improve, she said. "This is a transitional period."
That said, Straus questioned the wisdom of administering a new statewide test before the curriculum to match was implemented.
"It was kind of backwards. The test is ahead of the curriculum, and that's a problem. It's not fair to anybody to do it this way," she said.
In Metro Detroit, Livingston County schools posted the best results on average, leading the four counties and exceeding the state averages in math, reading, science and social studies. Oakland schools were not far behind, outscoring the others in writing, albeit with 52 percent passing.
Macomb County schools scored between 37 percent and 57 percent passing rates on math, science, reading and writing. Wayne County schools had the area's worst results with fewer than half of students passing reading, writing, math and science. A mere 32 percent passed writing.
Detroit schools had some of the worst results in the area, with 14 percent passing math and 22 percent passing science. District officials declined to comment.
Scores may rise next year
State officials said test scores are expected to rise as schools implement the new Michigan Merit Curriculum beginning with this fall's freshmen.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan touted the requirement that all juniors take the ACT.
"We expect to see more students furthering their education because they'll have taken more rigorous courses, demonstrated their abilities on the ACT, and have access to funding provided by the Michigan Promise Scholarship," Flanagan said in a statement.
The average composite on the ACT score for the 122,820 Michigan juniors who took the merit exam this spring was 19. That's two points less than the class of 2007 scored, but it also for the first time it includes virtually all students, including those who may have no plans to attend college.
ACT spokesman Ed Colby said only two other states in the nation, Colorado and Illinois, administer the ACT to all high school juniors. In both states, average ACT scores dropped in the first year the test was administered, but rebounded over time.
The state on Wednesday also released results for the now-discontinued high school MEAP tests for the class of 2007. Comparing the MEAP scores from 2006 to 2007 showed they did not vary greatly.
"More scores went up than went down but, in general, they were pretty constant," said Ellis, of the Michigan Department of Education.
Wednesday's results showed that seniors posted better results on the MEAP test than juniors on the new merit exam. For example 54 percent of students passed the MEAP in math while 47 percent passed that portion on the new test.
Because the current exam is tougher, state officials said results cannot be compared.
65% fail to qualify for award
Daniel Brooks, a rising senior at Detroit's Martin Luther King High School, said he and other students who took the new test found it to be easier the first day and more challenging the second. He hasn't received his results, but he feels confident he'll do well.
"Just about everything on the test had been covered in ninth, 10th or 11th grade," he said. "There's no excuse to say it wasn't fair."
Still, given low across-the-board test scores, about 65 percent of juniors failed to qualify for Gov. Jennifer Granholm's highly touted $4,000 Michigan Promise Scholarships this year. To get the money in time for college to start, students have to pass the math, reading, science and writing portions.
More than 40,000 juniors qualified for the up-front payment, officials said.
For those who didn't make the cut as juniors, they can retake the tests as seniors in attempt to qualify. If they still fail, anyone who took the test can be reimbursed after two years of college or completion of a vocational program.
"Under the new rules, you simply have to take the test," Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said. "We didn't think how you scored on a test should make you ineligible for funds for your education. Some students may not test well, or they might just be having a bad day."
The juniors will have two more chances to pass the test, in September or March of their senior year.
State Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said he's disappointed with the low scores, but not surprised. He said it's too soon to judge the state's education reform efforts, which include the new mandatory statewide curriculum for all high school students.
"This is a much tougher exam than the MEAP," Kuipers said. "We anticipated the scores would drop. The true test of whether we're improving will be ramped in over time."
Ed St. John, professor of higher education at the University of Michigan and an expert on the MEAP, likened the low scores to bitter medicine the state must take if it hopes for a cure to its education ills.
"The fact that they're using the ACT now is a really important development because the MEAP had some serious problems," St. John said. "A lot of schools didn't even have the curriculum they needed to prepare students for the MEAP.
Brighton High School parent Randy Swain, said she was pleased with how well Livingston County did in comparison with the rest of Metro Detroit. Her son Andrew, 17, scored 28 on the ACT.
"I know they made a big push that this is a big matter," she said. "It's not just a test to make the school look good. They really promote college-bound education in our district."
Detroit News Staff Writers Christine MacDonald, Mike Wilkinson, Charles Ramirez and Candice Williams contributed to this report.
Michigan Promise
This is the first year students can qualify for $4,000 Promise Scholarships.
# All students who take the Michigan Merit Exam qualify, whether they pass or not.
# Students who pass the reading, writing, math and science portions of the exam can receive $4,000 for tuition.
# Those who don't pass those four sections can retake it again senior year. If they still don't pass, they can apply to receive the money after completing half the requirements for a bachelor's degree, or completing an associate's degree or a vocational program.
# Students must have a high school diploma or GED, and must maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in their college or vocational program.
For information, visit www.michigan.gov/promise or call (888) 4-GRANTS.
Source: Michigan Department of Education
— Jennifer Mrozowski, Shawn D. Lewis and Karen Bouffard
Detroit News
2007-08-16
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/SCHOOLS/708160407
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
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