Test results of the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) were released last week and as school officials assess the student performance in their districts, reforms loom to tie that particular component to teacher evaluations.
“Our students need and deserve a high quality education and the best possible preparation more than ever in today’s knowledge-based economy and world,” Gov. Rick Snyder said. “Establishing rigorous standards and being accountable in part through performance assessments are critical beginnings in realizing a first-rate education for every student that will help drive Michigan’s reinvention and economic transformation.”
According to the Department of Education, reading and math scores rose statewide in all grades. Those numbers are being attributed to “rigorous K-8 Grade Level Content Expectations” that were implemented in 2004 and assessed 2005.
Brandywine Community Schools Supt. John Jarpe said the test results help give teachers a better idea of where their students are academically.
“What I like to do is … we look at the test results and then the teacher can see what they’re teaching and how the students are doing and look at the individual students” who might be struggling.
But the results can also pose a challenge to teachers.
Based on the learning objectives of the year before, receiving results halfway through the current school year means while a child is halfway through the next grade, it could be discovered they didn’t quite grasp all of the components of last year’s academics.
“We’d like to see something earlier,” Jarpe said. “Get the results back sooner. That’s a state issue.”
To offset that challenge, Jarpe said the district has developed its own follow-up assessments.
“We’ve really improved a lot on our assessments,” he said. Through “real time” data he’s able to put together “common assessments” that are based on state standards.
The idea is to determine where instruction may need adjustment in order to get all students to meet those standards.
“I’ve encouraged the teachers to work backward based on assessment,” Jarpe said.
“We want to provide an authentic view of where students are academically,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “We wanted to give schools the opportunity to fully implement the more rigorous content expectations, then properly adjust the achievement standards ‘cut scores’ to reflect whether students are on-track to career- and college-readiness.”
The results were released as districts across the state await Snyder’s final word on state funding cuts to schools.
And the governor is also taking on certain matters of reform, including connecting teacher evaluations to student performance.
Evaluations are a matter up for negotiation between district officials and the teachers’ union. Currently, evaluations like the one at Brandywine focus on a number of components, including teachers’ instructional strategies, expertise, classroom management and professionalism.
But nowhere does it tie those practices to student performance.
The evaluations “traditionally have always been observation-based,” Jarpe said.
State test scores like the MEAP or the MME (Michigan Merit Examination) are not taken into consideration.
Districts like Brandywine and Niles are now being forced to revaluate themselves. Niles Supt. Richard Weigel said the district recently redesigned its evaluations to be more in-depth and comprehensive of teachers’ abilities.
“The teacher evaluation instrument is a dynamic instrument,” he said. On paper, that evaluation went from just a couple of pages to a rubric model 14 pages long. The new evaluation is broken down into a number of domains, including preparation, planning and related components like demonstrating a knowledge of students and designing coherent construction.
“I think we have a good product,” Weigel said. “The instrument itself has led to very good dialogue about teaching and evaluation practices. We’re getting better at it as we go along.”
Jarpe said a specialized committee is at work now, looking into redesigning its own evaluation. But he said the issue of evaluations and student performance is bigger than just the questions on the formal document.
Questions arise, he said, such as how to evaluate non-common core subjects, like art and music, which are not part of the MEAP or other statewide standards.
By next year, evaluations statewide will be required to address the component of student progress.

MEAP 2010 Results

Percentage of students in each grade reaching the state requirements as advanced or proficient in core subjects including math, reading, science, writing and social studies.

% of Niles students who met proficiency
Grade 3    Math    Reading
Advanced    62.6    48.9
Proficient    36.7    44.1

Grade 4    Math    Reading    Writing
Advanced    43.5    24.1        7.3
Proficient    51.7    61.7        33.7

Grade 5    Math    Reading    Science
Advanced    48.4    40.9        34.4
Proficient    39.1    45.5        42.7

Grade 6    Math    Reading    Social Studies
Advanced    53.1    32.7        32.8
Proficient    34.3    52.2        44.3

Grade 7    Math    Reading    Writing
Advanced    49.8    28.6        6.3
Proficient    39.2    53.7        30.3

Grade 8    Math    Reading    Science
Advanced    60.2    30.2        28.4
Proficient    27.2    53.8        58.6

% of Brandywine students who met proficiency
Grade 3    Math    Reading
Advanced    62.3    48.1
Proficient    36.8    41.5

Grade 4    Math    Reading    Writing
Advanced    36.5    29.4        7.1
Proficient    50.6    54.1        24.7

Grade 5    Math    Reading    Science
Advanced    41.4    37.7        25.2
Proficient    39.7    43.9        52.2

Grade 6    Math    Reading    Social Studies
Advanced    62.2    42.2        35.9
Proficient    35.6    52.2        46.7

Grade 7    Math    Reading    Writing
Advanced    63.1    22.3        3.9
Proficient    26.2    57.3        28.2

Grade 8    Math    Reading    Science
Advanced    35.6    27.9        22.1
Proficient    36.5    53.8        53.8