The MEAP test has been used to evaluate kids and schools in Michigan for over four and a half decades.
The test is meant to make sure public schools are teaching kids the basics. But MEAP scores affect where parents decide to send their kids, neighborhood housing prices, city tax revenue, and city services.
Basically, the economics of a city rests on how well 8 and 9-year-olds perform on this single test.
State of Opportunity's Dustin Dwyer spent six weeks inside Congress Elementary in Grand Rapids, a school with consistently low MEAP scores. Dwyer followed a third-grade class as they prepared to take the test. He interviewed students, teachers, and parents, trying to figure out how much these numbers matter. What he found was, the test scores do not even begin to tell the story.
To hear the documentary now and learn more, visit the State of Opportunity website.
