Starting the week of April 11, Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) students will begin taking state-mandated assessments. Unlike the last several years when assessment testing was optional due to the pandemic, this spring testing is mandatory. There is no opt-out. Also, testing must be done in-person. 

Students in 3-8th grade and grade 11 will sit through rigorous tests. Although perceived as daunting, these assessments are helpful to the schools and the District. Data collected will help to inform student academic needs, what they have mastered or what they need to learn. This year the data will be used to identify the needs of each child and to advocate for the necessary resources as we recover from two years of learning loss due to the pandemic. 

To help our students and families prepare for the assessment period, the DPSCD Assessments and Performance Management Department has gathered an array of resources to prepare your students for success. For state testing, DPSCD is required to meet 95 percent participation of all its students for all tests. DPSCD families can support the District in meeting this goal by ensuring their students are well rested and regularly attend school during the state testing period. Learn more about this requirement by reading the letter from the State Superintendent, Michael Rice (English | Spanish | Arabic). 

Students taking the M-STEP 

• Practice using the online testing platform. 
• For students who require paper/pencil tests according to their IEP or 504, they can practice with the paper/pencil item set. 
• Also, families can support their students by watching and discussing a brief M-STEP introduction video (2m12s)

This practice helps students become familiar with the testing features and question formats. It will not help students with the actual content of the test. For MI-Access Functional Independence (FI), students who participate, you can practice using this online testing platform. Once you access the platform, click on MI-Access to select the appropriate practice item set. 

Students taking the SAT and PSAT 

• Students should practice using Khan Academy to prepare. 

This and other information can be found on the DPSCD website at detroitk12.org/spring2022testing. If you have more questions, please contact your school directly.  

Whether through academics, extra-curricular activities such as art or athletics or our career pathways, DPSCD is ready to love, challenge and prepare for your Student’s Rise. We know, when Students Rise, We all Rise!