Juniors to Take Michigan Merit Exam (with ACT) March 6 - 8. Make-Up Exam Is March 20-22.

The Michigan Merit Exam (MME) required by the Michigan Department of Education will be administered at Kalamazoo Central High School, Loy Norrix High School, and Phoenix High School on March 6-8, 2012. The exam is divided into three parts: the ACT + Writing exam; WorkKeys tests in Mathematics, Reading and Locating Information; and Michigan’s Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

• All students in the Class of 2013 are required to take all components of the MME, even if students have previously taken the ACT at a national test site. Certain students from the Class of 2012 are also required to take the MME, if they have not already done so.
• Students have only one opportunity to take the MME.
• Taking the MME is a KPS graduation requirement.
• Students should see their counselors for information on accessing ACT online prep as a way to prepare for the exam. 

School schedules will look quite different on days of MME test administration:

• Non-testing students will not report at all on March 6, but they will report at a later time on March 7 and 8.
• Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and transportation will be provided for all testing students on all three days.
• Lunch will not be served to non-testing students on March 7 and March 8.
• Bus schedules were sent home with students last week. To get information about your child's bus stop schedule on these days, call Transportation at 337-0500.

Class Schedules on Test Days

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Freshman: No Classes on Campus
Sophomores: No Classes on Campus
Juniors and re-testing Seniors: MME Day 1 --  7:35 am -12:40 pm
Seniors: No Classes on Campus

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Freshman: Delayed Start of Classes -- 12:30 pm -2:20 pm
Sophomores: Delayed Start of Classes -- 12:30 pm -2:20 pm
Juniors and re-testing Seniors: MME Day 2  --  7:35 am - 2:20 pm
Seniors: Delayed Start of Classes -- 12:30 pm -2:20 pm

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Freshman: Delayed Start of Classes -- 12:30 pm -2:20 pm
Sophomores: Delayed Start of Classes -- 12:30 pm -2:20 pm
Juniors and re-testing Seniors: MME Day 3  --  7:35 am - 2:20 pm
Seniors: Delayed Start of Classes -- 12:30 pm -2:20 pm

Fun Community Events for Students Who Are Not Testing

Students not testing are encouraged to take advantage of the many community events that are planned for Tuesday, March 6, at the following locations:

• West Main Professional Development Building — College, military and post-secondary fair and financial planning for parents and students. There will also be a gaming and karaoke contest. Open 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Boys and Girls Club — College visit and open Boys and Girls Clubs limited to 10 students who are current members. Bowling at Airway Lanes after visit.
• Western Michigan University Student Recreation Center — Basketball, racquetball, tennis, volleyball and indoor soccer. Open noon to 4 p.m.
• YMCA — Yoga, tennis, open gym and swimming. Open 9 a.m. to noon
• Airway Lanes Bowling Alley — Bowling on 8 lanes limited to 40 students. Open 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

KPS buses will provide transportation between event locations from 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Students must have their KPS ID to ride buses and enter the events. Information about bus stops and bus schedules is online at these links, and is attached as a pdf below this post. Click here to see a Google map of the bus stops.

• Shuttle Bus #1 to Activities
• Shuttle Bus #2 to Activities

Activity Locations

YMCA 1001 W. Maple St. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

West Main Professional Development Center 1627 West Main Street 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

WMU Student Recreation Center 1903 W. Michigan 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Airway Lanes 5626 Portage Rd. 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Bus Shuttle Locations—Pick Up and Drop Off Locations Only

Boys & Girls Club 915 Lake Street 9:15 a.m. – 4:10 p.m.

Douglass Community Ctr. 1000 W. Paterson 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

New Horizons (Office) 2400 St. Albans Way 9:00 a.m. – 3:35 p.m.

Eastside Neighborhood Assn. 1301 E. Main St. 9:05 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Village Apartments (Office) 4411 Lilac Lane 9:10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Michigan Merit Exam: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT MEANS — AND WHAT IT OFFERS (From the Michigan Department of Education)

In March 2007, Michigan high school students said goodbye to the MEAP (Michigan Educational
Assessment Plan) and hello to the Michigan Merit Exam (MME). Unlike the MEAP, this new test not only
combines items from several tests, it will save students and families time and money. The exam will
provide students with:
• A free ACT college entrance exam score that can be used to apply to college. In other words, you
no longer have to pay to have your child take the ACT.
• A free WorkKeys assessment that connects work skills training, and testing to improve students’ education and job opportunities.
• Michigan assessments that measure what students know that parents, educators and employers say is important in core subject areas and not covered in the ACT and WorkKeys.

Why is taking the test important?

State assessments, like the MEAP tests for younger students and the Michigan Merit Exam for high
school students, provide a way to measure all Michigan students in the same subject, at the same time. The tests provide valuable information to parents on their children’s academic progress. The MME also provides teachers with important information about how their students are doing and assists teachers in getting struggling students the academic support they need. All of this will help students get a better education and succeed in college or the workplace.

To help students prepare for the Michigan Merit Exam, the state is offering students free ACT and
WorkKeys prep online courses through Michigan Virtual High School. These are available up to ten
days prior to the first day of MME testing. Please visit www.mivhs.org.

Special-Needs Students

Accommodations will be possible to help students with disabilities or students who are still learning the
English language. To find out more about these accommodations, contact the school counselor.

How Parents Can Help

While, sometimes we may doubt if our children are paying any real attention to what we are saying,
research shows that parents are among the most influential people in a teenager’s life — especially
when it comes to educational and career choices. Parents can help -- here's how:
• Visit the Michigan Department of Education Assessment web page at www.mi.gov/mme
with your child to obtain practice tests and other valuable resources.
• Make sure students attend school regularly. Remember, tests do reflect children’s overall achievement. The more effort and energy a child puts into learning, the more likely he/she will do well on tests.
• Encourage students to take challenging courses like Chemistry and Algebra II that are included in the exam.
• Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home.
• Give your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.
• Make sure your child doesn’t “cram” the night before — cramming increases anxiety which interferes with clear thinking.
• Ensure they get a good night’s sleep.
• Don’t judge your child on the basis of a single test score. Test scores are not perfect measures of what a student can do.