September 5, 2002

The Michigan Department of Treasury today released statewide scores for the Winter 2002 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) mathematics and science tests. Since these tests are new, performance standards for each subject area and grade level were set during the summer months. Performance standards are based on new cut scores that were established and approved by groups of Michigan educators and community members. While direct comparison between the scores released today cannot be made with previous test scores, the new tests do provide baseline data for score comparisons in math and science in coming years. It’s also important to note that Winter 2002 marked the first testing period that included all 4^th, 5^th, 7^th and 8^th grade student scores.

The new MEAP elementary and middle school mathematics and science tests now report student results across four levels of student performance. These levels, listed from highest to lowest, are:

Level 1 - Exceeded Michigan standards,
Level 2 - Met Michigan standards,
Level 3 - At Basic level, and
Level 4 - Apprentice.

The descriptions of the performance levels for mathematics and science are posted on the MEAP website (http://www.michigan.gov/meap). These four student performance levels replace the three performance categories for the science test (i.e., Proficient, Novice, Not Yet Novice) and the mathematics test (i.e., Satisfactory, Moderate, Low) previously used for elementary and middle school. Certificates of Recognition are provided to students who receive a level 1 or 2 on these tests.

State Treasurer Douglas B. Roberts is pleased with the scores released today. "More than 64 percent of Michigan fourth graders either met or exceeded Michigan standards for mathematics, while nearly 54 percent of eighth graders scored at those levels," Roberts says. "And the new science scores are even more encouraging, with better than 73 percent of fifth grade students achieving level one or level two scores, and two of every three eighth graders either meeting or exceeding state standards."

The following tables present the percentage of Michigan students within each performance category for the MEAP 2002 mathematics and science tests.

Complete statewide summaries for 4^th, 5^th, and 8^th grade mathematics and science scores are posted on the Department of Treasury web site at www.michigan.gov/treasury. High school MEAP Test results, for the graduating class of 2002, are scheduled for statewide release in early October 2002.