Michigan Educational Assessment Program

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The Michigan Educational Assessment Program, commonly known as MEAP, is a standardized test. The test is taken by all public school students in the U.S. state of Michigan from elementary school to middle/junior high school. For high school students the MEAP test was replaced in 2007 by the Michigan Merit Exam. 3,5 Students scoring very well on the high school test earn the Michigan Merit Award, a $2,500 college scholarship.

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[edit] History

The program was started by the State Board of Education and supported by then Governor William G. Millken. The MEAP tests were first administered during the 1969-70 school year for the purpose of determining at various points in a student's career, their progress compared to standards set by the State Board of Education.

Recently it was found that the requirement for students to have 40 hours of community service in order to receive the merit scholarship of $2500 was unconstitutional by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox. [1]

[edit] Criticism

Many of the criticisms of the test are common to all standardized tests. Opponents feel that standardized tests cannot correctly measure student knowledge, performance, or learning. Others feel that Michigan should not waste so much money on developing their own test and instead should use national tests, that would conform better to the standards of the rest of the country.

[edit] References

  1. Michigan department of education. Michigan Educational Assessment Program. Retrieved April 26, 2005
  2. The State of Michigan. Michigan Merit Award. Retrieved June 22, 2005
  3. The State of Michigan. Michigan Merit Exam. Retrieved April 26, 2005
  4. Michigan Department of Education. Design and Validity of the MEAP Test. Retrieved April 26, 2005
  5. The Office of the Governor, Jennifer Granholm. (2005) Governor Granholm Signs Legislation to Better Prepare High School Students for Success

[edit] External links

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