How we measure student and school success
really matters.
The biggest problem Minnesota has with data presentations — like the MCA-II test results and AYP data provided below, and even the growth model released December 2008 — is the information is provided at the discrete school level and fails to answer the questions:
- What's working?
- What's not working?
- What results stem from internal versus external factors?
- How do we bring best practices to scale?
In the end, we need to do the research to answer these questions in order to carry best practices to scale and answer the fundamental accountability question: "How do we know what we're spending the money on is working?"
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March 1, 2010 - The ACCESS System: Achieving College and Career Readiness for Every Student's Success - A proposal for a new high school assessment and accountability system for Minnesota. Over the next decade Minnesota must find ways to dramatically improve the educational performance of its students who are on the wrong side of the achievement gaps that exist at every level of our educational system. Under this proposal:
- Students would take a comprehensive language arts ACCESS exam in 10th grade.
- In high school algebra and biology, students would take ACCESS end-of-course exams or obtain a score that correlates with college and career readiness on an Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or ACT exam in the relevant subject.
- Schools would be provided with access to optional benchmark tests that are aligned with the ACCESS graduation exams and that could be used to measure student progress over time.
The ACCESS system also includes a number of alternative routes through which students would be able to meet graduation requirements, College and Career Ready Policy Institute Assessment Working Group.
March 4,2009 - Statewide Assessments - Testimony before the Senate Education Committee on the history, cost, and proposed changes to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments presented by the Minnesota Department of Education.
February 2, 2009 - Education Standards neither Met nor Paid - State policymakers are talking out of both sides of their mouths. While they expect high school graduates to meet certain standards, it is exactly these standards that leaders refuse to pay for, Minnesota 2020.
December 31, 2008 - Too political to think big on education policy? - With the start of Minnesota's legislative session nearing, several education groups have been pushing the Legislature to establish an independent commission to research state education policy and look at efficient, innovative ways to educate Minnesota students, Star Tribune.
December 18, 2008 - MDE Press Release - Minnesota Department of Education releases Growth Model to help track student progress toward academic success.
2009 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Data
August 10, 2009 - 2009 AYP Data Released - Of 2,303 Minnesota schools earning an AYP status in 2009, 1,066 schools made AYP compared to 984 schools in 2008, Minnesota Department of Education.
 2009 Adequate Yearly Progress Results – All Schools & Districts
 2009 AYP Calculations
 School Report Cards
August 11, 2009 - Increasing number of schools failed to meet goals - According to the Minnesota Department of Education, more than 45 percent of the state's schools are not making "adequate yearly progress" under the 2002 No Child Left Behind law. Find your school's results, Star Tribune.
August 11, 2009 - Minnesota fails to keep pace with No Child Left Behind standards - Despite strong progress this year, Minnesota schools fail to keep pace with the ever-rising standards of the federal No Child Left Behind mandate. And the deadline for 100% proficiency is fast approaching, Pioneer Press.
August 10, 2009 - More Minnesota schools not meeting standards - Nearly half of all schools in Minnesota did not meet the yearly progress they were supposed to under the federal No Child Left Behind law, according to new numbers from the state Education Department, Minnesota Public Radio.
2009 MCA-II Reading & Math Results
June 5, 2009 - MDE Announces Graduation Requirement Results and 10th-grade reading and 11th-grade math MCA-II results, both show improvement - 57 percent of Minnesota 11th-graders met the state’s new and more rigorous math graduation requirement on the first attempt. Additionally, 78 percent of Minnesota 10th-graders met the state’s reading graduation requirement on the first attempt, a three percent increase from 2008. MDE also announced that 42 percent of Minnesota 11th-graders scored proficient in the Math MCA-II, which is an eight percent increase from last year. Seventy-four percent of Minnesota 10th-graders are proficient on the Reading MCA-II, which is a three percent increase over last year.
Star Tribune infoCenter: Minnesota School Test Scores
Graphics
» Biggest Gains Over 2008 - Schools showing the biggest gains in the percentage of students scoring grade-level or better on the 2008 MCA-II tests.
» Beating the Odds - Schools showing the highest percentage of students scoring at grade level or better, despite having a high number of children living in poverty. Poverty has a high correlation to low student achievement.
» Falling Short - Schools showing the lowest percentage of students scoring at grade level or better, despite having 15 percent or less of their kids living in poverty. Poverty has a high correlation to low student achievement.
» Biggest Losses from 2008 - Schools showing the largest declines in the percentage of students scoring grade level or better on MCA-II tests.
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