Farmington Superintendent Tells Parents MEAP is a 'Snapshot' of Student Performance

As Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) scores are released this week,  Supt. Susan Zurvalec sent out a list serv message warning parents that new state standards may affect their childrens' results.

Michigan is only the third state in the country to move to more rigorous scoring, which was approved by the state School Board in September of 2011. As a result fewer students are being judged proficient in areas tested, including math, reading, writing, science and social studies. 

"In thinking about these changes, I want our students to understand that they have done nothing 'wrong.',"  Zurvalec wrote in a note to parents sent Tuesday afternoon. "Please assure your child(ren) that MEAP/MME testing is one snapshot of their performance."

She added that while some proficiency levels may drop, "a lower score does not mean that a child isn't gaining academic skills, nor does a lower proficiency level indicate a student is falling behind. Rather, a lower proficiency level reflects a change in how proficiency was determined...". 

For more information about MEAP cut scores, visit the district's website, farmington.k12.mi.us.