By Brenda Erdahl
Nearly every class that took the math MCAs last spring tested above the state average, but reading and science scores had mixed results, Maple Lake School Board members heard Monday, Oct. 9 at their regular meeting.
MCA is short for Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments which are computer-based tests given every year to measure student performance in the Minnesota Academic Standards. The tests are supposed to help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards.
Math scores in the district are pretty good, Superintendent Mike Rowe said. Top performers were last year’s third graders who recorded 74.1 percent at the meet and exceeds expectation compared to the state average of 59.0 percent. Fourth graders weren’t far behind at 69.0 percent, which exceeded the state average of 56.9 percent. The only class slightly below the state average in math was last year’s 11th graders. Grades three through eight and grade 11 take the math MCAs.
Reading results were a little less consistent, Rowe reported. Some grades did really well like last year’s fifth graders who showed 71.1 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations compared to the state average of 58.7 percent. Last year’s sixth graders scored nearly as well as the fifth graders with 68.6 percent of students reaching that meets or exceeds benchmark. Other grades were close to the state average, and some were under the state average. “Overall, not horrible results, but we would like to see a little better,” Rowe said. Grades three through eight and grade 10 take the reading MCAs.
Science results were low among the three grades that took them (grades 5,8 and 10), but that was expected, High School Principal Dave Hanson said. He explained that Maple Lake Schools is in the process of transitioning from the MCA 3 test to the MCA 4 test in science. Some of the new standards have been put in place, but not all of them, which contributed in part to the lower scores. Last year’s eighth graders had particularly low scores on the science MCAs because of a new state requirement that moved physical science from ninth grade to eighth grade and earth and space science from eighth grade to ninth grade.
“We were anticipating low scores as far as the 8th grade piece is concerned,” Hanson told school board members. “We’ll start to see that move in the other direction now that we have those courses switched and we’ll continue to work on the new standards.”
He said MLHS should be testing entirely on the MCA 4s in science next school year.