Students on track in BL, Underwood

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 12:00 p.m., July 3, 2009

Battle Lake third grade students are on their way to meeting federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Standards, according to test results administered by the Minnesota Department of Education.

With 96.8 percent of third grade Battle Lake students testing to either meet or exceed standards for math and 93.6 percent meeting standards for reading, they’re on track for meeting NCLB guidelines, which call for all students to meet standards by 2014.

Not all Battle Lake students tested as high as those in third grade. Eighth grade Battle Lake scores indicate that 59.1 percent of students met criteria for math, while 68.2 percent made the mark in reading.

Eleventh grade math scores were also a tough spot for Battle Lake, with 40.8 percent of students making the grade. That’s compared to the state average of 41.6 percent of students who met or exceeded standards.

While all other test scores are used as tools for educators to measure where students are at, 11th grade math results are used to determine if a student will or will not receive a diploma. If students do not pass the test, they have to undergo retests and remediation in order to graduate.

All together, test scores indicated that Battle Lake students tested above state averages in all but two categories: eighth grade math and 10th grade math.

In Underwood, 36.9 percent of students in 11th grade tested at proficient levels.

The high point for Underwood came in tenth grade reading, with 90 percent of students’ test scores deemed adequate. Battle Lake tenth grade reading scores came in around 82.2 percent proficient.

Underwood third grade students also showed promise in reading, with 82.8 percent of students meeting standards.

Underwood tested above state averages in most categories, with four categories falling short of state averages.

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA-II) exams test students’ proficiency in math and reading and are scored based on four criteria: does not meet standards, partially meets standards, meets the standards and exceeds the standards.

Students who meet or exceed standards are considered proficient.

Fergus Falls third grade students’ scores indicated 89 percent of students proved proficiency. Math scores for third grade were right behind, with 88.8 percent of students making the mark.

Math scores for both eighth and eleventh 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 eleventh grade students proving proficiency.

Efforts to reach school officials were unsuccessful due to the holiday weekend.

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