Troy School District Students Exceed M-STEP State and County Averages

TROY, MI — Troy School Districts students deserve a pat on the back. According to the results of the Michigan Student Test, students in all grades exceeded state and county averages in all subjects by 20 to 30 percentage points.

Michigan students took the M-STEP test instead of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program test for the first time in the 2014-15 school year.

At first, Troy School Districts took the M-STEP with paper and pencil, but the test was moved online last year. Students in grades three through eight, as well as 11th-graders, first took the electronic test last year.

Advanced or proficient scores in social studies saw a modest decrease in the three grades tested — five, eight and 11.

The largest declines happened in third-grade math and English language arts, which the Michigan Department of Education described as a vital literacy milestone since children typically learn to read by the end of that grade.

“While we can celebrate our successes, our work continues with improving reading skills for our youngest learners. To make Michigan a top 10 education state in 10 years, we need to provide the focused supports and resources to help schools, teachers and every child learn to read by the third grade,” State Superintendent Brian Whiston said in a prepared statement.

Ten of the 18 grade-subject combinations in the test showed gains in the percentage of students scoring as proficient or advanced.

“It’s got to be about meeting students’ needs on a daily basis, rather than a random set of questions,” Machesky said To The Troy Times.

M-STEP results for 2014-15 and 2015-16 are available at www.mischooldata.org.

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