MEAP scores are out today, showing test results for this year's round of mandated standardized test in the schools.

Today's links include some prior year coverage of this annual event, to give some perspective for how you might look at raw numerical scores and look at how students, parents, teachers and administrators frame individual reports and the trends from year to year.

Study and reporting test scores

A 2006 study by David D'Addona on "The Achievement Gap: Comparing Ann Arbor and Flint Public Schools: Exploring Achievement Gaps, in Race, Gender, and Social Class" compares an affluent school district with a relatively poor one and looks at data from MEAP and other sources to make its comparisons.

The Kalamazoo Gazette decided in 2009 not to rank schools in numerical order. They noted that relative school rankings had "nothing to do with the quality of the school staff and everything to do with sociodemographics."

Reporting from previous years

Ruth from Ann Arbor Schools Musings notes MEAP results in June 2009 and how schools publish those results on school websites"

"Although the results came out a few weeks ago, I couldn't find them on the AAPS web site (there is, however, a detailed analysis of 2005-2006). Nor could I find them on the Saline Schools web site. The Ypsilanti schools web site links directly to the state (and that is a good solution, I think, because the state updates the data every year and so it is immediately available). I stopped looking when it became clear a lot of school systems have not updated their web sites (yet)."

The 2009 results as reported by The Ann Arbor News said: 

"Local school districts and charter schools found themselves on familiar ground Thursday when the state released Michigan Educational Assessment Program test results. Districts and schools that are traditionally at the head of the pack continued to have a high percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards.Those whose students traditionally struggle on standardized tests continued to do so."

The Ann Arbor News published a spreadsheet of 2004-2009 MEAP results showing achievement by subject and grade for all county schools.

In an October 2008 story, "MEAP testing emphasis has parents concerned," a commenter wrote:

"I agree that it would be interesting for the parents to take the test so they could see how exhausting it can be. You mentioned that fifth and sixth grade writing was intense and I would agree. However, I would add 7th and 8th grade as well. The English/Language Arts portion of the test contains 5 sections which range from approximately 40 minutes each to 60 minutes. By the time the students are done, they are mentally drained and not giving close to 100% effort. I would argue that MEAP results do not give an accurate representation of student learning as a result."

Edward Vielmetti is the lead blogger for AnnArbor.com and didn't take the MEAP test this year. Contact him at edwardvielmetti@annarbor.com.