Schools
2011 MEAP Scores: Birmingham Students Top State Averages
Birmingham scores continue to exceed statewide averages, with a few minor drops and jumps from 2010.
Birmingham students continue to exceed statewide MEAP averages, according to the fall 2011 test results released today.
Statewide, Michigan students also saw positive gains on the MEAP 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.
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Across Michigan, there was an average 3 percentage point increase in the percentage of students who were proficient in the subject, while math saw an average 1 percentage point increase.
When broken out by grade, all grades saw an increase in math and almost all — except for the state's third-graders — saw an increase in reading.
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"We have a lot of room to grow, but this is a positive step," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. "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."
Top of mind concerning this year's MEAP results was the . These cut scores represented career- and college-ready achievement standards and define the cut-off point for the various levels of proficiency on MEAP test: advanced, proficient, partially proficient and not proficient.
In April, administrators took a look at how Birmingham students would have fared on the 2010 MEAP exam under the new cut scores. According to Stephen Palmer, assistant superintendent for instruction, proficiency levels among Birmingham students was projected to drop by 15 percent to 30 percent.
In Birmingham, the percentage of students who tested at or above proficient dropped dramatically from , particularly in math and science.
Still, Birmingham's scores are far above the statewide averages. The percentage of Birmingham third-graders proficient in reading grew from 83.6 percent in 2010 (adjusted for the new cut scores) to 84.2 percent in 2011, while still exceeding the statewide average of 62.4 percent.
The weakest point in Birmingham's 2011 scores was in fifth-grade science, where only 25.9 percent of students scored at or above proficient. But even that was better than statewide averages; only 15.3 percent of Michigan students were proficient on the fifth-grade science test.
Fall 2011 MEAP scores
Percentage of all Birmingham students who met or exceeded state standards, as compared with those same percentages in 2010. Adjusted 2010 percentages reflect what last year's percentages would have been under the new cut scores.
Grade 3
Math Reading Met or Exceeded — 2011
61.8% 84.2% Met or Exceeded — 2010 (adjusted) 61.5% 83.6% Met or Exceeded — 2010 99.2% 97.1%
Grade 4
Math Reading Writing Met or Exceeded — 2011
71.4% 86.4% 65.8% Met or Exceeded — 2010 (adjusted) 68.6% 85.1% 69.1% Met or Exceeded — 2010 98.7% 96.1% 69.3%
Grade 5
Math Reading Science Met or Exceeded — 2011
77% 92.7% 25.9% Met or Exceeded — 2010 (adjusted) 72.6% 91.3% 31.7& Met or Exceeded — 2010 96% 96.8% 93.8%
Grade 6
Math Reading Social Studies Met or Exceeded — 2011
74.5% 90% 46.5% Met or Exceeded —2010 (adjusted) 67.5% 85.2% 49.4% Met or Exceeded — 2010 94.9% 95.5% 92.5%
Grade 7
Math Reading Writing Met or Exceeded — 2011
70.4% 83% 73.5% Met or Exceeded —2010 (adjusted) 72.8% 77% 69.2% Met or Exceeded — 2010 95.7% 93.4% 69.2%
Grade 8
Math Reading Science Met or Exceeded — 2011
62.5% 82.3% 27.1% Met or Exceeded — 2010 (adjusted) 62.9%
81.4%
28.3% Met or Exceeded — 2010 93.3% 94.7% 92.8%
Grade 9
Social Studies Met or Exceeded — 2011
48.8% Met or Exceeded — 2010 (adjusted) 55.8% Met or Exceeded — 2010 88.8%
Source: Michigan Department of Education
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