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September 15, 2002TC is above average on MEAP- Educators pleased but admit test scores don't tell the whole story, even for individual studentsBy VANESSA McCRAYRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Traverse City public school students in grades four, five, seven and eight outscored the state average in math, science, writing, social studies and reading on the latest Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests. Traverse City Area Public Schools officials said they were pleased but not satisfied with the results. District Support Specialist Lynn Katsaros said test scores are helpful, even though comparisons to previous years can't be made because scoring methodology changed this year. "We don't rely just on the MEAP. We look at all the data we gather because we do rely on being a data-driven district," Katsaros said. Results for math, science and social studies tests are scored at four levels. The highest is "exceeding Michigan standards" and the lowest "apprentice." Reading tests are scored as "satisfactory," "moderate" or "low." Writing tests are scored as either "proficient" or "not yet proficient." Katsaros said the state is working to make the test results equivalent. Until then, the district cannot compare a child's results from one year to the next. "The MEAP test is more of a dipstick to give you a good idea of where to concentrate, but it's not totally prescriptive. The tests don't line up, so you can't compare a fourth-grade student with what they do in seventh grade," she said. The tests do provide a larger, statewide perspective against which to measure the district, Katsaros said. Results from individual schools within the district have not yet been released. The tests were taken during the 2001-2002 school year. Highlights from the test: - Among fourth-graders, 78.4 percent tested in the top two levels in math, versus a state average of 64.5 percent - Among fourth-graders, 70.3 percent scored in the highest reading category; the statewide average was 56.8. - Among fifth-graders, 86.5 percent scored in the top two levels in science, compared to a state average of 73.2 percent. - Among fifth-graders, 66.5 percent of Traverse City students tested "proficient" in writing, compared to a state average of 55.7. - Among fifth-graders, 35 percent tested in the top two levels in social studies, compared to a statewide average of 22.4 percent. - Among seventh-graders, 72.2 percent tested proficient in writing and 69.8 tested satisfactory in reading. Statewide, those averages were 66.2 percent and 50.9 percent respectively. - Among eighth-graders, more than 79 percent tested in the top two levels for science, compared to a state level of about 66 percent. - Among eighth-graders, 46.6 percent scored in the top two levels, compared to a state average of 13.9 percent. - Among eighth-graders, 69 percent reached the top two levels, compared to a state average of 53.8. For more information, or to check scores for any district in Michigan, visit www.MeritAward.state.mi.us. |
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