On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Education released the statewide subject scores from the 2015 Michigan Student Test for Educational Progress, or MSTEP. This was the first implementation of the MSTEP for the state, thus the results painted a much different picture than we saw with the MEAP. The MSTEP is the first step towards Superintendent Brian Whiston’s goal for Michigan to be a top-10 education state by 2025. “Wherever we set the achievement bar, the students will jump over it,” Whiston said. “It’s about expectations. As a state, we need to raise the expectations”. Raising the expectations includes aligning our assessments with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Math and English Language Arts. Common Core Standards were implemented in Michigan beginning in the 2010-2011 school year and were intended to teach students to think critically rather than relying on rote memorization of formulas and facts (Brown, 2014). Michigan was especially in need of this change because we were drastically falling behind our peers across the country. The results of the MSTEP that were released this week clearly demonstrated what every educator knew going into the testing: we need more time. The results, although lower than we saw with the MEAP, are baseline data for where we go from here. The Michigan Department of Education has already made changes to how we implement the MSTEP next spring. To understand why patience and change is necessary for the ultimate success of Michigan, we need to look to Kentucky as a model for where we want to go.
Kentucky was one of the first states to begin implementing the Common Core State Standards in 2010. The following year students in the Bluegrass State began taking the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) test, their equivalent of our MSTEP. In year one of the K-PREP, proficiency rates fell by more than a third compared to previous years. Just like in Kentucky, the proficiency rates of Michigan students on the MSTEP dropped as a result of the new assessment piece. The parallels between Kentucky and Michigan after year one of their new state assessments is a very important correlation for parents and educators to understand. You cannot change how we teach and learn and expect the results to evident immediately. Three years into the implementation of their K-PREP assessments and four years into the implementation of Common Core, Kentucky is beginning to see results. Kentucky’s 86 percent graduation rate is among the highest in the country and its college- and career-readiness rates rose from 34 percent in in 2010 to 54 percent in 2013. Flat Lick Elementary School, in Knox County, is located in one of the poorest areas of the state and was traditionally one of the lowest performing schools in the state. In 2013, Flat Lick scored in the 20th percentile on the statewide assessment (Butrymowicz, 2013). The Common Core Standards as working in areas across the country, and will work in Michigan. Looking at what is happening in Kentucky, we can learn a few lessons on what the support of Common Core can lead to. Careers that we are preparing our students for were not even dreamed about when you and I were in school. You cannot look to the past and hope to have a bright future. You have adjust and Common Core does just that.
Brown, J. (2014, January 4). 3 years later, is Common Core working in Kentucky? Cincinnati Enquirer.
Butrymowicz, S. (2013, October 15). What Kentucky Can Teach the Rest of the U.S. About the Common Core. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/what-kentucky-can-teach-the-rest-of-the-us-about-the-common-core/280453/
Kentucky was one of the first states to begin implementing the Common Core State Standards in 2010. The following year students in the Bluegrass State began taking the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) test, their equivalent of our MSTEP. In year one of the K-PREP, proficiency rates fell by more than a third compared to previous years. Just like in Kentucky, the proficiency rates of Michigan students on the MSTEP dropped as a result of the new assessment piece. The parallels between Kentucky and Michigan after year one of their new state assessments is a very important correlation for parents and educators to understand. You cannot change how we teach and learn and expect the results to evident immediately. Three years into the implementation of their K-PREP assessments and four years into the implementation of Common Core, Kentucky is beginning to see results. Kentucky’s 86 percent graduation rate is among the highest in the country and its college- and career-readiness rates rose from 34 percent in in 2010 to 54 percent in 2013. Flat Lick Elementary School, in Knox County, is located in one of the poorest areas of the state and was traditionally one of the lowest performing schools in the state. In 2013, Flat Lick scored in the 20th percentile on the statewide assessment (Butrymowicz, 2013). The Common Core Standards as working in areas across the country, and will work in Michigan. Looking at what is happening in Kentucky, we can learn a few lessons on what the support of Common Core can lead to. Careers that we are preparing our students for were not even dreamed about when you and I were in school. You cannot look to the past and hope to have a bright future. You have adjust and Common Core does just that.
Brown, J. (2014, January 4). 3 years later, is Common Core working in Kentucky? Cincinnati Enquirer.
Butrymowicz, S. (2013, October 15). What Kentucky Can Teach the Rest of the U.S. About the Common Core. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/what-kentucky-can-teach-the-rest-of-the-us-about-the-common-core/280453/