OKEMOS - As many people debate whether standardized testing is really the best way to measure learning for kids, another test is being added to Michigan schools this year.

The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-Step for short is the result of the Michigan Legislatures requirement for the Michigan Department of Education to create a new standardized test in just nine months.

This test is different than the MEAP Michigan residents were required to up until this year. It will be taken on computers and the content and format of the questions will be different.

According the the M-Step website, " English language arts and mathematics will be assessed in grades 3–8, science in grades 4 and 7, and social studies in grades 5 and 8." It will also include the Michigan Merit Exam in 11th grade.

While the M-Step will be taken by most Meridian Township schools within the next few weeks there was an option for parents to opt their children out.

According to the "No Child Left Behind" act schools risk loosing funding I they do not have a 95 percent participation rate for testing such as the M-Step.

Still some parents and community members feel standardized testing is not only an inefficient way to measure learning for students, it is also unfair for the teachers.

"Frankly there are a lot of problems with the whole standardized testing regime," says Brett DeGroff a member of Okemos Parents for Schools.

While DeGroff did not opt his own children out taking the M-Step he says some parents just want to let teachers teach.

"Our teachers know our kids, they know if they're having a bad day, they know if they came to school hungry, they know everything about them. But these tests don't know any of those things about our kids. So it doesn't make sense to take all of this great individualized knowledge that our professional teachers have and then not use it," says DeGroff.

Because some schools have already started testing and others are due to start next week it may be too late to opt a child out. For next years tests parents who wish to not have their children take the standardized test need only write a letter to the school.