MCA Results Show Improvement in Reading, Math by Minnesota Students

From Kare 11: Minnesota students are making gains in both math and reading, according to the results of the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) Comprehensive Assessment (MCA), which was released today.

Minnesota students are making gains in both math and reading, according to the results of the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) Comprehensive Assessment (MCA), which was released today.

Some of the highlights of the MCA include:

• 3rd grade reading scores have increased two points since last year
• Reading scores for grades 4-8 as well as grade 10 also improved
• Math scores for grades 3-8 improved across the board
• Grades 7 and 8 showed the most improvement in math, with 7th graders improving from 50.9 to 57.2 percent proficient, and 8th graders improving from 52.6 to 60.7 percent proficient.
• Nearly every category among the state’s students of color and special populations saw an improvement in their scores. The biggest gains in math were made by American Indian and Hispanic students in grades 3-8.
• While the state still faces a significant achievement gap, the MDE’s heightened focus on making sure all students are successful is expected to yield continued improvement in years to come.

The Governor is pleased to see these results, which help highlight the positive work of the Minnesota Department of Education, as well as teachers and parents, in improving the academic performance of Minnesota’s students and future leaders. 

Commissioner Cassellius has projected that scores will continue to increase as students and teachers continue to focus on mastery of this new, more rigorous content, and noted that these scores show Minnesota on the right track in preparing our students for success.

In particular, the MDE points to the state’s adoption of more rigorous math standards in 2007, its adaptation of more rigorous reading standards in 2010, and the emphasis by Governor Dayton and Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius on students’ ability to read well by third grade as some of the reasons student performance is improving, and is expected to improve further in the future.

These gains are a positive sign of improvement, but Cassellius notes that the next step is ensuring that all students become proficient, in every subject and in every grade.

In addition to being collected by the Minnesota Department of Education, the MCA testing data also provides immediate feedback to teachers so they can make real-time adjustments in their teaching strategies and meet individual student needs more effectively