The Maine assessment system has both State and local components. The State component includes the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), which is given to students in grades 4, 8, and 11. The MEA has been aligned this year with the Learning Results, with individual student scores reported in five content areas. State initiatives also include assisting educators in clarifying standards for local assessment systems, including developing and evaluating performance tasks and student portfolios, serving as a clearinghouse for exemplary local assessment practices, and developing a framework for alternative assessments to ensure that all Maine students reach high standards.

Local assessment includes traditional methods such as teacher tests, reports, projects, nationally-normed achievement tests, and presentations. To better inform students, teachers, and parents, local schools may also use portfolios, writing prompts, district-wide assessments and other tools.

Merit’s language arts and math software programs correlate to the Maine Learning Results and can help students prepare for the MEA and local assessments. The content and format of Merit’s programs can help students develop and strengthen their test-taking skills as well as their reading, writing and math skills.

Merit reading software has been proven -- through rigorous, scientifically based research -- to increase both student reading comprehension and standardized test scores. Merit research study findings reveal that education software is an effective tool to improve test scores and academic performance.

Published: May 2005