The MEAP Test Tango

Every fall there seems to be an obsession by the Michigan schools regarding the October MEAP tests. MEAP stands for Michigan Educational Assessment Program. I believe that its purpose to assess how well various school districts our educating our kids. However, I’ve always had the perception that the schools spend too much time coaching the students on how to pass the MEAP instead of on educating them on the various subject matter needed to become productive citizens. In other words, getting a good score on the MEAP should reflect that quality education is happening; not that great coaching on passing tests is going on.

An article: "Strike eats into MEAP preparation” in the September 8, 2006 edition of the Detroit Free Press addresses my point. The concern of the article is that the current teacher’s strike in Detroit, Michigan is costing students class days (a bad thing in and of itself). The issue in the paper is that these loss days will cut into MEAP preparation time. I personally object to such coaching in the first place! The article acknowledges that students should already be prepared if they were taught properly last school year. However it goes on to concede that considerable time is spent in the weeks prior to the fall test in getting students prepared.

Being able to successfully undertake higher education, learn a trade, and become productive informed citizens is not a matter of “boning up” for a test or two, but successfully completing a long educational process as one grows up. Spending too much time in trying to get students ready to pass an assessment/aptitude test is just plain wrong and a waste of valuable teaching time. It also sends the wrong message to students that life is just a matter of a series of “cram sessions”.