Washtenaw County students improve on ACT; MME scores drop statewide

Statewide, high school students take the ACT and MME in their junior years.

Last year, the Department of Education raised the cut score or the number of questions students had to answer correctly in order to pass both the MME and the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests.

The result was a drop in the percentage of students statewide who passed the MEAP, as shown by data released earlier this year.

A similar decline in the percentage of students deemed “proficient” on the MME was seen in the data released Thursday.

Here is a breakdown of the state’s scores, as reported on MLive.com:

• Math: 29.1 percent scored “proficient” in 2012, compared with 27.3 percent in 2011.
• Reading: 55.9 percent scored “proficient” this year, compared with 52.7 percent last year.
• Writing: 49.4 percent scored “proficient” this year, compared with 46.9 percent last year.
• Science: 25.8 percent scored “proficient” this year, compared with 25.5 percent last year.
• Social studies: 40.5 percent scored “proficient” this year, compared with 41.2 percent last year.

In Washtenaw County, a lower percentage of students than the state average were proficient in all subjects at Roberto Clemente Student Development Center, Ann Arbor Tech, Lincoln, Willow Run and Ypsilanti high schools. In math, Whitmore Lake students also fell below the state average, and Milan made the list in science, social studies and reading.

Test results for Skyline High School in Ann Arbor were not available on any of the statewide MME databases.

Of the three charter schools in the county that house high school students, Central Academy and Eastern Washtenaw Multicultural Academy performed below the state average in all subject areas on the MME.

Washtenaw Technical Middle College students tested “proficient” at rates well above the state average and comparable with Ann Arbor Huron in math, with 58 percent of students scoring “proficient.”

Statewide, the average composite ACT score was up slightly, from 19.4 last year to 19.6 this year. The highest possible score on the ACT is 36. The percentage of students who were deemed “college ready” in Michigan based on their ACTs also rose slightly, from 17.4 percent in 2011 to 17.7 percent in 2012.

College-readiness data comes with a price tag this year, as it is one of the data points Gov. Rick Snyder has said will be used to gauge student achievement and ultimately, determine financial incentives for school districts that meet certain performance criteria.

All of the high schools in Washtenaw County, except Lincoln and Willow Run, saw college readiness rates increase in 2012. The two exceptions as well as Milan and Ypsilanti high schools were below the state average. However, Ypsilanti rose from 4 percent of students considered college ready to 8 percent.

Washtenaw Technical Middle College had 47.3 percent of its students qualify as “college ready.” ACT scores were not available for Central Academy, Eastern Washtenaw Multicultural Academy or the alternative high schools, Roberto Clemente and A2 Tech because fewer than 30 students took the ACT.

Download this chart compiled by AnnArbor.com for more data and to see how your child’s high school scored.

A Detroit News database compares how local high school students have been performing since 2009. Visit the database here.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.