2011 MEAP Scores: West Bloomfield Students Top State Averages

students continue to exceed statewide MEAP averages, according to the fall 2011 test results released Wednesday.

Students statewide saw positive gains on the MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) compared with the previous year, a report from the Michigan Department of Education stated Wednesday. This despite there being a dip in scores across the board due to a change in scoring.

During the MEAP exam, taken during fall 2011, students in Grades 3-9 were tested in math, reading, writing, social studies and/or science, depending on the grade level.

Across Michigan, scores of students proficient in reading increased by an average of 3 percentage points; the increase in math proficiency increased by an average of 1 percentage point.

When broken out by grade, all grades scored an increase in math and almost all — except for the state's third-graders — scored an increase in reading.

"We have a lot of room to grow, but this is a positive step," said Mike Flanagan, state superintendent of public instruction. "I am very confident that we have professionals in our classrooms who will continue to step up to the challenge of preparing our students to achieve at higher levels."

Changing 'cut scores'

A top-of-mind issue concerning this year's MEAP results was the changing "cut scores" implemented by the state last spring. Cut scores represent career- and college-ready achievement standards and define the cutoff point for the various levels of proficiency on MEAP tests: advanced, proficient, partially proficient and not proficient.

In November, administrators took a look at under the new cut scores. Superintendent JoAnn Andrees said she expected the dramatic decrease to be "temporary."

In West Bloomfield, the percentage of students who tested at or above proficient dropped dramatically from results in 2010 due to the new cut scores, particularly in social studies, science and math. The biggest drop was in eighth-grade science scores. Under the former cut scores, 89.5 percent of students were at or above proficient in 2010; under the new scores, only 21 percent were at or above proficient.

With the new cut scores factored in, West Bloomfield fared well between 2010 and 2011. Sixth-grade scores went up in every subject, including an 8.3 percent increase in math.

The weakest point in West Bloomfield's 2011 scores was in fifth-grade science, where only 23.9 percent of students scored at or above proficient. That's a 7.8 percent drop from 2010, with new cut scores factored in.

The biggest drop took place in ninth-grade social studies, with a 13.7 percent drop from 2010 to 31 percent. That's the only score lower than the state average in that category.

Fall 2011 MEAP scores

Percentage of all West Bloomfield students who met or exceeded state standards, compared with 2010 results. Adjusted 2010 percentages reflect what last year's percentages would have been under the new cut scores.:

Statewide Fall 2011 MEAP scores

Percentage of all Michigan students who met or exceeded state standards:

Source: Michigan Department of Education