Indicator: 28 - Youth Achieving Learning Results

Why This Is Important

The Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) test is given at grades 4, 8 and 11 to all Maine students. It focuses attention on whether a student's work meets the standards of the State's Learning Results.

Where We Stand

The MEA data shows that average scale scores in the six subject areas have been stable in the last three years, with strongest overall performance in reading and the lowest in science. Only in reading are nearly half of all students meeting or exceeding the State's Learning Results standards, the primary way in which educational performance is tracked in Maine. There are four performance categories: Exceeds the Standards, Meets the Standards, Partially Meets the Standards, and Does Not Meet the Standards. The MEA was revised in 1998-1999 to focus attention on whether a student's work meets the Standards, rather than the student's relative performance compared to other students. Because implementation of major education reform is still in the early stages, and because the standards are very rigorous for all students, the Department of Education emphasizes that the "Partially Meets the Standards" category should still be viewed positively at this point, along with the "Meets" and "Exceeds" performance levels.

Data Sources and Context

The source for these data are the Maine Education Assessment Program, Maine Department of Education; information is available on the State Department of Education web site at http://www.state.me.us/education/mea/edmea.htm. Maine was rated No. 1 in the
nation - the highest performing K-12 educational system - by the National Education Goals Panel (1999), an independent, bipartisan agency of state and federal officials charged with measuring goals for student readiness, student achievement, educational attainment, and school climate. In addition, although Maine students score at or near the top of the nation in national achievement tests in mathematics, reading, and science, the statistics are deceiving - 1 out of 4 Maine students has not acquired a level of literacy that is acceptable by most standards. Maine simply outperforms other states.