UPDATED: Dexter High School Students Score High Marks on 2012 Michigan Merit Exam, ACT Test

The Michigan Department of Education released the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and ACT scores for the Class of 2013 today.

The results show a more realistic look at how well Michigan high school juniors are performing on state exams and provided a mixed picture of academic achievement.

The Michigan Department of Education , and that meant students taking the MME this spring had to answer far more questions correct in order to get a passing score. The result shows that the percentage of students who passed the exam in reading, math, social studies and science dropped – in some cases dramatically - when compared to how last year’s juniors performed under the old, easier standard.

At Dexter High School, 52 percent of high school juniors were found proficient in math compared with 53 percent in 2011 and 46 percent in 2010. Seventy-nine percent of juniors showed proficiency in reading versus 74 percent in 2011 and 77 percent in 2010. In science, 49 percent of students achieved proficiency versus 44 percent in 2011 and 47 percent in 2010.

The high school also saw changes in the Social Studies category (a shift from 68 percent proficiency in 2011 to 62 percent in 2012) and writing (71 percent proficiency in 2012 versus 68 percent in 2011 and 2010).

Students scores also increased on the 2012 ACT test. Seventy-four percent met or exceeded the test's English requirements, while 64 percent exceeded the reading requirements and 57 percent exceeeded the math requirements.

"Generally, we are pleased with the high school performance. Further data digging might reveal college readiness for many area students are higher in three of four categories," DHS principal Kit Moran said. "The numbers (from the MME) are for students who showed readiness in four of four categories. We are also concerned with our students that show no college readiness.

"This data will help us continue our ongoing efforts next school year to focus on formative and summative assessment. We anticipate this will improve overall classroom instruction and help us continue to raise our average ACT for all Dexter High School students, which is our ultimate goal."

Statewide the largest gains on the MME occurred in reading and writing. Reading saw an average one-year increase of 3 percent and a four-year increase of nearly 7 percent; writing saw an average one-year increase of 2.5 percent and an average four-year increase of 6 percent. These increases resulted in 55.9 percent of tested students attaining proficiency in reading and 49.5 percent attaining proficiency in writing statewide.

Mathematics and science also showed positive gains, with mathematics increasing an average of 1.8 percent over last year and 3.4 percent over the past four years (for a 2012 average percent proficiency rate of 29.1 percent statewide); and science increasing just slightly over last year (0.3 percent), but increasing an average of 3.8 percent over the past four years (resulting in a 2012 average percent proficiency rate of 25.8 percent statewide). 

“The impact of having students engage in the rigorous Michigan Merit Curriculum is evident here,”  said Mike Flanagan, state superintendent of public instruction. “When students have the benefit of learning higher-level subject material, more will become career- and college-ready and prepared for success."

"We have to make sure we keep motivating all students with a challenging curriculum, and not give in to thinking that our kids just can’t do it. They can and they aree," Flanagan added.

Flanagan said that schools and students need to better understand the importance and relevance of social studies, which show the percentage of high school students scoring proficient is dipping slightly from last year (0.7 percent), but shows a larger four-year decline of 1.6 percent. However, even with this minor decline, 40.5 percent of students are proficient in social studies.

MME Proficiency Scores Dexter High School