There were no reports of grammar school children crying when they took this year’s Maine Educational Assessment test. That’s good. There were no administrators grousing, however. That’s suspicious.

The last time the results came down on the new, improved MEA, they were accompanied by horror stories. Students were said to have sobbed in frustration while they took the test, which had been revised in format and was to be judged under more exacting criteria.

Principals were angry when they got the results, which were delivered numerically, but included vague performance categories such as “novice” or “advanced.” Befuddled school administrators pointed out that they had students with great numbers who failed to rise above “basic.”

Many still are befuddled. Last year in reading, none of the approximately 16,000 Maine students who took the test earned top, “distinguished” status. This year, more than 160 did, 1 percent of the total examined. Last year, just 4 percent cracked the advanced level. Nearly four times as many of this year’s high achievers did, 15 percent.

Wayne Mowatt, Maine’s education commissioner, believes the scores are just another indicator of steady improvement. Could be. Timothy Crockett, director of program management for the test’s private administrator, speculates that improved performance might be a result of a switch to all open-ended questions, no multiple choice. Students got in a short-answer groove, and stayed there. Maybe.

The test will get another round next year, but the sudden spiking of results in the fuzzy, subjective, categorical rankings should send a light like a laser beam to the wall in the Department of Education and inscribe: “Don’t dump numerical scores.”

Almost overnight, the test’s administrators have taken a solid, reliable tool, the MEA, and transformed it into an object of curiosity in the schools and of distrust in the community.

This state has earned a national reputation for improvement in the quality of public education. It began in 1984 with reforms initiated by the Legislature and passed by Gov. Joseph Brennan. The movement got momentum from Gov. John McKernan and Education Commissioner Eve Bither. For 10 years, Maine made progress in the quality and performance of public schools. Controversy was smothered by accomplishment.

Through it all, there were two constants, the MEA and incremental improvement. In the past 12 months, one changed and the other disappeared. That’s worrisome.