• New rules for Michigan Merit Exam
• More Michigan Schools Making Adequate Yearly Progress
New rules for Michigan Merit Exam
High school seniors who are Michigan residents, but attend school outside of Michigan, are eligible to take the state's Michigan Merit Exam (MME) this fall and qualify for the $4,000 Michigan Promise Scholarship.
Students need to contact the Michigan Department of Education by September 21, 2007 to register for the October 27 and November 3 testing dates. They can call the Department toll-free at 877-560-8378.
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm this summer signed into law Public Act 42, which amends the Michigan Promise Scholarship law to include students who, for example, attend high school in Toledo but live in Michigan, or children of Michigan residents serving on active military duty outside of the state.
Students who are Michigan residents yet attend high school outside Michigan can visit the Michigan Department of Education website for more information.
The fall re-testing period is for seniors only; juniors test in spring 2008 along with any seniors who still need to test or re-test.
More Michigan Schools Making Adequate Yearly Progress
More Michigan students are returning to elementary and middle schools that are meeting state and federal academic goals, reports the Michigan Department of Education.
Over 93 percent of Michigan public elementary and middle schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) this year, which is based upon their Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) scores; alternate assessment results for students with disabilities; the number of students who participated in the state assessments; and school attendance.
The number of elementary and middle schools making AYP increased from 2,414 last year to 2,470 this year. Nineteen elementary and middle schools came off the No Child Left Behind sanctions list.
Schools that don't make AYP for two or more consecutive years are placed on the sanctions list, as required by the federal law. The consequences get progressively severe with each additional year a school does not make AYP, ranging from having to provide school choice and transportation to another school, to eventual school restructuring. Schools that make AYP for two consecutive years come off the sanctions list.
This year's report showed some significant declines in the numbers of schools in the various sanction phases.
Over the past several years, the Michigan Department of Education and intermediate school districts have spearheaded assistance strategies to help schools not making AYP – using federal funding, mentor teams, and instructional training for school leadership.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan was encouraged by the decline in the number of schools not making AYP due to test scores of African-American students (from 33 schools in 2006 to 10 in 2007) and low-income students (from 27 schools to 6) - an indication of a closing of what is known as the Achievement Gap.
"What the No Child Left Behind law does is make schools accountable for all of their students," Flanagan said. "This is promising news that more schools are meeting the educational needs of more of their students."
For the overall EducationYES! school report card grades, fewer Michigan elementary and middle schools made As and Bs this year, compared to last year; with more schools falling into the C category.
While experts at the Michigan Department of Education have not yet begun to analyze the data behind this drop, it will be an area of focus in the coming months.
The EducationYES! school report cards are a compilation of student scores on the MEAP tests; the MI-Access alternate assessments for students with disabilities; AYP designation; and various school performance indicators - such as family involvement in the schools, curriculum, school improvement plans, and professional development for its teachers.
The public can access statewide, local school district, and individual school building data from the Michigan Department of Education website.