Within the week, you will receive a mailing containing your child's results from Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests administered to our students last fall. Huron Valley Schools is taking this opportunity to communicate with families and the community concerning scoring changes to the MEAP and the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) tests this year. Each year, our students, along with all other Michigan public school students in grades 3-9, are required to take the MEAP and all eleventh grade students are required to take the MME. These tests are then scored and, depending on the score, a student is assessed as Advanced, Proficient, Partially Proficient or Not Proficient. This year, the Michigan State Board of Education has adopted new standards and has raised the cutoff score or "cut score" that a student must receive in each of the rating categories.

The new cut scores represent a significantly higher standard for student achievement. Previously on the MEAP, students could have answered as few as 40 percent of the questions correctly to be considered "Proficient." Under the new scoring system, students will have to correctly answer a much higher percentage of questions. Michigan is one of only three states in the nation, along with New York and Tennessee, to move into this top tier of test scoring. While we recognize that the standards for proficiency were previously too low, the pendulum has swung too dramatically in the other direction. In fact, the new cut scores would indicate that approximately 18 percent of our students are college ready, when we know that around 80 percent of our graduates successfully complete their first year of college.

It is also noteworthy that:

The MEAP and MME tests are only two of several measures used in our district throughout the year to ensure that students are making academic progress.
We maintain high standards for our students and their test scores consistently outpace both state and county averages. We anticipate this trend will continue even with the new cut scores.
Like school districts across the state, HVS' MEAP proficiency results for fall 2011 are expected to decline when actual scores are publicly released in the next few days.
While we anticipate an initial drop in the number of students reported as "Proficient," we are confident that ongoing school improvement and student support measures will provide an appropriate and significant response to the scoring changes.
When scores are reported, it is very likely that the percentage of students rated as "Proficient" will decline. HVS scores will remain above the state results, but we believe more students will be rated as less than "Proficient." In fact, in some cases, students rated as "Advanced" under the old cut scores could be rated as "Not Proficient" or "Partially Proficient" when the new cut scores are applied.

Undoubtedly, families will have many questions about the new cut scores. We will continue to provide information through a variety of communication channels such as newsletters, email, the district's website (www.huronvalley.k12.mi.us), and parent-teacher conferences. We look forward to our continued work together in ensuring academic success for each student.

Understanding the new Michigan Cut Scores

This video provides a look at the new State of Michigan cut scores for the MEAP and MME tests. It explores how they’ve been applied, how they may impact schools and students, and the concepts of career and college readiness.

Five Things Parents Need to Know

A new Definition of Proficient on State Required Test

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. Previous cut scores were too low, but it is clear that the pendulum has now swung in the other direction. This is demonstrated by the fact that the new cut scores as reported will say that only 18 percent of HVS students are college ready. Eighty percent of our students who attend college successfully complete their first year or more.

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. Several other measures are used in our district throughout the year to insure that your student is making academic progress, including district and building assessments.

We maintain high standards for our students and their test scores consistently outpace both State and County averages. We anticipate this trend will continue even with the new cut scores.

If you would like additional information about changes to the MEAP or MME, please contact Kim Root at (248) 684-8251.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find the link on the left menu to Frequently Asked Questions regarding the new MEAP/MME cut scores.