michigan merit examination overview jim griffiths and pat king office of educational assessment...

Michigan Merit Examination Overview

Jim Griffiths and Pat KingOffice of Educational Assessment & Accountability

2006 OEAA Conferences

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Objective

• Provide an overview of the Michigan Merit Exam for high school administrators and educators, and other interested stakeholders

• NOT a substitute for required training session for Test Supervisors (TS), Backup Test Supervisors (BU), and Test Accommodations Coordinators (TAC)

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It’s a Go!

• First MME administration - Spring 2007

• Grade 11– All students enrolled in Grade 11

during March 2007 take the complete Michigan Merit Exam

– Including students who previously took the MEAP in grade 10 to qualify for dual enrollment

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Impact

• Schools–AYP participation rate

• Students–Free ACT

–Michigan Merit Award eligibility

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Home School Students

• Test at their local public high school

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Non-Public School Students

• Non-public School as an established MME Test Center

• Auxiliary Test Centers– No accommodated

administrations

– No make-up administrations

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Class of 2007

• Final HS MEAP administration - Spring 2007

• Grade 12– Only students enrolled in Grade

12 during Spring 2007 eligible to take HS MEAP

– Take only those subjects needed to qualify for the Michigan Merit Award

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MME Legislation

• PA 592 of 2004 - MME inserted into Career and Technical Preparation Act

• PA 593 of 2004 - Replaces high school MEAP with MME in School Aid Act

• PA 594 of 2004 - Replaces high school MEAP with MME in Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act

• PA 595 of 2004 - Replaces high school MEAP with MME for determining Merit Award Scholarships

• PA 596 of 2004 - Replaces the high school MEAP with MME in the School Code

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Spring 2006 Pilot High Schools

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MDE Steps Completed to Implement MME

• Conducted additional content alignment studies

• Set cut scores on MME and MEAP Grade 11, to be used for the Merit Award and NCLB AYP

• Prepared revisions to the NCLB Accountability Workbook

• Established PLAN and PSAT cut scores for dual enrollment purposes

• Submitted application for approval to U.S. Department of Education (USED)

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High School Eligibility Requirements

• Establish School as Test Center– Complete School Information

Form – September 2006

– Designate 3 Key Testing Staff• Test Supervisor (TS)

• Backup Test Supervisor (BU)

• Test Accommodations Coordinator (TAC)

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High School Eligibility Requirements

• Required Staff Training – November - December 2006–Test Supervisor (TS)

–Backup Test Supervisor (BU)

–Test Accommodations Coordinator (TAC)

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Review Key Documents

• Standard Testing Requirements• School Schedule and Site Options for

MME• Summary of Test Administration

Policies• Qualifications and Responsibilities for

Test Supervisors and Backup Test Supervisors

• Qualifications and Responsibilities for Test Accommodations Coordinators

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MME Assessment Design

• Three test sessions– ACT Plus Writing

– WorkKeys (Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics) and Michigan Mathematics

– Michigan Science and Social Studies

• Three test booklets

• Three answer documents

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Michigan Merit Examination Components and Score Contributions Contributes to an

English Language Arts Score

Contributes to a Mathematics Score

Contributes to a Science Score

Contributes to a Social Studies Score

Total ELA Score

Scale score = average of the Reading Scale Score and the Writing Scale Score

Reading

• ACT Reading (MC)

• WorkKeys Reading for Information items (MC)

Writing

•ACT English (MC)

• ACT Writing (CR)

• Michigan Social Studies CR item -writing score

• ACT Mathematics (MC)

• Selected ACT Science items

(15 MC)

• WorkKeys Applied Mathematics (MC)

• Michigan Mathematics

(15 MC)

• ACT Science (MC)

• Michigan Science

(53 MC)

• Michigan Social Studies (57 MC and 2 CR - social studies score)

Note: The number of Michigan items shown includes field-test items to replace those released annually.

MME Assessment Design

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MME Administration (Spring 2007)

• Initial Testing – Grade 11– March 13 - ACT Plus Writing

– March 14 - WorkKeys + Michigan Mathematics

– March 14, 15, or 16 - Michigan Science and Social Studies (single administration)

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• Makeup Testing – Grade 11– March 27 - Makeup ACT Plus Writing

– March 28 - Makeup WorkKeys + Michigan Mathematics

– March 28, 29, or 30 Makeup Michigan Science and Social Studies (single administration)

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• Accommodations Testing – Grade 11– ACT Plus Writing: March 13 - 27

– WorkKeys + Michigan Mathematics: March 14 - 28

– Michigan Science and Social Studies: March 14 - 30

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• Grade 12 - Fall Administration – Saturday, October 27, 2007 (ACT

National Test Date) - ACT Plus Writing– Tuesday, October 30, 2007 -

WorkKeys + Michigan Math– October 30, 31, or November 1

Michigan Science and Social Studies (single administration)

MME Administration (Retake)

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MME Administration (Retake)

• Accommodations Testing – Grade 12– ACT Plus Writing: October 27 –

November 10, 2007– WorkKeys + Michigan Mathematics:

October 30 – November 13, 2007– Michigan Science and Social Studies:

October 30 – November 15, 2007

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Future Administration Dates

Session Component 2008 2009 2010

Initial ACT Plus Writing

WorkKeys+Math

Science & SS

3/11

3/12

3/12-14

3/10

3/11

3/11-13

3/9

3/10

3/10-12

Makeup ACT Plus Writing

WorkKeys+Math

Science & SS

3/25

3/26

3/26-28

3/24

3/25

3/25-27

3/23

3/24

3/24-26

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Assessment Sites

• Preferred site is in a quiet wing of the high school– School in session for all students, or– School for juniors only

• Off-site administration– Community College– ISD/RESA– Other public facility– Church– Other private facility

• Each site must be approved by ACT

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Assessment Sites

• Off-site Request Forms– Received at ACT by December

1, 2006

– For any test administration that will not be at your site

– Same testing environment and conditions for all test sessions

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Assessment Facilities

• Choice of testing rooms for standard time administration– Uncrowded seating – prefer classrooms

with 25-30 examinees– Manageable security – prefer no more than

100 examinees in one room (if more than 100, see personnel requirements)

– Good lighting, comfortable temperature, quiet atmosphere

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• Adequate writing surfaces–No lapboards permitted;

temporary surfaces resting on chair arms or back of chair in front must be reviewed and approved by ACT

–Must accommodate both test booklet and answer document

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• Seating arrangements (applies equally to desks and tables)– Seats must be assigned by testing staff as

students enter room – Minimum of 3 feet apart side-to-side

(measured shoulder-to-shoulder)– Minimum of 3 feet apart front-to-back

(measured head-to-head)– All students must face the same direction,

directly behind one another

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• Freedom from distractions– No one not involved in testing may be in the

room– Uninterrupted testing period required for all

days of testing– No unnecessary noises (bells, public

address systems, etc. must be turned off)– Testing rooms must be separated from

regular school activities

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Assessment Personnel

• Required number of qualified staff per room– 1 room supervisor required for each room,– Plus 1 proctor for every 25 examinees in the

room after the first 25 (i.e., 26-50=1; 51-75=2; 76-100=3)

• Testing staff may not be– Involved in test preparation outside of normal

teaching responsibilities– Enrolled in high school

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Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

• Test Supervisors (and Back-up Test Supervisors) have access to secure test materials prior to testing.

• To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, and to protect relatives (siblings, children, step-children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews) and wards from allegations of impropriety:– Test (and Backup) Supervisors may not be related to any

examinee taking the MME in 2006-2007 anywhere in Michigan.

– Room supervisors and proctors may not assist in a room where any relative is being tested

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Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

• TACs – May not be related to, or guardian of, any students participating in MME accommodations testing anywhere in Michigan this year.

• Testing staff supporting accommodations – May not be involved in coaching high school athletics or college athletics (applicable only if student testing with accommodations participates in athletics)

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Adequate Training for all Staff

• ALL Test Supervisors (TS), Back-up Test Supervisors (BU), and Test Accommodations Coordinators (TAC) are REQUIRED to attend a one-day training session in November-December, 2006.

• Testing staff must read and be familiar with both the Day 1 and Day 2-4 supervisor’s manuals (included with training materials)

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Adequate Training for all Staff

• Test Supervisors and TACs are responsible for training the staff that will assist them during the testing (room supervisors, proctors, readers)

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Attentiveness• During testing, the testing staff must:

– Focus on monitoring testing (reading, grading papers, other personal work is not permitted)

– Circulate frequently around the room to monitor examinees

– Recognize the potential for cheating and take action as instructed in supervisor’s manuals

• Exact compliance with supervisor’s manuals is required…including reading spoken instructions verbatim

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Assessment Administration

• All test sites must test on the designated days• Assessment administration staff will need to

review procedures at least 30 minutes prior to the start of testing.

• Students assigned seating• No food or drink are permitted in testing

room(s) – this applies to both staff and examinees.

• All test sites must test on the designated test days with testing as the first activity of the morning, starting no later than 9 am.

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Security

• Receipt, check-in, and verification of test booklets are by serial numbers

• Restricted access at all times from moment of receipt to return (documented “chain of custody”)

• Answer documents are not returned to students after test responses are gridded

• Immediate and complete return of all Day 1 materials to ACT and all Day 2-4 materials to Pearson

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Security• Proper identification of examinees by room

supervisor (personal recognition or photo ID)

• Direct consultation with ACT to handle testing irregularities for Day 1, and with Pearson Educational Measurement for Days 2-4

• Unannounced observation of assessment administration in selected schools

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Exact Timing of the Tests

• All components of the MME are timed tests

• More than one timepiece must be used in each room to ensure back-up

• Time remaining may not be posted • Five-minute warning must be read

verbatim from the supervisor’s manuals

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Exact Timing of the Tests

• Students with extended time accommodations– Time and one-half– Double time– Up to three hours

• Students testing with accommodations – standard timing

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Documentation of Test Day Procedures

• Testing Staff List returned with answer documents

• Seating Diagram, Test Book Count Form, and Testing Time Verification Form returned for each room, for each test session

• Supervisor’s Report Form (Day 1) and School ID Sheet (Days 2-4) completed accurately

• Testing Irregularity Report Form(s) returned with answer documents

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What’s Next?

• December 1–Off-site testing requests for all test

sessions due at ACT

–Applications for ACT approved accommodations for Day 1 testing (college reportable scores) due at ACT

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What’s Next

• December 1–Pre ID window opens

–OEAA loads student data from Fall 2006 SRSD

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What’s Next?

• Remaining Staff Training Sessions:–December 6 – Novi

–December 14 - Lansing

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What’s Next?

• January 10, 2007– State-allowed accommodations requests due

to ACT for Day 1 Testing (ACT Plus Writing)*– Non-college reportable scores– Necessary to receive accommodated

materials for Day 1 testing– Accommodations decisions for Day 2 and

Day 2-4 are the local school district responsibility, should be consistent with accommodations used for Day 1

– Accommodations Summary Table

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What’s Next?

• January 10, 2007–Deadline for non-public

school students to register for auxiliary test centers

–March 13 and 14

–OR March 27 and 28

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What’s Next?

• February-March 2007– Test Supervisors train Room

Supervisors and Proctors

– Students complete the answer document demographic sections and non-cognitive questions – must be completed prior to Test Day

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Reports

• June 2007–ACT Reports sent to students

–WorkKeys Reports sent to schools

–MME Reports distributed to schools

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What’s New?

• Specific administration dates

• Specific administration times – before 9:00am

• All tests are timed

• Required testing environment and procedures

• Test administration documentation

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What’s New?

• Barcode labels required on all answer documents

• Tested Roster by answer document – not by content

• Fall retake – entire MME, not by content

• School-based, not district-based• ACT test administration procedures

apply to all sections of the MME

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Helping Students Prepare for MME

• Assure that the high school’s curriculum is aligned to state standards and benchmarks, the new high school content expectations, and ACT-assessed standards

• Assure that course content matches course titles

• Encourage students to enroll in rigorous college preparatory classes (or equivalent ones that address the same content with the similar rigor)

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Helping Students Prepare for MME

• Have students participate in reasonable ACT prep activities– Use ACT or commercial products to

practice taking a timed test– Become comfortable with the test

formats

• Focus on learning the skills defined in the standards and benchmarks rather than just practicing test-taking skills

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Additional Information

• MME web page

www.michigan.gov/mme

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MME Accommodations

• Peggy Dutcher – questions regarding accommodations for students with an IEP or 504 Plan– 517-335-0471– [email protected]

• Marilyn Roberts – questions regarding accommodations for English Language Learners– 517-335-0567– [email protected]

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MME Contact Information– Pat King

(517) 335-6780 [email protected]

– Jim Griffiths (517) 373-4332 voice

[email protected]

– Edward Roeber(517) 373-0739 [email protected]