Spring Assessments
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) administers springtime summative assessments in grades 3-11. A summative assessment measures the level of proficiency obtained at the end of the school year by comparing it against a standard or benchmark.
The M-STEP online assessment system refers to the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, is aligned to Michigan standards, and is administered in the spring of each school year. This allows student measurement to be based upon current versus prior year learning.
English language arts (reading and writing) and mathematics are assessed in grades 3-7. Science and social studies are assessed in grades 5, 8 and 11.
The English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics summative online tests in grades 3-7 are Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT). The social studies and science summative online tests are fixed-form tests. The science summative online test includes a combination of multiple choice and constructed-response items; the social studies assessment is multiple choice.
Spring 2025 is the second year that SAT, PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 assessments will be delivered electronically via the Bluebook app on district Chromebooks during the school day.
FEATURES
- Multi-stage adaptive
- Calculators are available throughout the math section
- Choice of built-in calculator or personal handheld calculator
- SAT is on a 1600 Scale
- Measures College and Career Ready standards
- The SAT includes an essay section (whereas there is no essay on Saturday administrations)
- Discrete questions (no set-based questions; for reading, each single question is associated with a single short passage)
The MDE uses the SAT as part of the Michigan Merit Examination (MME) for 11th graders. The Michigan SAT test date will be during the April 7-25, 2025 window. The exact date(s) will be determined by the high school. Please see the College Board website for more details on the SAT.
The MDE requires districts to administer the PSAT 8/9 to 8th and 9th graders and the PSAT 10 to 10th graders in the spring. The PSAT test date for all 8th, 9th and 10th graders will be during the April 7-25, 2025 window; the exact date(s) will be determined by each school.
PSAT 10 to 10th graders in the spring. The PSAT test date for all 8th, 9th and 10th graders will be during the April 8-26, 2024 window; the exact date(s) will be determined by each school.
The SAT, PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 are on a common score scale. As such, a student’s score on the PSAT 8/9 is the same score they would have gotten on the PSAT 10 or SAT had they taken it on the same day.
The PSAT 8/9 is the first in the SAT Suite of Assessments; it is aligned with the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. The PSAT 8/9 provides a baseline which allows students and educators to gauge performance over time and pinpoints areas that need to be strengthened.
The SAT, PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 are on a common score scale. As such, a student’s score on the PSAT 8/9 is the same score they would have gotten on the PSAT 10 or SAT had they taken it on the same day.
The PSAT 8/9 is the first in the SAT Suite of Assessments; it is aligned with the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. The PSAT 8/9 provides a baseline which allows students and educators to gauge performance over time and pinpoints areas that need to be strengthened
The MME in 11th grade consists of the SAT (a college entrance exam), WorkKeys (a work skills assessment) and the M-STEP summative assessments which will measure student growth in science and social studies.
WorkKeys® from ACT is a job skills assessment system measuring "real-world" skills that employers believe are critical to job success. It identifies gaps between student skills and employment needs. This assessment, which takes place on April 10, 2025 will utilize three of the eight WorkKeys Foundational Skills assessments: Applied Math, Workplace Documents, and Graphic Literacy
Note: The WorkKeys assessment is still paper/pencil!
Students who score at least a 3 on each of these three WorkKeys assessments will qualify for ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate® (ACT NCRC).
More information about WorkKeys® can be obtained online at www.act.org/workkeys