State education officials have updated standardized testing for public school students across Michigan. Details of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress were announced Thursday.
The new tests, known as M-STEP, replace the 44-year-old Michigan Educational Assessment Program.
Last spring the state was set to switch over from the MEAP to a test called "Smarter Balanced.” But lawmakers balked at the idea, because the test aligned with the controversial Common Core standards.
MDE is still working to come up with a more permanent test with standards the federal government considers "college and career ready." That testing system is supposed to be in place for spring 2016.
The test is online with a paper-and-pencil option.
State law also requires writing tests for additional grades and more questions that test problem solving.
Michigan public school educators helped develop and write M-STEP content. It includes spring testing for grades 3 to 8 and a Michigan Merit Exam for 11th-graders.
About 1,900 Michigan schools have performed pilot online testing to prepare for the new test.
