High school juniors have a whole new reason to sharpen those #2 pencils this year? the new Michigan Merit Exam.
The test is scheduled for March 13-15 at Goodrich High School, 8029 Gale Road.
The MME will be replacing Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) testing, and includes as one of its components the ACT test that has long been a staple for college bound juniors.
‘The fact that (the MME has) rolled the ACT into it is going to be important to our students… I think that’s a key component to it,? said Kimberly Hart, superintendent of Goodrich Area Schools.
David St.Aubin, principal of Goodrich High School, agreed.
‘The biggest difference is all juniors will take the ACT test. That’s part of the overall grade of the MME,? said St.Aubin.
St.Aubin said there is a potential negative component in requiring all students to take the ACT, in that some who would otherwise opt out of the previously optional test will have to test anyhow. Consequently, those students may not score as well as those students who had anticipated the testing.
The positive aspect of the required testing, said St.Aubin, is it allows students to take the test at no cost to themselves up to two times. In previous years, there has been a fee to participate in ACT testing.
Hart said the changes have not affected the magnitude of the test itself.
‘There are differences in the scope of the test, but as far as the importance of the test, we aren’t treating it any differently,? said Hart. ‘It’s a serious test, it’s important to our students.?
According to the website www.michigan.gov, ‘the MME is made up of the national ACT and WorkKeys tests in mathematics and reading, plus additional tests created here in Michigan in the areas of mathematics, science, and social studies.?
The new test will not affect MEAP testing in elementary and middle schools.
With the addition of the ACT portion of the test has brought with it stringent testing requirements, and schools have had to make some adjustments to their testing procedures to conform.
‘We’ve got a special schedule for the testing. It does interrupt our regular school day,? said St.Aubin.
In order to meet these requirements, St.Aubin said only juniors will attend school March 13, the day of the ACT portion of the test. On that day, juniors are to report to the school at 7:30 a.m. A small breakfast will be provided. After the test, students will be released at 12:45 a.m.
Hart said the MME is similar to MEAP testing, so teachers haven’t had to make many adjustments to the way they prepare students for the test. The most obvious difference in the MME is the ACT component, which a majority of college bound juniors have been readying themselves for anyhow, Hart added.
Teachers have ‘been helping (students) understand the seriousness of (the test) and what it means to their college education,? said Hart.
St.Aubin agreed, saying staff has made a point of preparing students.
‘We’ve been doing ACT and MME stuff throughout the year,? said St.Aubin. ‘We have teachers that hand out sample test questions and those types of things… it’s pretty much integrated into our school system.?
St.Aubin added the school has had ACT preparation sessions available.
Hart said beneficial things students can do to prepare themselves for the test include being well rested, eating a meal prior to testing and arriving at school promptly on test day.
Additionally, there are several guides to preparing for both the MME as a whole and the ACT specifically, such as www.bridges.com/mvhs, available on the Internet.