Results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) were recently released by the state department of education.
According to the department, statewide proficiency was shown to have "generally remained constant or increased slightly, while math scores remained largely constant or declined slightly.
Students in grades 3-8, along with juniors are tested in mathematics each year. An annual reading test is also given to students in 3-8 and 10th grades. The final test, science, is given to those in fifth and eighth grade, and once when students are in high school.
In Wadena-Deer Creek, numbers were also close to the previous year. WDC elementary students were 60.9 percent proficient in reading and 70.9 percent proficient in math. The high school was 54.1 percent proficient in reading and 41.5 percent proficient in math. Statewide, students were 60.2 percent proficient in those categories.
While the numbers were fairly constant, differing statements were made by the department and politicians.
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the unimpressed was Jenifer Loon, a state representative and chairperson of the branch's Education Finance Committee.
"State leaders want to provide every Minnesota student with a world-class education, and today's MCA test results show we are falling far short of that goal," Loon said in a statement released on July 30. "The achievement gap has remained stagnant and too many children are falling behind academically. The status quo is failing the next generation. We owe it to our children to consider all avenues and educational reforms to remedy this problem and improve student learning."
"I plan to hold additional legislative hearings this fall to explore innovative solutions that will increase academic proficiency for our students," Loon's statement continued. "It will take the efforts of all of us - state leaders, educators, parents and local officials to make certain Minnesota kids are receiving a quality education that will place them on a path for future success."
On the other end of the spectrum were the Minnesota Department of Education and its commissioner, Brenda Cassellius.
"We can never be satisfied with anything less than forward progress," Cassellius said in a department release. "We know there is still much work to do to ensure our students are ready for career and college, but it is important to remember that one single test cannot provide parents with a comprehensive picture of how a student is doing. Ultimately, teachers remain the best source of information on an individual student's progress."
On a state-level, 59 percent of students were considered to be proficient in reading, compared to 58 percent in 2013. For math, 62 percent scored as proficient in 2015, an increase from 56 percent in 2011.
Also included in the information released by the department was an independent study that was done to determine any effects of the technological glitches that caused some online testing disruptions on April 21.
According to the study, computer glitches that occurred on that date had "no statistical evidence to suggest that the disruption, on average, adversely impacted students who were testing."
