Minnesota’s Testing Program

Based on federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, Minnesota has developed standards in math, reading, and science that are assessed each year in every school district. The standards are measured with assessments in grades 3-12 and the results are published by the Minnesota Department of Education over the summer months. The state’s testing program is supplemented by a testing package the school district began using in 2009.

Standards Based Assessments

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) are the state assessments that measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards and meet the federal requirements of NCLB. Minnesota is currently in the second set of standards and assessments (MCA II) and is field testing the MCA III for implementation in 2011. The reading and mathematics assessments are used to determine whether schools and districts have made adequate yearly progress (AYP) and all students need to be proficient in 2014. Science testing is required for No Child Left Behind but is not included in AYP calculations at this time.

Reading and mathematics assessments are given in grades 3-8, 10, and 11. Science assessments are given in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, depending on when students complete their life sciences curriculum. The tests consist of approximately 45 questions and are given over several days.

Graduation Assessments

The Graduation Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD) are the state assessments that fulfill Minnesota’s high school graduation requirement for students. These assessments measure student performance on skills in writing, reading and mathematics. If a student does not satisfy the graduation requirement for an assessment during the first administration, there are several retest opportunities available. The GRAD is first administered in grade 9 in writing, grade 10 in reading, and grade 11 in math.

District Assessments

Sauk Rapids-Rice uses several other district wide assessments to monitor student progress through the year. The state assessments are summative (done at the end of teaching). District assessments are formative (done during teaching to direct instruction). Students in grades K-2 are assessed using AIMSweb which is a progress monitoring system based on direct, frequent and continuous student assessment. This assessment shows if students are developing their basic reading and math skills. Targeted instruction is offered to students who are falling behind.

In grades 3-9, the district uses the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to track student growth in reading, math and science three times a year. The results show students’ strengths and weaknesses which are used by classroom teachers to give individualized instruction. As students take this assessment, staff are able to track growth over time and see if a student is progressing academically.

What do the results say?

MCA II testing conducted in the spring of 2009 revealed that the district should develop improvement plans in the area of mathematics for two categories of students at the secondary school level: those in the free and reduced lunch “cohort” and for special education students. The district’s mathematics curriculum improvement team worked throughout the past year developing and implementing that improvement plan.

There has been a great deal of discussion about testing and how school districts are doing around the state. According to the federal NCLB legislation, more than half of the schools in Minnesota are not making AYP. However, according to results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) released in 2008, Minnesota is doing an outstanding job. The TIMSS report showed that if Minnesota was measured as a country, it would rank 4th of the 36 countries tested in fourth grade math. Similar results are shown in other grades and subjects.

Test Preparation and Remediation

The district provides instructional services for students who will be involved in state-mandated testing in several ways. The instructional program has been carefully aligned and is constantly being refined in order that it matches state testing standards. Test preparation units are offered to teach students test taking skills. For those students who are experiencing academic difficulty and/or have not yet passed these state-mandated tests, remediation and assistance is available through the district’s extended school year programs. Summer school can help students improve achievement. After school Targeted Services programs operating during the regular school year are also available at the elementary level.

Additional Information

For more information on Minnesota’s testing program, visit the link at the Minnesota Department of Education web site at http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing. At that same web site, information on achievement levels can be found under “Reports for Schools and Parents” as well as at “MCA-II,” “ELL Tests,” or “Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)” section links.