Farmington

New MEAP cut scores show lower proficiency

By David Wallace
C & G Staff Writer

FARMINGTON — Higher cut scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program test have resulted in lots of students in Farmington Public Schools, and statewide, testing less than proficient in multiple subjects.

“The new cut scores show that we aren’t where we thought we were before, but this is the picture of where we are now,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan said in a statement. “The focus needs to be taking this to the next level.”

The cut scores that the state approved last fall used a statistical approach with 11th-grade Michigan Merit Exam scores. Standard-setting panels had previously determined most cut scores.

“Not everyone’s in agreement that this method was the best way, but what they did is, they took Michigan’s MME scores, which include the ACT, and they found how they performed in the fall of 2010 in beginning college courses,” said Kristin Gekiere, the Farmington Public Schools director of assessment and school improvement.

She said they linked the results all the way back to third-grade MEAP results.

The result of the new cut scores is that a student who scores in the “advanced” range supposedly has a two-in-three chance, or more, of earning an A or B grade in college, or of attaining proficiency in the next grade-level test. “Proficient” means having a one-in-two to two-in-three chance of those same outcomes. “Partially proficient” means having a one-in-three to one-in-two chance of attaining those grades or proficiency in the next grade level. And “not proficient” means a less than one-in-three chance at an A or B in college or scoring proficient on the next grade level test.

The district put a video and several documents about cut scores on its website, www.farm ington.k12.mi.us.

“The impact, which we’re feeling right now, is fewer students will be deemed proficient on state scores,” said Gekiere.

Those who drop mostly go from proficient to partially proficient.

“I think the main goal of the state doing all this right now, and there’s only been three states in the country that have done so — Tennessee, New York and Michigan have really ratcheted up the standards — and I think Michigan has done so because they want their students to be prepared for the new Common Core standards that are coming out, and they’re scheduled for implementation for the ’14-15 year,” she said.

The district applied the new and old cut scores to past years’ test results and this year’s test results. Districtwide, 94 percent of third-graders were proficient in reading this year with the old standards, but with the new standards, it’s 71 percent. Statewide, the new figure is 62 percent. For the same grade in math, the difference is 96 percent proficient under the old standards to 46 percent under the new cut scores. The statewide proficiency percentage is 36.

Those changes play out through each grade tested. The biggest drops are in science, a test fifth- and eighth-graders take. Under the old standards, 83 percent of fifth-graders and 85 percent of eighth-graders were proficient. The percentages with the new cut scores are 22 and 19, respectively. Statewide, the science proficiency percentages for fifth- and eighth-graders are approximately 15 and 17, respectively.

Farmington Superintendent Sue Zurvalec wrote a letter to parents stating that children should know they didn’t do anything wrong, and the MEAP is just one look at a student’s performance.

“We tried to in our parent letter to let parents know that it’s a snapshot in time — it’s not the only way we’re assessing them — and we’re preparing for the new Common Core coming out by changing the math resources and really delving more into the application of critical reading and those sorts of things,” Gekiere said.

“Our effort right now is really to look at other assessments and not just hang our hat on the MEAP assessments. We know they’re in a state of flux right now and change, with all the changes that are going on,” said Gekiere.

The district also uses Iowa Assessments through eighth-grade, ACT Explore and Plan during the first two years of high school, and Fountas and Pinnell Reading Assessments through sixth grade, in addition to unit and course assessments.

Gekiere also sent a PowerPoint presentation to principals to share with staff about the new scores, and they can talk with staff about how to address the scores with students.

“Some students won’t even know about their MEAP score, so you kind of have to balance that with you don’t want to panic students in a classroom by doing a general statement,” said Farmington Public Schools Director of School/Community Relations Diane Bauman.

Gekiere addressed when parents should feel worried.

“I think when they get into the not proficient (range). Because when you think about it, all our students that were scored in the proficient range last year are now in the partially proficient range this year,” said Gekiere.

To research individual school MEAP data, visit mischooldata.org, click on Assessment Results, and then click on MEAP.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer David Wallace at dwallace@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1053.