Educators say Michigan Merit Exams, ACT tests reveal 'shameful' achievement gaps

State educators are celebrating scores on standardized tests offered to high school students, but call achievement gaps between some student groups “shameful.”

Those concerns are echoed by an education advocacy group’s analysis of last week’s Michigan Merit Exam and Act scores that show black and low-income students are falling even further behind the state’s white students.

While white student achievement has risen slightly over five years, scores for black and Hispanic students and students in poverty “remain grim,” according to the Education Trust-Midwest.


The state Education Department last week announced improvement on the MME, but gains come only when the scores are compared to past exams re-scored to reflect new, more difficult standards set in place this year.

State Superintendent Mike Flanagan applauded the fourth year of overall gains on ACT college-entrance exams, which are issued to most state juniors.

But Flanagan also expressed concern about the disparity in scores among groups.

http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/07/educators_say_michigan_merit_e.html#incart_river_default