Algonquin Middle School

Hitting a Changing Target (My personal MEAP frustration)


I've been waiting to write about MEAP scores and how we performed this year on the MEAP test. Unfortunately the scores are still not to be released to the public. I do have the scores and I couldn't wait to comment a little.

The message has been very clear. The MEAP test will be consist ant from year to year so that schools have a fair way to measure growth. I guess the message should have been, we will grade only those portions of the test the current budget allows for grading. Yes, the test all our children took was not completely graded. In fact an entire section that Algonquin students have historically scored well on was thrown out. Not because we did anything wrong, because the budget didn't allow for paying for graders. So what will this year's scores tell us compared to last year's scores, relatively little. Whether the scores go up or down the test is significantly different as a whole, a changed target. In fact the test will change again for next year. The overall test will be significantly shorter, another changed target.

I have for years took pride in the fact that the scores in schools I have been at went up. In fact, the scores for last year's ELA test were the highest since the inception of the MEAP test. No matter what happens this year in ELA, no matter what grade, it is a different test.

posted by MiddleSchoolPrincipal @ 2:37 PM