Schools

UCS Schools Score Above State Average on ACT, Merit Exams

Utica Community Schools, the state's second largest district, has scored higher than the state average on the 2012 ACTs and the Michigan Merit Exam.

Utica scored above the state average in every subject on the Michigan Merit Exams in 2012, exceeding the state's average scores.

When compared to other schools in the Macomb Intermediate Schools, UCS also boasted a higher percentage of students to have passed the exam in all subject areas, with a writing average by as much as 8 percentage points.

However, the number of students actually passing the exam suggests there is much work to be done, according to a report released by the Michigan Department of Education this morning.

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The MDE adopted a tougher standard for passing the MME this year to better represent the number of students who are college-ready. Students had to score higher on the tests to receive a passing, or "proficient", score. The numbers below show scores for the past two years, which were retrospectively adjusted to reflect the new MME scoring standards.

High school juniors who were tested in the spring represent the third junior class to have completed the new, more rigorous Michigan high school graduation requirements.

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Across the state, the largest gains on the MME occurred in reading and writing, where reading saw an average one-year increase of 3 percent and writing an average one-year increase of 2.5 percent. These increases show roughly 56 percent of tested students are proficient in reading and 50 percent are proficient in writing across the state.

“The impact of having students engage in the rigorous Michigan Merit Curriculum is evident here,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan, in a prepared statement. “When students have the benefit of learning higher-level subject material, more will become career- and college-ready and prepared for success."

Students also took the ACT this spring. While the overall composite scores for Michigan high school juniors increased statewide, local scores stayed relatively the same, increasing no more than 1 percentage point at any Macomb area school.

ACT Scores For UCS Schools

2011 2012 Michigan 19.6 19.4 Eisenhower 21.1 21.7 Utica 19.5 19.7

Eisenhower's ACT scores were 1.9 percentage points above the state average, while Utica's were only .1 percentage points higher than the state average.

MME - Utica Community Schools

Because of the new MME cut scores, students had to score higher on the tests to receive a passing, or "proficient" score. The following numbers show scores for 2012 and 2011, which were retrospectively adjusted.

The Class of 2013 was roughly on par with their predecessors' scores.


2012 2011 State 2012 Math 36 37 29 Reading 61 59 56 Science 30 32 26 Writing 57 59 49 Soc. Studies 47 48 41

*Numbers given as percentage of students who scored proficient or above.


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