LANSING - The Michigan Department of Education announced today that it will administer next spring the new Michigan Merit Exam (MME), which will include a free ACT test for high school juniors.

This new state assessment was signed into law by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm last year to replace the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) assessments at the high school level.

The state has been awaiting official word from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) about whether the MME will be approved to use for school accountability purposes as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Although official word still is pending, the USDOE has given the state enough positive feedback on the MME that State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan made the decision to go ahead with the new assessment this school year.

Implementing the MME means that all 11th graders will take the new state assessment next March. It will provide students with a regular ACT score report that they can use to apply to a college or a university.

Students also will be able to use the MME to qualify for a Michigan Merit Award scholarship to help pay for their costs in attending a state university, community college or a technical or trade school.

The MME is made up of the national ACT and WorkKeys tests in mathematics and reading, plus additional tests created here in Michigan in the areas of mathematics, science, and social studies.

MME testing is divided into three parts. The ACT will be administered on March 13, 2007, while the WorkKeys and Michigan mathematics tests will be administered on March 14, 2007. The Michigan science and social studies tests will be given in one session on March 14, 15, or 16. Make-ups for these tests are scheduled for exactly two weeks later.