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Students score above average
Published 12:00 p.m., July 2, 2009
Fergus Falls students rank above the state average in math and reading, according to test scores released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Education.
While Fergus Falls scores did rank above state averages in most categories, not all students in the district are meeting or exceeding standards — a mandate that is expected to come into play in 2014 under federal No Child Left Behind guidelines.
Math scores for both eighth and 11th grade Fergus Falls students fell at the bottom of the achievement list, with 50.7 percent of eighth grade students meeting or exceeding standards and 49.4 percent of 11th grade students proving proficiency. But while the 11th grade scores may seem low, Fergus Falls students did manage to top the state average of 41.6 percent. Students also showed improvement from last year when 30.5 percent of students did not meet standards.
School districts around the state are analyzing the data included in the results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA-II) test scores.
MCA-II tests in reading are administered by all students in grades three through eight and grade 10. MCA-II math test are taken by students in grades three through eight and grade 11.
Students scores are based on four measurements: Does not meet standards, partially meets standards, meets the standards and exceeds the standards.
Students who score either meet or exceed standards are considered to be proficient.
Fergus Falls third grade students came close to meeting that goal in reading, with 89 percent of students proving proficiency. That’s compared to a state average of 78.4 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. Math scores for third grade students followed, with 88.8 percent of Fergus Falls students making the mark, compared to 82.1 percent statewide.
While all other MCA-II scores are used, at least at this point, as a tool for educators to indicate how much improvement needs to occur before 2014, math scores for 11th grade students this time around could jeopardize their chances of graduating.
That means that 116 Fergus Falls 11th grade students who did not pass the MCA-II test this year will need to undergo remediation in order to receive their diploma.
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The 11th graders will graduate regardless of whether they passed the test or not. They can either pass it or fail it three times.
FYI - the test was made much more difficult and does not match up with the way math has been taught in our schools for many years, so even the best districts had only an 82% passing rate. Perhaps the test-makers could meet with the teachers to determine what the students should actually know, instead of the test-makers determining it for themselves with little knowledge of what goes on inside a classroom.
Wording directly from MDE website:
However, under legislation passed this session, for the next five years, students in 11th-grade who do not meet the math graduation requirement can still graduate if they:
• Complete all coursework and credits required for graduation.
• Participate in district-prescribed academic remediation in math.
• Participate in at least two retests of the math GRAD exam or pass the math GRAD exam, whichever happens first.
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