MME Reading, Writing, Social Studies Percentages Drop for Farmington Students

(FPS) students continue to score significantly higher than the state average on the Michigan Merit Exam (MME), but results released today by the Michigan Dept. of Education (MDoE) show some scores have slipped from last year.

The Michigan Merit Examination is given each spring to Michigan 11th grade students. The test is administered to most students over a three-day period.

FPS students bettered their average in math and science, moving the percentage of students who tested proficient or advanced from 61 percent to 63 percent in math, and 67 percent to 69 percent in science. The state-wide average in those subject areas improved by two and three points, respectively.

The percentage of FPS students deemed advanced or proficient in reading took the largest dip, from 75 percent in 2010 to 71 percent in 2011. The state-wide average in that area increased by two points. In social studies, the percentage of FPS students who tested proficient or advanced dropped from 86 percent to 83 percent. The state-wide numbers dropped slightly as well, from 79 percent to 78 percent.

The report also included ACT college entrance exam scores, which dropped slightly in Farmington, from 21 to 20.9.  State-wide, the average score increased for the fourth consecutive year, to an average of 19.3 on the ACT Composite, the average of English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science scores.

From 2010 to 2011, students meeting all four ACT college-ready benchmarks, a measure on Gov. Rick Snyder’s Education Dashboard, improved from 16 percent to 17 percent (nearly 7 percent difference) – representing an additional 1,090 students over the previous year.

“Michigan’s future in large part will depend upon the readiness of our students to enter a career or college with the educational foundation needed to succeed and have a strong quality of life,” Snyder said. “Our steady progress is promising, but we can and must do better. I am confident that with our rigorous high school requirements, high quality teachers and the enactment and implementation of key education reforms, this positive trend will continue.”

“Students are being challenged with greater rigor and are achieving at higher levels,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mike Flanagan, said. “Michigan educators are to be commended for the efforts they put in to help more students learn and succeed.”

Juniors who took the MME this past spring are the second set of students required by law to complete a new set of high school requirements in order to graduate. The two-credit world language requirement first takes effect for the graduating class of 2016.

MME content area scores fall into one of four performance levels: Advanced, Proficient, Partially Proficient, and Not Proficient. Students who have scores at the level of Advanced or Proficient are considered to be “proficient” in that subject.

Find summary data about an entire school or district at michigan.gov/mme. From there, click on “MME Test Results” on the left side of the screen. Reports and documents available online for the spring 2011 MME are Demographic Reports, Frequently Asked Questions, a School and District Data File, School and District Summary Reports, statewide results, and the MME Guide to Reports.

Here's a portion of the FPS results, with comparisons to state and last year's results: