Most area grades meet proficiency
Kylie Saari — Staff WriterFAIRMONT - Results are in for state-mandated math and reading tests taken by area students.
The MCA-II Reading tests were completed by third- through eighth-graders and 10th-graders, and the MCA-II Math tests were completed by third- through eighth-graders and 11th-graders.
In many areas, local students met or exceeded state averages in proficiency.
"I know basically there were 14 areas, and in all but 2 we exceeded state averages," said Butch Hanson, superintendent of Fairmont area schools. "We are obviously pleased."
Hanson said he had not had time to look in depth at the numbers, which were only recently made available, but "for the most part we felt pretty comfortable across the board."
The students were scored with four achievement levels: does not meet standards, partially meets standards, meets standards, or exceeds standards. To be considered proficient, the student needed a score of meets or exceeds standards.
Both the local and state results indicate the students tended to have greater difficulty with the math tests than the reading tests, with average scores starting high in the lower grades and gradually declining until 11th-grade math. The state average showed only 34.4 percent were proficient. This number is slightly higher than last year's 11th-grade proficiency of 32.3 percent.
Not every school in the area is celebrating the results. Eighth-graders in Truman scored only 27.8 percent proficiency in math, compared to a state average of 58.8 percent. Third-graders at Granada-Huntley-East Chain passed the math portion at only 41.7 percent proficiency, compared to the state average of 81.4 percent. Truman passed on 16.7 percent on the 11th-grade math test. Martin County West passed only 20 percent of their 11th-graders in the math test. Administrators from Granada-Huntley-East Chain, Martin County West and Truman were unavailable for comment.
The math and reading MCA-IIs meet the federal No Child Left Behind Act standards, which require all students be proficient by 2014. The tests are designed to measure students against what they should know and be able to do in a particular grade. Across the state, the averages were up slightly from one year ago.
According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the number of schools and districts that will not meet standards will be up from previous years. The increase will be the result of only slight improvements in proficiency and the required increases in the reading and math Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets to meet the federal government's requirement of 100 percent proficiency by 2014. The list of failing schools will be made available in August.
