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?
- And how do we identify the best practices most successful with particular populations of students?
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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Star Tribune
Math scores improved slightly in 2010 with 66 percent of students showing proficiency in math, while reading scores remained flat with 72 percent testing proficient. The scores reflect results among roughly 418,000 students in Minnesota's public and charter schools. In August, state education officials are expected to disclose how schools are doing under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Last year, nearly half of the state's public and charter schools were on the list of underperforming schools.
Star Tribune Graphics
» Biggest Gains Over 2009 - Schools showing the biggest gains in the percentage of students scoring grade-level or better on the 2009 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.
» 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 2009 - Schools showing the largest declines in the percentage of students scoring grade level or better on MCA-II tests.
Minnesota Department of Education: 2010 MCA-II Reading & Math Results
July 1, 2010 - Math Scores Improve Across the Board as State Releases MCA Test Results - Minnesota students in grades three through eight and grade eleven improved their scores in math this spring as over 426,000 students took the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) in math and reading. While reading scores stayed relatively constant for most grades, the eleventh grade results continued their upward trend for the second year in a row, Minnesota Department of Education.
From the News Archive
July 10, 2010 - Seven high-poverty Minnesota schools defying the odds to create success - The school test scores made public two weeks ago don't tell the whole story of whether a school is succeeding in its mission to help students learn, Pioneer Press.
July 2, 2010 - Education Commissioner responds to latest test results (Audio), MPR Midday.
July 1, 2010 - Minnesota students make gains on MCA-II tests - The state's students performed well this year on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment test, with virtually every grade tested this spring and virtually every cross-section of the student population showing at least small improvements in the reading and math tests over last year, Minnesota Public Radio.
July 1, 2010 - MCA-II Results are Out - While most of you were sleeping, the Minnesota Department of Education released this year's MCA-II results -- the state's No Child Left Behind measure. The numbers were slightly better than last year. In Math, just more than 66 percent of the students were proficient. Reading scores showed a 72.5 percent proficiency rate, Minnesota 2020.
July 1, 2010 - Minnesota's reading and math scores barely budge - The minuscule progress on proficiency goals -- and the state's achievement gap -- frustrates and worries schools, Star Tribune.
July 1, 2010 - Big gains for some students' standardized test results - Minnesota's MCA test results are being released today, offering an annual snapshot of how the state's school children are fairing, Minnesota Public Radio.
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