Brighton Schools Michigan Merit Exam Results Outperform State, County

For the second year running, Brighton Area Schools have scored higher than any other Livingston County students on the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and ACT exam.

The MME is a standardized test which high school juniors take in place of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). Both MME and ACT scores were released Tuesday by the Michigan Department of Education.

was consistently above the state average in every subject, although scores for writing were slightly lower than 2011 and reading remained the same.

The performance of Brighton students this year takes into account a test that is more difficult to pass, based on new cut scores implemented last year by the state. Had their performance been compared to last year's actual test, Brighton students would have dropped 16 percentage points in math, for instance.

But to make a more apples to apples comparison, the state has adjusted the 2011 scores, making the math results for this year a 6 percentage point increase.

Brighton students also showed a slight improvement on ACT scores, moving from 31.4 in 2011 to 34.6 in 2012.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, student achievement on the 2012 Michigan Merit Examination (MME) shows positive one-year gains and even larger four-year gains in mathematics, reading, writing, and science.

The overall composite scores for Michigan high school juniors on the ACT college-entrance exam also increased for the fourth consecutive year, as did the percentage of Michigan students who are career- and college-ready.

Here is a look at the numbers:

* All numbers are percentage proficient or advanced.