FeedsSchool scores improve
When test scores were tallied for Romulus High School students last week, the results were better than they were for younger students earlier this year.
Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) scores for Romulus teens beat expectations in one way: On average, the climbed from last year. But in many subjects, district scores were below the state average.
The results were released Friday by the Michigan Department of Education.
Incoming Superintendent of Schools Carl Weiss – who has been on the job less than two weeks – said he did not anticipate the results because of his short tenure with Romulus Community Schools, but said the numbers showed progress compared to last year.
“There’s always room for improvement,” he said. “But I saw most of the things I like seeing – even though the students taking the test are different, the scores are higher than last year. You always want to do better than you did last year, and we did that. That’s not to say we don’t need to do more.”
One bright spot is that while the rest of the average scores declined from 2005 to 2006, Romulus was able to increase numbers within the year:
57.1 percent of students taking the standardized English test performed at or above state levels, versus 70 statewide;
40.7 percent of students taking the math test performed at or above state levels, versus 52.4 statewide;
19.7 percent of students taking the social studies exam tested at or above state levels, versus 36.7 statewide;
39.7 percent of students taking the science test performed at or above state levels, versus 56.7 statewide; and
53.8 percent of students taking the writing test at or above state levels, versus 55.1 statewide.
MEAP scores – which are directly tied to federal No Child Left Behind guidelines put into law by President George W. Bush in 2001 – mean almost as much to the schools as they do individual students. Once a simple measuring tool employed by districts to measure progress, failure to improve MEAP schools can result in a loss of independence. The state will provide oversight of districts if they fail to improve scores repeatedly.
Schools are also feeling pressure from state, which is trying to attract new industries by luring businesses with a highly skilled and educated workforce.
Bad publicity about low test scores can cost precious per-pupil funding if too many parents feel the school is not progressing. Students are afforded scholarship dollars if they succeed on the MEAP and are attending an in-state university.
Increasing scores from last year is a feat the district was not able to accomplish when scores for elementary and middle schools were released earlier this year. Weiss said the phenomenon of older students exceeding younger students is an unusual one.
“Young students usually do better on the test for a couple of reasons, some of which are logical and other that are not,” said Weiss. “The most obvious one is that as students get older, the harder the work becomes. If they are a little behind when they’re younger, often times the gap grows as they get older. That often times shows up on test scores. We see that sort of thing all the time.”
Under the No Child Left Behind law, 100 percent of students must perform at a proficient level in all five subjects by a given date. Weiss said he’s not sure if the guideline is realistic, but said the steady progress is good, even if it’s slow.
“We have until 2014 to get all of the students performing well on this test,” he said. “I’d like to have every single one of them passing the test today, but the point is that we’re going in the right direction. Eventually, were going to get there.”