Most all students in Michigan are required to take a formal, summative assessment called the MEAP Test. In 2015 (or thereabouts) we will start to see a transition to the Smarter Balanced Assessment. This will run in parallel with MEAP for a few years. In states like Illinois and Indiana, there are similar initiatives underway. As a result, all students will be measured using a similar tool. This makes data analysis and comparisons more direct.