State officials are planning to drop half of Maine’s statewide student exam, getting rid of the tests for social studies, health and visual and performing arts.

Susan Gendron, Maine’s education commissioner, believes the changes will make the exam more focused and reliable while easing the testing stress placed on students and teachers during the year.

“We’re trying to be responsive to the feedback we’ve been getting from the field,” Gendron said. In a letter sent to school administrators late last week, Gendron said the state plans to modify the Maine Educational Exam, the controversial statewide test given to students in grades four, eight and 11, by next year.

Although details are still being worked out, Gendron said the Department of Education plans to drop health, social studies and arts from the MEA and allow local school districts to assess those subjects on their own. That would leave only English, math and science to be tested by the MEA.

The number of English, math and science questions will be increased to improve the test’s reliability and allow the state to better report individual student scores. The exam will be given once a year instead of twice and less time will be devoted to testing overall.

Established in 1984, the MEA was last revived four years ago to measure how well students meet Maine’s tough Learning Results standards in reading, writing, health, math, science and technology, social studies and arts. Half of the MEA is given in November and half is given in March, with four days of testing during each month. Students usually spent a couple of hours a day taking the test.

In recent years, the exam has been the subject of some controversy. Scores – particularly those in math – have been grimly stagnant. Teachers and students have complained that the MEA is too long and takes too much time away from classroom work. Some administrators have said that test, which helps determine whether a school is “failing,” places too much emphasis on scores and too much pressure on students.

Many applaud the changes.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said William Shuttleworth, superintendent of SAD 39 in Hartford, Sumner and Buckfield.

He believes that dropping arts, social studies and health from the exam will allow his school system to focus more on reading, writing, math and science – the subjects that his students need to perform well in if he doesn’t want his school to “fail” under federal law.

Since the state will still require schools to teach social studies, health and arts and assess those on their own, Shuttleworth doesn’t believe that students will miss out.

“Teachers are not going to let those go,” he said.

Michelle McClellan agrees. As the interim director for Auburn’s office of learning and teaching, she said she doesn’t believe anything will be lost in reducing the test. In fact, she said, a lot may be gained.

Such as more time for instruction.

“It’s going to be good news for students,” she said.

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