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Midland Public Schools reports strong SAT performance, highlights growth and focus on early literacy
Summary
District data presented Jan. 21 shows Midland students ranked in the top few percent statewide on SAT scaled scores, with the district reporting gains in third-grade reading, proficiency trends and student growth; administrators tied further improvement to literacy work, summer programs, tutoring and expanded preschool access.
Ken Weaver presented the district’s annual student-data report to the board Jan. 21, telling trustees that Midland’s SAT scaled scores place the district among the state’s higher-performing systems.
“We’re in the top 3.5% in ELA of schools in Michigan and the top 3% in math,” Weaver said during the presentation. He and administration also highlighted that the district’s SAT proficiency rates place Midland in roughly the top 1–7% of Michigan schools depending on the subject and grade.
Why it matters: Board members and staff framed the results as evidence that district initiatives—elementary literacy emphasis, nearly $1 million invested in summer school, Tier 2/3 tutoring, elementary literacy coaches and secondary learning coaches—are producing measurable growth. Weaver reported that about 76% of students showed average-to-high growth in ELA and about 74% did so in math.
Key data and context presented - SAT and PSAT: Midland’s SAT scale scores and proficiency rates rank well against an ‘‘elite comparison group’’ of aspirational districts the district benchmarks itself against. - Growth: Weaver reported 76% of students had average-to-high growth in ELA and 74% in math (district-wide, grades 3–8 and 11). - Subgroups: Administrators displayed subgroup analyses showing progress for economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities compared to similar schools; Weaver said the district is still narrowing gaps. - Assessment format: Board and staff discussed the state’s shift to digital, computer-adaptive PSAT/SAT formats; Weaver warned that the new online math format (including the Desmos-enabled calculator) and adaptive scoring can produce short-term fluctuations and slower item-level analysis compared with the old paper tests.
Board discussion and strategy: Trustees asked how to explain proficiency rates to the public; Weaver and Superintendent Penny Miller Nelson urged emphasizing growth and multiple measures rather than reducing results to a letter grade. Several trustees and staff connected facility capacity and preschool access to long-term third-grade reading gains; trustees said expanding high-quality preschool and reducing elementary class sizes are central to closing the early-reading gap.
Board response: Trustees and staff discussed continued use of the district’s elite comparison group—aspirational peers selected historically to benchmark performance—and affirmed the district will continue disaggregated analysis through building- and cohort-level review, the CIA study committee and the district’s continuous improvement (MICIP) process.
Ending: Administration said it will follow up with deeper item- and cohort-level reports for building leaders and the board and continue work on early literacy, interventions and MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports).
