new cut scores on Michigan Department of Education MEAP tests

The Michigan Department of Education has made changes to the way MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) test scores are evaluated. The MEAP test scores are set to be released next week in my kids' school district (and I'm guessing other Oakland County School Districts) and there are some changes to pay attention to.

The new MEAP test scores will reflect new benchmarks in how students are evaluated. The old MEAP test scores needed 39% correct answers to "pass" the state test. The new MEAP test scores will require about a 65% correct answer rate to achieve a "pass" status.

It is anticipated that the new standards for MEAP test results will result in a decline in students that may currently be testing at a "proficient" level.

Rochester Community Schools sent out the following information regarding the MEAP test scores. I feel this information likely reflect the opinions of many other Oakland County School Districts.

5 THINGS PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MEAP TESTING - A NEW DEFINITON OF PROFICIENT ON STATE REQUIRED TESTS:

1. Each year, public school students in grades 3-9 take the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test and 11th graders take the Michigan Merit Exam (MME).
2. The Michigan State Board of Education recently approved new MEAP and MME “cut scores” for Mathematics, Reading, Science and Social Studies.  A cut score is the score that separates test takers into various categories, such as advanced, proficient, partially proficient and not proficient. 
3. The new cut scores are higher and “raise the bar” for our students. They are intended to be a better measure of student progress toward being career and college ready.
4. While we anticipate an initial decline in the number of students reported as “proficient,” we are confident this change will be temporary due to ongoing school improvement efforts and student support.
5. If your student is reported as “not proficient,” it does not mean that your student isn't gaining academic skills or is falling behind. It means that on the day of the test, your
   student was not yet proficient on the material being tested. Several other measures are used in our district throughout the year to insure that your student is making academic progress.

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