Farmington Schools MEAP Results Reflect Shifts in Resources, Standards

Gains in reading can be attributed to Readers' and Writers' Workshop, school officials say.

Mixed results on Farmington Public Schools MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) standardized tests reflect shifts in resources and a move to a new set of standards, Kris Gekiere, director of assessment and school improvement, said Monday.  Officials noticed "slight improvement or stability" in 3rd-5th grade reading and math results, improvement in 7th grade writing and a "decline or stability" in 6th-8th grade math and reading, science and social studies, she said.  "I think what that tells us is we're undergoing a shift in our resources, as well as Common Core," said Gekiere, referring to new standards adopted by the Michigan Dept. of Education in 2010. "We're trying to adjust for something that's coming down the road, rather …

• Photos (1)

Farmington Schools Posts Big Gains in 3rd Grade MEAP Results

While students in lower grades improved over 2011 in most subjects, 6th through 9th grade results slide.

A year after new cut scores dramatically affected MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) test results, Farmington Public Schools students have regained ground in some areas and slipped back in others.  Results released Monday by the Michigan Dept. of Education (MDE) show younger students improved their performance more than those in grades 6-9. The largest single increase, more than 9 points, came in 3rd grade reading scores. The 80.8 percent result represents the highest proficiency level in any subject, across the district, since 2009.  Check MEAP results for each school in our searchable database. In other results, by grade level:  According to MDE, students across the state showed gains in reading proficiency at all grade …

•  14 Comments
• Photos (1)

David Anderson

10:21 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013

Art, according to the Patch article (http://farmington-mi.patch.com/articles/farmington-superintendent-tells-parents-meap-is-a-snapshot), it appears as though the FPS Superintendent attempted to preempt the news.   more ›

Michigan Department of Education Plans for New Online-Based Assessments

Changes will take place during the 2014-2015 school year.

Paper and pencil for statewide tests will soon be a thing of the past for Michigan students as they prepare to take a new online assessment detailed during a roundtable Monday by the Michigan Department of Education. The exam will replace the standardized MEAP and MME assessments in math, reading and writing, beginning during the 2014-2015 school year. The MEAP and MME assessments will still be given in science and social studies. But unlike the tests students are used to, the new statewide exam will not have a common set of questions. Subsequent questions will be determined based on how a student answers the previous one. A correct answer yields a harder one. An incorrect responce yields an easier question. The goal is to have students …

•  20 Comments
• Photos (1)

The Editor's Notebook

On Cut Scores, Scale Scores and the Meaning of MEAP

While standardized test scores come with complex calculations, a simple question can also help measure a child's success.

I've spent hours talking and reading about the one test that seems to matter to parents above all others. Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results were released Wednesday, and that same day, I and two other reporters met with Farmington Public Schools MEAP guru, Kristin Gekiere. This was the second time in three months that we talked about the tests; she also explained last fall the impact of new "cut" scores implemented this year. I don't think anyone's going to argue that the cut scores – test scores that determine whether a student is judged "advanced", "proficient", "partially proficient" or "not proficient" – needed to change. The previous definition allowed a student to get just 40 percent of the answers correct to…

• Photos (1)

Some Bright Spots Shine in Farmington Schools MEAP Results

While overall district proficiency results declined, some schools made gains.

As  officials look at measured by state MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) tests, some bright spots emerge. Officials have explained that higher cut scores – the passing scores that distinguish between whether a student is advanced, proficient, partially proficient or not proficient in certain subjects – have moved students judged proficient last year to partially proficient this year.  But in every elementary, upper elementary and middle school, at least one class made progress.  The greatest subject area of improvement was reading. Student proficiency improved in reading at Warner Upper Elementary (5th grade); East (7th-8th grades) and Dunckel (7th grade) middle schools; and Beechview (3rd-4th grades), Gill (3rd grade), …

• Photos (1)

Farmington Schools Anticipated Drop in MEAP Scores

Officials say plummeting scores may affect more than individual students as federal benchmarks loom this spring.

Parents, students and the community may be startled by plummeting MEAP (Michigan Education Assessment Program) results, but Farmington Public Schools officials have seen this train coming.  Officials were told last year that the Michigan Dept. of Education (DOE) would raise "cut" scores – the passing scores that distinguish between whether a student is advanced, proficient, partially proficient or not proficient in certain subjects. As a result, students who were judge "proficient" in 2011 are now "partially proficient", and more students are ranking "not proficient".   "I think the main goal of the state doing this right now," said Kristin Gekiere, the district's director of assessment and school improvement, "is they want the students to…

• Photos (1)