Results of Michigan Merit Exam

The Royal Oak Neighborhood School District outpaced state and county averages on the Michigan Merit Exam in all subjects.

The merit exam is administered to 11th-grade students and measures how many meet or exceed state standards in six subjects: math, reading, science, social studies, writing and English/language arts.

This year, overall state results showed a slight improvement from last year - with 46 percent of students in Michigan proficient in math, 62 percent in reading, 57 percent in science, 80 percent in social studies, 41 percent in writing and 52 percent in English/language arts.

Royal Oak 11th-graders finished ahead of those numbers in all subjects, with 58 percent meeting or exceeding standards in math, 76 percent in reading, 70 percent in science, 86 percent in social studies, 58 percent in writing and 68 percent in English/language arts.

Oakland County results were down slightly from last year, except in reading - with 53.6 percent of Oakland County students proficient or advanced in math, 62.7 percent in science, 82.6 percent in social studies, 67.8 percent in reading, 50.8 percent in writing and 60.5 percent in English/language arts.

Superintendent Thomas Moline attributes it to the teachers in Royal Oak, many of whom are proactive in helping students succeed in subjects where they were shown to have the most difficulty.

"I think when it came to No Child Left Behind, our district had an individualized approach years ago," said Moline, referring to the federal law establishing testing standards for schools.

The higher math and science scores in particular demonstrate the emphasis the Royal Oak district has placed on math and science in recent years, even starting to prep students in high school-level math in middle school.

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