Planning is under way for the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) to replace the high school Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) next spring ? that is if the federal government gives their stamp of approval by Nov. 1.
Jim Schwarz, Director of Curriculum for Oxford Schools, updated the school board at their Sept. 26 meeting on what the new assessment would entail and why the change is being made.
The MME would be given to all eleventh graders and would combine several state-based assessments that reflect Michigan’s benchmarks, the ACT college entrance exam with WorkKeys skills assessments, which are more application-based questions.
‘It has kids take a data table, for instance, and apply it to some situation,? Schwarz said.
For three days in March, students would be tested on English, math, reading, science and writing using the MME, which is been touted as being more rigorous than the MEAP.
Schwarz said the state decided to combine the ACT into the MME and require it of all students to turn out more college graduates to compete globally.
‘I think it’s challenging,? he said. ‘It requires for us a different way of looking at our instruction, our test preparation and our curriculum (to be more application-based).?
For instance, Schwarz said science and math test questions on the MME will be easier to use with the WorkKeys applications than questions in social studies or English.
If the federal government decides to turn down the MME on Nov.1, Schwarz said the district will continue to administer the MEAP test this spring, but that ‘all indications coming out of Lansing say the MME is going to be approved.?