LANSING, Mich. (AP) - State officials say high school juniors improved in all subject areas on the Michigan Merit Exam this year, while the average ACT college-entrance exam score rose slightly.
Even so, the percentage of Michigan juniors considered ready for college declined after rising in the previous four years. Officials said that was because of a slight drop in the percentage of students meeting proficiency levels in the math section of the ACT.
Results released Monday show the biggest improvements on the merit exam were in social studies, where the average score rose from 38.6 to 43.9, and in reading, with a jump from 53.5 to 58.7.
The college readiness rate is a benchmark that Gov. Rick Snyder uses to measure Michigan school performance. It dropped from 18.1 percent to 17.8 percent.
