High school students might not have to take the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, or MEAP, tests anymore if some state lawmakers and members of the Education Alliance of Michigan get their way.
Supporters of removing the MEAP are working to replace the test with the ACT Assessment, a common test taken by students seeking college admission. The ACT test would be combined with WorkKeys, a test through ACT used to assess a student's ability to enter the workforce.
Jim Ballard, director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said the organization is in favor of the switch.
"It does something good for kids; students can use the ACT/WorkKeys test," he said. "Right now, the MEAP does nothing for the student."
Ballard said one benefit of switching to the ACT/WorkKeys test combination is that colleges and employers accept the tests as a measure of proficiency.
Paula Steele, the principal at East Lansing High School, said the MEAP and ACT aren't comparable measures of skill.
"If we are testing to see if the teachers are delivering students to Michigan's benchmarks, then the MEAP is the one to use," she said.
Steele added that she has no personal opinion of which test Michigan should use.
"Any test you use, you have to decide what it is that you are looking for, and what will that data be used for," she said. "Then, you go back and determine what type of test you use to get your results."
Jim Cotter, the senior associate director of admissions at MSU, said the university does not consider MEAP scores when evaluating applicants, and most high school credentials don't even include MEAP information.
"We do take into consideration everything in the file," he said. "But what do the MEAP scores say about one's preparedness to come to MSU?
"We have historical data for ACT and SAT; that historical data doesn't exist for the MEAP."
Tom Watkins, the Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction, said in a written statement Wednesday that experts in the state department of education have concluded the ACT would not measure up to Michigan's standards and would be more costly than the MEAP.
"Moving to the ACT would be a step back from the high, rigorous standards Michigan has implemented to establish us as a national leader in student testing," he said.
Christine Gruman, an East Lansing High School freshman, said she thinks the state should keep the MEAP.
"A lot of teachers teach us stuff that we would use on the MEAP, and so I think a test for Michigan students would fit us better than a nationwide ACT," she said.
Rep. Brian Palmer, R-Romeo, said he is in favor of using the ACT/WorkKeys test, which would be known as the Michigan Merit Exam, and has been working to write legislation to make an official state switch.
"We think our job is to pass legislation which has not been done before," he said. "That legislation would construct a framework in the law for how the test process works."
