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LANSING – State
assessment scores for the Michigan high school Class of 2004 improved
across-the-board. The numbers of 2004 graduates who met or exceeded state
standards for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) high
school test increased in all five testing areas: Reading, Mathematics,
Science, Writing, and Social Studies.
"These results
show that we're on the right track," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm,
"but we need to keep working hard to help all of our students master
the skills they need to get jobs in today's economy."
The most dramatic
MEAP increase came in the Reading
test scores, which jumped by nearly 10 percentage points.
The number of students who met or exceeded state reading standards increased
from 68,198 (66.8 percent) for the Class of 2003 to 80,214 (76.2 percent)
for the Class of 2004.
Just as remarkable
was the drop in the number of students who scored in the lowest band,
or "not endorsed" category, on the
Reading
test. Some 10,004 students
(9.5 percent) of the 105,236 test takers scored in this band, compared
to 20,893 (20.5 percent) from the previous class.
"This is a very
promising sign," said State Board of Education President Kathleen
N. Straus. "But we cannot
diminish the importance of getting every student to meet our Reading
standards. That is the goal
of the Governor, State Board of Education, and the Michigan Department
of Education."
A record number of
high school students from the Class of 2004 took the MEAP tests, averaging
105,006 students for the Reading,
Mathematics, and Science tests.
That bested the Class of 2003's average participation rate of 102,383
students. The number of students taking the Social Studies test increased
by nearly 5,000 (102,943).
"It is obvious
that the hard work by our teachers and administrators and commitment to
learning by our students are the catalysts to these gains," state
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins said. "While everyone
can take pride in the gains, we need to redouble our efforts on all counts,"
Watkins added. "While our students are making progress, we cannot
rest until they all have the knowledge and skills to thrive in the 21st
Century knowledge economy."
The number of students
who met or exceeded state standards for Mathematics increased from 61,592
for the Class of 2003 to 62,109 for 2004; from 62,419 to 66,901 in Science;
from 60,066 to 60,979 in Writing; and from 25,094 to 36,026 in Social
Studies.
Despite the moderate
number of students achieving well on the Social Studies test, the number
who scored in the top band (exceeded standards) jumped from 732 in 2003
to 1,950 in 2004. Likewise,
the number who scored in the lowest band (not endorsed) dropped from 41,656
to 37,682.
"This, too, is
encouraging," Straus noted. "Our
schools certainly are headed in the right direction.
We are not there yet, but we will be reviewing later this year plans to
help get more students meeting the state standards in Social Studies."
A special task force
was commissioned by the State Board of Education in May 2004 to study
the issue of student performance on the Social Studies MEAP test, and
to make recommendations to the State Board of Education on steps that
need to be taken to improve student performance.
The Social Studies
Task Force, consisting of Social Studies experts from around the state,
held public hearings throughout Michigan
during the summer. The department
will propose to the State Board later this year specific plans to implement
the Task Force recommendations.
Summary Reports for
each of the state’s public school districts and both public and
non-public high schools have been posted on the Michigan Department of
Education web site. You can
access that information by logging on to www.michigan.gov/mde
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The MEAP web page
includes Class of 2004 statewide results data; school district and building
data; and Frequently Asked Questions.
Click Here for Class of 2004 MEAP Results Detail
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