The MCA 2018 test results in reading and math are in, and it is clear while some gains have been made, some areas in certain grade levels for I.S.D. 166 need improvement.

“Our weakest area is in mathematics,” noted superintendent Dr. William Crandall in his report to the school board. “Our high school and elementary increased in these areas but is still significantly lower than reading proficiency. Middle school overall proficiency of 27 percent is a considerable concern.

“Reading increased in the middle school and remained high in the elementary (still one of the highest in years across the county and state average results). Our systems are working, and we have promising achievement results in our K3 students. High school math made a significant jump of 8 percent.”

Of note, Dr. Crandall wrote, “Native American reading proficiency percentages increased by significant amounts in all schools. In the high school, the achievement gap’ is down to 8 percent and the elementary down to 7 percent.” 

MCA tests

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) and Minnesota Test of alternate assessment academic skills

MITAS) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards and also meet state and federal legislative requirements. Some students who receive special education services and meet the eligibility requirements may take the alternate MITAS instead.

MCAs and MITA for reading are given in grades 3-8-10. Mathematics MCAs or MITAS are given in grades 3-8, 11. Science MCAs and MITAS are given to grades 5-8, and once in high school. 

Sawtooth Elementary

Sawtooth Elementary math testing improved from 44.4 percent proficiency in 2017 to 48 percent in 2018.

The school’s best year was 2015 when students reached 59 percent proficiency on the statewide testing.

The school’s reading competency dropped from 69.03 percent in 2017 to 67 percent in 2018. In 2012 Sawtooth recorded 74.7 percent on the MCA portion of the reading test.

Sawtooth Mountain Elementary Native American proficiency in math and reading showed dramatic improvement over 2017.

Math testing improved from 27.30 percent in 2017 to 38 percent in 2018. In 2017, the last year available for the state math test for Native American students, was 31.3 percent.

Reading test scores showed a vast improvement from 36.40 percent in 2017 to 60 percent in 2018. The state reading test score in 2017 was 36 percent. Cook County High School

Cook County High School students recorded 50 percent for both math and reading on the 2018 MCA testing. 

The math score was a significant improvement over the 42.6 percent recorded in 2017 while reading fell from 55.80 in 2017 to 50 percent this year.

Cook County High School’s proficiency percent in math and reading are under the 2017 state scores of 59.9 percent in math and 61.1 percent in reading.

CCHS Native American proficiency percent scores in math were zero in 2017 and 2018 because no students took those tests.

The 2017 reading proficiency percent was 12.5 percent in 2017 and 42 percent in 2018. The statewide average was 39 percent for Native American students tested in 2017. 

Middle School

MCA data show that CC middle school students are behind the rest of the state in math, recording 27 percent proficiency in 2018, down from 34.1 percent in 2017.

Reading, however, improved from 39.50 percent in 2017 to 46 percent in 2018.

The 2017 MCA proficiency marks for the state in math were 59.9 percent and 61 percent in reading.

Cook County Middle School Native Americans recorded 11 percent in 2018 in math and 29 percent in reading. The 2017 state reading proficiency for Native American students was 36 percent, and for math, it was 31.3 percent