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The midway point of summer seems like an odd time to be thinking about report cards, but it’s when the state issues its “Report Card” on each school in Minnesota.
 
The report card website now contains the latest round of testing results from the MCA IIIs administered in the spring of the 2014-2015 school year, and released July 30.
These Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments tests are administered throughout a student’s education.  It’s one of many  tools the state uses to gauge how well public education is performing.  

The results from the last round of MCA testing, however, are considered controversial.
 
Education Minnesota (teachers’ union organization) was asking that testing results be rejected due to computer glitches causing students to start-and-stop and some test schedules to be entirely interrupted.

In a press statement; the Department of Education reported it had an independent analysis done by Human Resources Organization for the disrupted on-line testing of April 21.   It found no statistical evidence the disruption, on average, adversely impacted students who were on-line when the (cyber) attack occurred.
The state department is also “...working with the test vendor, Pearson, to determine financial consequences and possible changes to the contract for a successful 2016 testing season.”  

A determination in this matter (ie: state gets money back) was announced early this week as a combination of refund and future credit.
MCA tests assess reading, math and science.

They are used to determine basic “proficiency” in a subject and individual school and district results can, theoretically, then be compared to state averages.  
The state also reviews how well a school is doing in closing achievement gaps in ethnic, racial or gender populations, and see if the school is boosting individual student progress (growth).  High school graduation rates and other data are also collected.  

These statistics all  go into the MMR-- an additional informative report available on the Dept. of Education “report card” website.

Chisago Lakes’ High School’s most recent MMR rating was 87.6 percent.  

North Branch High School had an 82.7 percent rank. (Ideally you strive for 100 percent.)  These might be subject to change based on the MCAs results released last week.  The newest version of MMR is due out in early September.

MCA highlights:
High schools serving the North Branch or Chisago districts have not posted terrific 11th grade student proficiency scores in math.

According to the data on the state website;  of 11th graders tested in Chisago Lakes 54 percent were proficient in math...higher than the state’s combined average but still only about half the 11th grade is showing proficiency.  

North Branch 11th grade math scores were below the state average, and below Chisago Lakes with North Branch math proficiency at 31.8 percent.

In high school reading  MCA tests taken by grade 10 students:   64.5 percent of Chisago Lakes students showed they were proficient in reading skills.  North Branch grade 10 students had 59.9 percent scoring as proficient.  The state average in reading proficiency is about 57 percent.

The two school districts’ elementary and middle schools are basically showing proficiencies in reading skills all above the state average; with the exception of North Branch grades six and eight.  

A news release from North Branch district officials acknowledged grades 6 and 8 were performing last year below state reading proficiency averages.  Director of Teaching and Learning David Treichel stated, “Building administrators, teacher leaders and licensed staff will be analyzing current results to create viable action plans to ensure continuous growth.”

Academic gains overall are also shown on a graph on the state report card website and have been flat or minimal for the two high schools and indeed, for the whole state, over three years.

The MN Dept of Education also rates a high school student body as “on track” or not-on-track in expected academic growth (website http://rc.education.state.mn.us.)    This data analysis applies to 2014-- and lists North Branch High School with 46 percent of its students “on track.”

Chisago Lakes is at 77 percent of high school students on track.  

The state overall on-track estimate is 56 percent.  

The four-year graduation rate, which counts students from grade 9--to commencement (there are also grad rates for five and six year headcounts) were 85 percent for North Branch and 93.7 percent at Chisago Lakes.

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