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7/15/2010 12:00 AMKyle Kuphal, Pipestone County Star The 2010 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Series II (MCA II) results released by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) earlier this month show at least slight improvements in proficiency levels in most categories for school districts in Pipestone County over 2009. The reading assessments are administered in grades three through eight and 10, and the math assessments are administered in grades three through eight and 11. About 426,000 students across the state took the assessments this year. About 67.3 percent of Pipestone Area Schools students were proficient in math compared to 69.7 in 2009, and 76.3 in reading compared to 72 in the reading portion last year. Edgerton scored 62.6 in math compared to 62 last year, and 72.1 in reading compared to 67.9 last year. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton again had the highest scores in the county scoring 75 in math compared to 73.8 last year, and 85.4 in reading — exactly the same as last year. “We made some nice growth over the previous year,” said Bruce Houck, RTR superintendent. Houck said RTR focuses on the test results for each student and follows them from one year to the next, rather than comparing third grade one year to third grade the next, for example, as the state does. Instead, the district would compare a student’s third grade scores with that same student’s fourth grade scores the following year. “That way we’re truly measuring student growth,” Houck said. Statewide scores improved in both areas since 2009, with 66.2 percent of students proficient in math, up from 64.3, and 72.3 percent proficient in reading, up from 71.9. Most of the PAS, RTR, and Edgerton school districts’ scores were above the statewide averages, with the lone exception being Edgerton’s math scores, which were about three points below the state average. Brian Gilbertson, Edgerton’s principal, didn’t have much to say about the results at this time. “We saw the initial results and we will take a closer look at them and dive into them further,” Gilbertson said. Jim Lentz, PAS superintendent, said he too has had little time to analyze the district’s scores, but at first glance he is happy with the overall results. As for the district’s math scores being lower than last year, he said he would have to examine the data further before he could speculate about the cause. As was the case locally and across the state last year, scores generally decreased in conjunction with higher grade levels. For example, 90.4 percent of PAS students in third grade were proficient in math compared to only 39.2 percent of the students in eleventh grade. Lentz speculated the trend could be due to a number of factors such as students getting jobs and having less time for schoolwork, having to adjust to different schools when they transition from middle school to high school, puberty, or simply placing a higher value on their social lives. “Friends become more important than school,” Lentz said. According to the MDE, the MCA IIs, taken each spring, measure student performance based on Minnesota Academic Standards that define what students should know and be able to do in a particular grade. Those standards are developed in partnership with Minnesota educators. Students earn a score of Does Not Meet Standards, Partially Meets Standards, Meets Standards, or Exceeds Standards in math and reading. Students who meet or exceed standards on the assessments are considered proficient. The MCA IIs meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which requires that 100 percent of students be proficient by 2014. Representatives from all three school districts agreed that 100 percent proficiency is not feasible and they would like to see the requirement changed. “I’d like to see them stick with the growth model — showing growth toward 100 percent,” Houck said, but he thinks 90 percent proficiency would be a more realistic goal. Lentz said he preferred the graduation rule, which preceded the MCAs as a tool to ensure a uniform standard of teaching across Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, the graduation rule detailed content standards for each learning area and included basic skills tests designed to ensure that students acquired the basic level of knowledge needed to function in a literate society. Lentz said the graduation rule required students to apply what they learned rather than just memorize the information for a test. “You can recite anything back to me and it doesn’t mean you know it,” Lentz said. To see the results for other school districts across the state, go to education.state.mn.us and click on view test results under the heading “Math Scores Improve Across the Board as State Releases MCA Test Results.” http://www.pipestonestar.com/Stories/Story.cfm?SID=27301 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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