O.L. Smith Middle School

M-Step Testing Schedule

Dear Parents,

Michigan’s new Assessment System, the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP), is an online test and was developed by the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Standards and Assessment.

The M-STEP will be administered in April and May of 2018 at O.L. Smith, I have attached the schedule. 

It includes state summative assessments designed to measure student growth effectively and to measure their knowledge of Michigan’s academic standards in English language arts (ELA), Math, Science, and Social Studies.  English language arts and mathematics will be assessed in grades 6–8, science in grade 7, and social studies in grade 8. 

As partners in your child’s education, we are asking for your help in reminding your child of the importance of taking their time and giving their best effort on these assessments. Several factors have an influence on test outcomes.  Please encourage your child to attend school every day and do their VERY BEST on the test!!  That being said, please take a few moments to review the simple, yet important test taking tips below.

Before Test Tips During Test Tips
  • Have a positive attitude.  Tell yourself, “I will do my best on this test.”
  • Go to sleep at a reasonable time to get a good night’s rest the night before the test.
  • Wake up early enough to avoid rushing to get ready for school.
  • Eat a healthy breakfast.
  • Relax, take a deep breath, and think positive thoughts, “I am going to do well.”
  • Listen carefully to directions.
  • Ready each question carefully.  Identify key words. Think about what the question is really asking.
  • Read the entire question and all the answer choices.
  • Apply strategies that you learned in class to figure out the answer.  Pick the best answer.
  • Recheck answer before moving on to the next question.

Download M-Step Testing Schedule as a PDF:  m-step schedule 2018