The International Falls School District is making Adequate Yearly Progress in terms of proficiency in math and reading, according to preliminary state standardized test results released this month.
According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the Falls schools are “above target” in meeting AYP standards for all students in all grades, and for each subgroup of students.
“We were really happy to see that all student groups were above the cutoff for efficiency,” said Falls Superintendent Nordy Nelson. “We no longer have any groups who didn’t meet the proficiency.”
This turnaround comes after the Falls district for the past several years did not “make AYP” according to federal education standards. Last year, South Koochiching-Rainy River School district did not make AYP for the first time. Littlefork-Big Falls schools were the only in the area to make AYP last year.
Preliminary AYP results for 2012 for South Koochiching-Rainy River School District, home to Indus and Northome schools; and Littlefork-Big Falls School District were not available as of press time.
These preliminary AYP results are the first 2012 ratings released for the MCA tests, or Minnesota Comprehensive Achievement exams, that students took in math and reading.
The “making AYP” and “not making AYP” designations are given to categories of students, or subgroups — grouped by income, special needs and race or ethnicity. These include groups such as special
education students, students in the free or reduced price lunch program, and those with limited English proficiency.
Students in all eight categories, plus the category of “all students” show scores that meet AYP and are “above target.” That was the result for all schools in the district.
“It’s really a compliment to the district’s teachers and staff in bringing all students to the proficiency level in all grades,” Nelson said. “It was really good to see the results come out the way they did.”
Statewide
Across the state, students in grades three through eight show gains in math and reading, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.
“The upward trends we’re seeing show that we are on the right path to prepare our students for success,” said MDE Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. “As teachers, principals and districts continue to sharpen their focus on reading well by third grade, I believe we’ll continue to see even greater gains across all grade levels as time goes on.”
Reading scores for 10th graders also increased, but there was a decline in scores for 11th grade math. Nearly half of 11th graders met the state proficiency standards.
The 2012 results showed “gains in nearly every category among the state’s students of color and special populations,” according to an MDE media release. The categories are used to combat the achievement gap between student populations across the state.
“Minnesota continues to be near the bottom in terms of eliminating the racial achievement gap, and we don’t like that position,” Cassellius told the Associated Press.
The AYP designations are part of the federal No Child Left Behind guidelines, which must be released according to state statute. However, Minnesota’s waiver from that program results in new measurements of schools and districts for school improvement. The change “will have a major impact on the way schools are held accountable for their performance,” according to the MDE.
The state’s waiver for that program will result in Multiple Measurement Ratings to be released at the end of the month. These ratings will give a general picture of the district’s performance in reading, math, writing and science and will monitor school performance by placing districts in three ratings: reward schools, focus schools and priority schools. The current AYP results will be “rolled into the total measure,” said MDE spokesperson Keith Hovis.
The waiver will also replace the NCLB goal of having universal proficiency by 2012 with the goal of reducing the achievement gap within six years.
