Schools
Northfield Students Score Well on MCA Reading Exams, Improve in Math
Twelve of the 14 groups tested for reading in the Northfield School District bested the state proficiency level. In math, 11 of 13 groups bested the state average of their counterparts.
Northfield schools received good marks compared to other Minnesota students on spring state exams testing students in math and reading proficiency, according data released publicly on Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Education.
The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, given annually to the state's third- through eighth-graders in reading and math, and to high school sophomores (reading) and juniors (math), measures students' understanding of the relevant math and reading curriculum through their respective grades.
Twelve of the 14 groups tested for reading in the bested the state proficiency level.
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The public schools include , , , , and .
For reading, only the juniors at the ALC and third-graders at Greenvale Park scored below the state proficiency level.
Find out what's happening in Northfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In math, 11 of 13 groups (the ALC didn't have enough students to release results publicly) bested the state average of their counterparts. That's an improvement from 2011 when seven of 13 groups bested the state mark.
Greenvale fourth-graders narrowly missed matching the state level this year. Just shy of 75 percent of Greenvale fourth-graders were deemed proficient, while the state number was at 75.3 percent. Greenvale third-graders also scored below the state proficiency level.
(Find full results below)
Northfield Superintendent Chris Richardson told Patch on Tuesday that it was "good news" to see students score well again in reading and improve on the math MCA compared to a year ago, but said there is still work to be done, including getting students accustomed to the new math exams.
For the second year, students took rigorous new math assessments aligned to higher standards for the first time. And this year, 88 percent of Minnesota students in grades 3-8 took the math MCA online. This is an increase from 74 percent last year.
Tests were also administered to (now Arcadia Charter School) and students.
All four grade levels tested in math at ARTech came below the state proficiency level. In reading, 10th grade, eighth grade and seventh grade exceeded the state mark, while sixth grade fell short of it.
At Prairie Creek, only fourth- and fifth-graders bested the state proficiency level in reading. All three grades tested in math came in below the state proficiency level.
Accountability?
President Barack Obama that Minnesota was one of 10 states to receive a reprieve from the federal No Child Left Behind education law.
In exchange, Minnesota would have to outline new, “bold” reforms to improve teacher effectiveness, grade school accountability and close the achievement gap in social and ethnic categories.
The push from Minnesota, led by Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, uses four measures of school performance, using current tools such as the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests, Adequate Yearly Progress measures, a year-over-year measurement of student growth, and school district graduation rates.
Through those four measurements, three school designations will be created. Schools scoring in the bottom 5 percent will be designated as “Priority Schools,” where the state will focus on developing and implementing a turnaround plan for that school, or school district.
The next bottom 10 percent of schools, as measured by the state, will be tagged as “Focus Schools.” These schools will be asked to work with their respective school district and the MDE to identify which subgroups are creating an achievement gap, and target an improvement plan to address specific needs.
Finally, schools in the top 15 percent will be identified as “Reward Schools.” These schools will be asked to share best practices with MDE, and will be “publicly recognized” at the state level for their work.
The punitive portion came, education leaders including Richardson said, when an entire school was penalized (categorized as “not achieving AYP”) for one sub-category failing to reach its goal. The eight subgroups are American Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, English Language Learners, students who receive free and reduced lunch and special education students.
Instead, through the Education Department's four measures, those sub-categories will attain the most assistance, Cassellius said.
Accountability results detailing how well individual schools are meeting Minnesota's expectations will be released in late August.
MCA-II/III Math Results*
Proficiency 2011
State 2010
Proficiency NHS 11 26.5 14.1 30.2 29.2 59.4 42.5 66 48.6 75 ALC 11 72.7 18.2 9.1 0 9.1 42.5 11.8 48.6 N/A ARTech 11 38.5 42.3 19.2 0 19.2 42.5 40 48.6 41 8 35.3 23.5 29.4 11.8 41.2 62 50 53.2 63 7 30 30 35 4 40 58.6 50 51.7 66 6 28.6 35.7 35.7 0 35.7 59.8 27.8 50.3 62 NMS 8 5.8 11.2 46.3 36.7 83 62 57.6 53.2 76 7 2.9 16 52.2 28.8 81 58.6 56.7 51.7 75 6 11.3 13.6 58 17.1 75.1 59.8 60.5 50.3 74 GPES 5 8.7 21.7 44.6 25 69.6 62.3 44.7 53.6 85 4 11.3 11.3 52.5 25 77.5 73.3 66 67.2 86 3 16.5 18.8 37.6 27.1 64.7 75.5 67.5 70.1 N/A BES 5 11.7 18.4 46.6 23.3 69.9 62.3 74.1 53.6 89 4 6 8.3 48.8 36.9 85.7 73.3 85.4 67.2 87 3 7 14 50 29.1 79.1 75.5 60.9 70.1 N/A SES 5 9.2 22.9 47.7 20.2 67.9 62.3 59.5 53.6 68 4 4.2 9.5 45.3 41.1 86.4 73.3 65.4 67.2 92 3 2 10.1 48.5 39.4 87.9 75.5 69.5 70.1 N/A PCCS 5 13.8 48.3 31 6.9 37.9 62.3 40 53.6 55 4 19.4 25.8 32.3 22.6 54.9 73.3 53.4 67.2 74 3 20.7 24.1 31 24.1 55.1 75.5 71 70.1 N/A
MCA-II Reading Results*
Proficiency 2011
State 2010
Proficiency
NHS 10 5.6 8.3 32.4 53.7 86.1 76.8 82.6 75.3 78 ALC 10 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 76.8 28.6 75.3 N/A ARTech 10 6.3 6.3 62.5 25 87.5 76.8 91.3 75.3 N/A 8 11.8 5.9 23.5 58.8 82.3 72.4 86.6 68.1 88 7 0 26.3 21.1 52.6 73.7 71.4 93.8 69.6 85 6 7.1 21.4 35.7 35.7 71.4 76.2 70.6 75.1 100 NMS 8 10.5 8.5 32 49 81 72.4 67.2 68.1 75 7 6.4 11.5 31.7 50.3 82 71.4 73.5 69.6 83 6 5.5 10.2 28.7 55.5 84.2 76.2 85 75.1 72 GPES 5 5.5 9.9 37.4 47.3 84.8 79.3 78.8 80.3 87 4 15.2 10.1 29.1 45.6 74.7 75.3 80.9 75.2 81 3 18.1 14.5 19.3 48.2 67.5 80.4 74.4 78.5 N/A BES 5 3.9 9.8 28.4 57.8 86.2 79.3 93.5 80.3 84 4 3.5 14.1 35.3 47.1 82.4 75.3 79.2 75.2 87 3 8.1 10.5 27.9 53.5 81.4 80.4 82.8 78.5 N/A SES 5 5.6 8.3 32.4 53.7 86.1 79.3 96.1 80.3 81 4 3.2 11.7 26.6 58.5 85.1 75.3 84.3 75.2 91 3 4 9.1 23.2 63.6 86.8 80.4 85.3 78.5 N/A PCCS 5 0 6.9 41.4 51.7 93.1 79.3 93.3 80.3 76 4 9.7 12.9 35.5 41.9 77.4 75.3 80 75.2 97 3 10.3 13.8 20.7 55.2 75.9 80.4 87.1 78.5 N/A
* In percentages, rounded to the nearest tenth.
Key
D=Did not meet expectations; P=Partially meets expectations; M=Meets expectations; E=Exceeds expectations
NHS=Northfield High School; NMS=Northfield Middle School; ALC=Area Learning Center; GPES=Greenvale Park Elementary School; BES=Bridgewater Elementary School; SES=Sibley Elementary School; PCCS=Prairie Creek Community School
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