Lakeview and Lake Shore 11th-graders performed better than the statewide average in social studies and were near their peers in reading, math and social studies according to results released by the Michigan Department of Education.

Students at Lakeview saw increases in every category, including an increase in ACT scores.

"Our staff has been working extremely hard to develop and implement consistent curriculum and ongoing assessments to be able to provide targeted instruction for our students," said Tracy VanPeeren, assistant superintendent of curriculum and technology.

The district has implemented programs for struggling learners at the high school, VanPeeren added.

"We weren’t surprised by the results, just glad that they confirmed we are continuing to move in the right direction," she said. 

The Michigan Merit Exam is given every March and tests students based on statewide high school standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies.

Lake Shore saw gains in math, science and social studies.

"We were really hoping for an improvement of this nature," said Tesha Thomas, Lake Shore assistant superintendent of educational services. "We will work hard to analyze the data for our strengths and weaknesses and hone in on what the kids need most."

South Lake saw numbers drop in every category, and a representative did not return calls for comment.

According to a release, Mike Flanagan, state superintendent of public instruction, said, “students are being challenged with greater rigor and are achieving at higher levels."

“Michigan educators are to be commended for the efforts they put in to help more students learn and succeed,” Flanagan said.

VanPeeren added that the MME is one source Lakeview uses to measure students and will use other sources including local assessments to "gain information that can help us to make instructional decisions that will most benefit our students," she said.

The Michigan Department of Education released the results of the MME.