The bad news told to th
e Wayland Board of Education Monday night was that students in the local district didn’t score very well in the M-STEP tests.
The good news was that neither did just about everybody else.
Director of Instruction Teresa Fulk explained that this was the first time the M-STEP was used, as it replaces the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) after 40 years.
“The test results, as expected, came across as pretty poor,” Fulk acknowledged. “That’s because it was the first time this test was taken… No schools in Michigan will be held accountable as a result.”
Actually, Wayland scored higher than the state average in three grade levels in language arts and was above average in five grade levels in math. However, it was in the bottom third among Allegan County schools.
Science and social studies were slightly above average, but those subjects were tested only at three grade levels.
“We obviously did not perform as well as we wanted to,” Fulk said. “But we’re working on making sure our kids are getting what they need.”
Fulk said local school officials are getting in touch with Byron Center, which scored better than the traditionally strong (and wealthy) districts in Forest Hills.
PHOTO: Teresa Fulk