The Lansing School District is investing $122,000 in
district juniors by offering to pay for Michigan Merit Exam (MME) preparation
classes for all students. Offering these classes is expected to help students
do better on their annual tests and help schools meet No Child Left Behind standards.
According to excerpts from the article:
"That's huge, it is," Everett High School
Principal Howard Cousins said. "When I heard about it, I was like, whoa! I
just stood up and shouted on that one."
The annual exam for high school juniors is used to
determine whether schools have achieved adequate yearly progress as defined by
federal No Child Left Behind standards. Neither Everett, Sexton, Eastern nor
the Hill Center for Academics and Technology have hit target scores in the five
years since the standards took effect.
Lansing public schools Superintendent T.C. Wallace Jr.
said the district's goal for next year isn't that every school make adequate
yearly progress this year, but that students show improvement.
Additionally, students who score high enough on the test
will receive a $4,000 Michigan Promise Scholarship from the state. More than 94
percent of test-takers statewide in 2007 got such scholarships.
The Kaplan MME Advantage program usually retails at $700
but will cost Lansing $115 per student.
"Not too many students are walking around with $700
to go through Kaplan training," said Chief Academic Officer Julie Lemond
in explaining why the district opted to foot the bill.
The program continues through Feb. 26, after which state
rules prohibit teachers from test-specific preparation activities.
The Michigan Merit Exam is scheduled to begin March 11.
The multi-day test includes the ACT exam, which many universities require for
admission.
Read the entire article here.
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