Fifth and sixth-graders in the Oxford school district will be forced to take a revised portion of the MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) test after a Jackson newspaper printed essay topics in its Oct. 9 edition which could tip off students who haven’t taken it yet.
The state’s testing rules were violated when Hunt Elementary School in Jackson allowed a reporter from the Jackson Citizen Patriot in their classrooms while students were taking the writing portion of the test.
MEAP testing began Oct. 8 in Oxford and was originally scheduled to end Oct. 26.
Elementary students in Oxford had already taken the writing portion of the test Oct. 8, while middle school students hadn’t prior to the article’s publication.
Both fifth and six-graders in Oxford will now have to take a new version of the writing portion.
In light of recent events, the testing period will have to be extended for an unknown amount of time, according to Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Jim Schwarz.
‘It’s not so difficult (to re-schedule) at the elementary level because those teachers have those kids in their class all day long,? he said. ‘What’s more problematic is the middle school.?
Because the middle school operates on a multiple period day, the school’s schedule is altered for the testing weeks, which could become quite a hassle, according to Schwarz.
The district is still waiting for the state to send another writing topic to them before they can re-issue that portion of the test.