Michigan Merit Examination Overview

1. Michigan Merit Examination Overview Jim Griffiths and Pat King Office of Educational Assessment & Accountability 2006 OEAA Conferences

2. 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)

3. 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

4. Impact • Schools • AYP participation rate • Students • Free ACT • Michigan Merit Award eligibility

5. Home School Students • Test at their local public high school

6. Non-Public School Students • Non-public School as an established MME Test Center • Auxiliary Test Centers • No accommodated administrations • No make-up administrations

7. 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

8. 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

9. Spring 2006 Pilot High Schools

10. 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)

11. 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)

12. High School Eligibility Requirements • Required Staff Training – November - December 2006 • Test Supervisor (TS) • Backup Test Supervisor (BU) • Test Accommodations Coordinator (TAC)

13. 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

14. 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

15. Michigan Merit Examination Components and Score Contributions MME Assessment Design

16. 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)

17. MME Administration (Spring 2007) • 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)

18. MME Administration (Spring 2007) • Accommodations Testing – Grade 11 • ACT Plus Writing: March 13 - 27 • WorkKeys + Michigan Mathematics: March 14 - 28 • Michigan Science and Social Studies: March 14 - 30

19. MME Administration (Retake) • 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)

20. 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

21. Future Administration Dates

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. Assessment Facilities • 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

26. Assessment Facilities • 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 samedirection, directly behind one another

27. Assessment Facilities • 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

28. Assessment Personnel • Required number of qualified staff per room • 1 room supervisor required for each room, • Plus1 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

29. 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 notbe related to anyexaminee 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

30. 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)

31. 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)

32. 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)

33. 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

34. 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.

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. What’s Next • December 1 • Pre ID window opens • OEAA loads student data from Fall 2006 SRSD

42. What’s Next? • Remaining Staff Training Sessions: • December 6 – Novi • December 14 - Lansing

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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

46. Reports • June 2007 • ACT Reports sent to students • WorkKeys Reports sent to schools • MME Reports distributed to schools

47. What’s New? • Specific administration dates • Specific administration times – before 9:00am • All tests are timed • Required testing environment and procedures • Test administration documentation

48. 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

49. 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)

50. 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