When MEAP or MME scores are reported each winter, schools are compared to one another based on the percentage of students deemed “proficient” from each school. The 2012 MEAP results showed improvement for C-A in 11 areas this year. Overall I am pleased with our math results, which tend to be relatively strong in the early grades while showing marked improvement at our Middle School with a 12 point jump in 6th grade and an increase in 8th grade as well. In addition, our Middle School reading scores improved by 7 percentage points in 6th grade and a 5 point jump in 8th grade.However, like any organization that strives for excellence, we continue to look critically at areas where we can improve. Our greatest area of concern at C-A (and likely throughout Michigan, based on the scores) is in elementary science.  As our elementary parents already know, we added a supplementary science rotation to our physical education, art, and music rotation for all students. In these science classrooms students are able to experience science content at a deeper level, supplementing what our regular classroom teachers already provide. Unfortunately, with students taking the MEAP in October, there is little way to measure the impact of these efforts until next year’s assessment…but I am confident that we will see positive results in 2013.

In all, I am pleased with the continued effort of our staff and students. However, this basic report of all students tested only tells one part of the story. In addition to looking simply at the aggregate (or average) percentage of all C-A students deemed proficient on the MEAP in 2012, we also analyze how C-A students that have been with us for an entire year of education perform. We do this because over the last five years, roughly 20% of our students are new to our district, yet their scores are included with all other students, even though they have only benefited from our programs and teachers for two months prior to taking the MEAP in October. When we analyze scores for students who have been at C-A for a full year prior to taking the MEAP, we see an increase in the percent proficient in literally every grade level and every subject area! In fact, when you factor in all grades tested, the percentage of proficient students who were with C-A for a full year was 5 percentage points higher in math and 4 percentage points higher in reading, than students who have only been with us for two months. Most area school districts do not experience the same high levels of transiency that C-A experiences, so the impact may not be as significant…but for C-A, this is evidence that when students attend our schools for at least one full school year, they benefit greatly!

Along those same lines, you may have read a recent article from Mlive/The Flint Journal on a Bridge Magazine Report, which rated school districts in terms of their supposed “value-added” for student learning. The report analyzed school district MEAP scores from 2011, while taking socioeconomic factors into consideration.

Click here to view the Mlive/The Flint Journal article.

Based on this study, Carman-Ainsworth was given a value-added measure of 104.17 (100 was considered to be “expected” performance), which ranked as the fourth best school district in Genesee County and better than 75 percent of schools in Michigan. Admittedly, this is just one analysis, and we will strive to be first on this list next year, but I believe this report provides even more evidence that students benefit greatly from a Carman-Ainsworth education. I am proud of our district’s commitment to all students and truly believe that we “add value” to all students each and every day.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any thoughts or concerns. My email address is: stunnicl@carman.k12.mi.us

Steve

Steve Tunnicliff, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools