Michigan School Assessment: Less Than Perfect

The report cards issued by Michigan Department of Education to Canton schools are, at best, imperfect.

Most of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools receive an A from the state's Adequate Yearly Progress report. But three, and high schools and Starkweather, the district's alternative high school, each received Bs.

Adequate Yearly Progress grades measure how well students score on English and math tests given through the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (given to younger students) and the Michigan Merit Examination, (for high school students), as well as graduation rates and attendance records.

Van Buren Public Schools received As with the exception of Rawsonville Elementary and South Middle School, which received Bs. Several Wayne-Westland elementary schools receive Bs: Albert Schweitzer, David Hicks,  Eugene B. Elliott, Hoover, John Marshall, Roosevelt/McGrath and Wildwood.

Wayne Westland had one school with a C grade, Wayne Memorial High and several elementary schools which received no grade because fewer than 30 students were tested: James Madison, Jefferson-Barns, Kettering, Patchin and Vandenberg.

Adequate Yearly Progress reports are required as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which aims at standardizing education and improving results for disadvantaged students. The report cards help determine how much money districts and schools receive from the federal government.

AYP looks at students' progress district wide as well as specific student groups: by race; economic disadvantage; disabilities; and students with language barriers to determine where improvements are needed.Statewide, Michigan schools saw a 7.1 percent dip in students making AYP, to 70 percent, from 86 percent of schools in 2009-10.

Fewer Michigan high schools met the AYP standards dropping to 60 percent from last year's 81.9 percent. Jan Ellis,Michigan Department of Education spokeswoman, suggested the drop is the result of higher test-score targets amid growing academic expectations. She said every time the state increases the target by 10 or 12 points, some students simply can't catch up, especially with math test scores.

She said the math targets, which hadn't changed for three years in a row, jumped significantly for the most recent tests.

"We are raising the bar on what they need to know, to also raise AYP simultaneously is very, very difficult," she said.

Schools that fail to meet targets must undergo an improvement process. The following schools listed for improvements: Two in the Plymouth-Canton district: Starkweather and Salem High; Wayne-Westland's Lincoln Elementary.

Officials from the three districts could not be reached for comment on this story.

If a school or district repeated fails to meet the goals, federal funding can be reduced or removed.Complete report results are online at www.mischooldata.org.

The three districts which serve Canton residents are Plymouth-Canton Community Schools; Wayne Westland and Van Buren Public Schools.

Each district was given an overall grade: Van Buren Schools failed to meet the goals for middle school reading and high school math.

Individual schools were also graded:

Grade A

Plymouth-Canton

Van Buren

Edgemont Elementary School

Elwell Elementary School

Haggerty Elementary School

Savage Road Elementary School

Tyler Road Elementary School

Wayne-Westland

P.D. Graham Elementary School

Thomas A. Edison Elementary School

Walker-Winter Elementary School

Charters

Canton Charter Academy

Achieve Charter Academy

Grade B

 High

 High

Starkweather

Van Buren

Rawsonville Elementary School

South Middle School

Wayne-Westland

Albert Schweitzer Elementary School

David Hicks School

Eugene B. Elliott Elementary School

Hoover Elementary School

John Marshall Upper Elementary School

Roosevelt/McGrath Elementary School

Wildwood Elementary School

Charter

Academy of Westland

Grade C

Wayne-Westland

Wayne Memorial High School

No Grade

 (Fewer than 30 students were tested.)

Wayne-Westland

James Madison Elementary School

Jefferson-Barns Elementary School

Kettering Elementary School

Patchin Elementary School

Vandenberg Elementary School

Editor's note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect Van Buren Schools listed in the state AYP grades announcement.