Provided we’re not in the 8th grade!
Due to budgetary considerations, several changes to the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) will occur in March 2009:
- Writing will not be assessed at grades 5 and 8 in either the standard MEA or the Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP).
- Computer-based assessment, the MEA online, will not occur at grade 8. (link)
You’ll recall that this past spring’s eighth grade writing test fell off a cliff.
As the phrase goes, “I can’t think for you, you’ll have to decide” whether lack of money merely provides cover for a decision not to revisit the scene of that crime, or whether this really is the best place to cut back.
Also in the Informational Letter:
We have also proposed a significant change to our Maine Educational Assessment program, beginning next school year (2009-2010), that would generate substantial savings. This proposal would have us join other New England states (NH, VT, and RI) in delivering a common assessment to grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics in the fall of 2009 and science in the spring of 2010; this would replace the March 2010 MEA. This assessment is known as the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). The NECAP will also include a writing assessment which will be field-tested in the fall of 2009. We will continue to administer the SAT as part of the Maine High School Assessment.
Well isn’t that something! Goodbye MEAs, it’s been good to know ya!