Most Farmington MEAP Proficiency Rates Drop

There's good news and bad news for in the 2011 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) proficiency scores, released Wednesday morning. 

While local students outpaced state averages at every grade level and in every subject area, year-to-year proficiency rates show declines across all grade levels. All of the results reflect new "cut scores" — the passing scores that distinguish between whether a student is advanced, proficient, partially proficient or not proficient in certain subjects — adopted by the State Board of Education in September.

With the more rigorous cut scores, students need to get roughly 65 percent of the answers correct to be judged proficient, instead of the previous benchmark of only 39 percent.

The percentage of Farmington Schools' third-, fourth-, seventh- and eighth-graders proficient in reading rose slightly from last year. Fifth-grade reading proficiency held steady, and eighth-grade science proficiency rose from 16.2 percent to 19.2 percent. However, numbers in all other subjects, at all grade levels tested, declined from 2010.

Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch will meet Wednesday with school officials to get their reactions, and we'll take a deeper dive into the data with building-by-building numbers. In the meantime, here's a quick look at the percentage of local students judged proficient by grade level and subject area: 

Source: State of Michigan Department of Education