Michigan Merit Examination

1

• Michigan Merit Examination -
• Plans and Prospects
• Edward Roeber
• Office of Educational Assessment and
  Accountability

2
Issues Leading Up to the MME

• High school principals organization felt MEAP
  testing took too long (days and hours)
• MEAP assessment program suffered an operational
  meltdown in 2003
• Although students can receive up to 3,000
  towards post-secondary education, student did not
  take the MEAP test seriously
• Participation in the MEAP assessment was too low
  - especially in suburban districts

3
Proposed MME Legislation

• Students would take the following tests
• College-entrance test and a work skills
  assessment acceptable to employers, plus and
  Michigan ELA, mathematics, science, and social
  studies items needed to secure Federal approval
• Testing would occur in the spring of the junior
  year
• Retesting in fall and spring of senior year
• College-entrance readiness test used for dual
  enrollment

4
Arguments in Favor of MME

• Students would receive a free
  college-reportable scores on a college entrance
  test - this would motivate students to
  participate in and do well on assessments
• Students would receive regular work skills scores
  in reading and mathematics - useful in employment
• Michigan Merit Exam scores could still be used to
  award post-secondary scholarship
• Lower cost and less testing time

5
Arguments Against MME

• Little standards-based information from the
  college entrance and work skills tests - can all
  students score above average?
• Program would be far more expensive - 73 versus
  27/student
• Test administration procedures are very rigid
• How will schools make AYP since college entrance
  test scores have not changed over the past 25
  years?

6
MME Legislation

• PA 592 of 2004 - MME inserted into Career and
  Technical Preparation Act
• PA 593 of 2004 - Replaces high school MEAP with
  MME in School Aid Act
• PA 594 of 2004 - Replaces high school MEAP with
  MME in Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act
• PA 595 of 2004 - Replaces high school MEAP with
  MME for determining Merit Award Scholarships
• PA 596 of 2004 - Replaces the high school MEAP
  with MME in the School Code

7
Steps Used to Implement MME

• Visited potential vendors to share ideas
• Competitively bid the MME program
• Reviewed the bids
• Selected new contractor(s) - Pearson/ACT
• Determined the content of each MME test
• Conducted pilot test of 37 high schools
  (statistical alignment)

8
Steps Needed to Implement MME

• Conducted additional content alignment studies to
  select MME items
• Currently preparing revisions to Michigans
  Accountability Workbook
• Submit application to USED in July
• Conduct MME standard setting for NCLB purposes in
  July
• Set PLAN/PSAT cuts for dual enrollment

9
Steps Needed to Implement MME

• November 1 is the drop-dead date for the MME
  versus MEAP decision for Spring 2007
• Receive approval from USED prior to drop-dead
  date OR continue MEAP High School Assessment (if
  approval is not received by that date)
• Implement the MME in grades 11 in the 2006-07
  school year maintain MEAP HST for Grade 12 only

10
MME Assessment Design

• Grade 10 College entrance readiness test (PLAN
  and PSAT - local school/student decision)
• Grades 11 and 12 Michigan Merit Examination
• English Language Arts - ACT, WorkKeys and a
  Michigan Social Studies item
• Mathematics - ACT mathematics, a few items from
  the ACT science section, WorkKeys and some
  Michigan items
• Science - ACT test and Michigan items
• Social Studies - all Michigan items

11
MME Assessment Design
12
(No Transcript)
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Assessment Administration

• Grade 10 - When scheduled locally
• Grades 11 and 12 - Spring and Fall
• Spring Administration (Mid-March)
• Single day for the ACT administration
• Next day for the WorkKeys assessments
• Michigan-developed tests administered over the
  next 5 school days
• Make-ups Same pattern two weeks later
• Fall Administration (Nationally-administered
  Saturday in October)
• Saturday administration for ACT
• WorkKeys on the following Tuesday
• Michigan components over the next five days

14
MME Activities for 2006-2007

• September-October, 2006
• Conduct high school video test briefing on
  September 12
• Establish high schools as test centers
• Schools identify Test Supervisor, Back-up Test
  Supervisor and Test Accommodations Coordinator
• November, 2006-February, 2007
• High school Test Supervisor, Back-up Test
  Supervisor, and Test Accommodations Coordinator
  training at 12 sites
• Schools apply for accommodations for students
  with disabilities and English language learners
  (both ACT- and state-approved ones)
• ACT reviews accommodation requests and determines
  those eligible for college-reportable or
  state-reportable scores

15
MME Schedule for 2006-2007

• February-March, 2007
• Students fill out the answer folder for the MME
• Accommodations determined and materials ordered
• Tests (ACT and Michigan) produced
• High school Test Supervisors train test
  administrators and coordinators
• MME assessments administered

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MME Schedule for 2006-2007

• MME assessment administration dates
• MME administered statewide
• March 13 - ACT
• March 14 - WorkKeys and Michigan Mathematics
• March 15-21 - Other Michigan tests
• Make-up testing scheduled two weeks later
• March 27 - ACT
• March 28 - WorkKeys and Michigan Mathematics
• March 29-April 4 - Other Michigan tests
• Test centers offered for non-public students

17
MME Schedule for 2006-2007

• April-July, 2007
• Students and schools receive reports of results
• Regular ACT reports (college-reportable)
• WorkKeys reports
• MME score reports
• MME scores used for state accreditation and NCLB
  AYP accountability purposes
• August-November, 2007
• Students register for MME retake via ACT
• Retake on a single fall nationally-scheduled ACT
  testing Saturday administration - fourth Saturday
  in October
• WorkKeys and Michigan tests administered the
  following week in schools

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MME Issues and Challenges

• Assuring adequate assessment administration
  preparation - for very secure tests (ACT)
• Accommodations for students with disabilities
• What accommodations will be offered and under
  what conditions?
• Will MI-Access need to be modified and/or
  expanded?
• Participation of English language learners
• What accommodations will be offered and under
  what conditions?
• Why cant ELLs use accommodations and still
  receive college-reportable scores?

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For Questions and Comments

• Edward Roeber
• [phone] voice
• Roebere_at_michigan.gov
• Email Questions to mme_at_michigan.gov
• MME Website www.michigan.gov/mme