No Child Left Behind
Testing is used in schools to measure student achievement. The “high-stakes test” from No Child Left Behind legislation or State tests are given to students in a district once a year, based on their grade level and subject area. The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) are given in math, reading and science.
Title I Assessments
The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCAs) and alternate assessments (MCA-Modified and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards and also meet the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Students take one test in each subject. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special educaiton services and meet eligibility requirements may take one of the alternate assessments instead. The list below gives the tests available for each subject, with grades given in parentheses behind each test.
Reading: MCA (grades 3-8, 10) or MCA-Modified (grades 5-8,10) or MTAS (grades 3-8, 10)
Mathematics: MCA (grades 3-8, 11) or MCA-Modified (grades 5-8, 11) or MTAS (grades 3-8, 11)
Science: MCA or MTAS (grades 5, 8 and high school)
2012 Testing Dates:
MCA III Math (1st round) February 27-March 7
MCA II Reading, April 23-27
MCA Science, Grade 5 May 8
MCA Science, Grade 8 May 10
MCA III Math (2nd round) May 14-18
The goal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is to have every student achieve proficiency in reading, math and science by the year 2014. Every year, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) assesses the progress each school is making toward reaching this goal. The measurement used to determine whether schools are on track to meet this goal is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The AYP measurement is generated using the results of the annual Minnesota Comprehensive Achievement (MCAs) exams. For more information on the calculation, reference the No Questions Left Behind document. If you want to learn more about a specific district’s or school’s performance on AYP and other measurements, visit the Data Center link https://education.state.mn.us/MDEAnalytics/Reports.jsp . Since Cologne Academy opened, we have made AYP in every category and have outperformed the state in every category.
In 2011, Minnesota requested a waiver to NCLB that will have a major impact on the way schools are held accountable for their performance. If approved, Minnesota’s waiver request would replace the goal of universal proficiency by 2014 with the goal of reducing the achievement gap within six years. It would also eliminate the sanctions related to not making AYP and replace them with a new accountability and school improvement system that uses multiple measurements, including student growth, to identify low-performing schools that need state support as well as high-performing schools deserving recognition. If you want to learn more about Minnesota’s waiver request, visit the Federal Title Programs http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/SchSup/ESEA/index.html .
Feds seek more details on Minn’s No Child Left Behind waiver request by Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio December 29, 2011
St. Paul, Minn. — Federal officials are asking for more details on Minnesota’s request for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law.
Eleven states applied for waivers from major parts of the law that officials say wrongly labels schools as failures. Minnesota wants to use different calculations to measure schools, including individual student growth, high school graduation rates, and the size of a school’s achievement gaps.
A letter last week from the federal Education Department neither approves nor denies Minnesota’s application, but rather seeks more information. Minnesota Education commissioner Brenda Cassellius said all 11 states applying got such feedback.
“We knew that this was going to be a back-and-forth, where we would have to strengthen some areas. And when you have six weeks to write something, you give them the guts of it,” Cassellius said. “And now they want the kind of meat on the bone.”
The feds seeks more details on the proposed accountability measurements, Minnesota’s capacity to implement changes, and the principal and teacher evaluation systems that are still being developed.
In one example, federal officials questioned whether Minnesota’s proposal would enact an accountability measurement that over-emphasizes ‘normative growth.’
Cassellius notes that Minnesota is not asked to abandon the idea, but for more details on how it would work.
“We’re still going to keep our growth measure and provide them with more information on how we think this helps our kids,” Cassellius said. “In Minnesota, we have a problem with some of our kids not growing as fast as other kids, and so we’re going to give schools added points for moving those kids faster. But really, there’s this expectation that all kids have to move.”
Regarding evaluation systems, Cassellius believes many of the concerns were raised because the state’s application incorrectly indicated that statewide systems were already in place for evaluating teachers and principals. Those systems are still in development, and clarifying that point should address most of those concerns, Cassellius said. States that win waiver approval would have until 2014 to have evaluation systems in place.
While outlining these and other concerns, U.S. acting-Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin in a letter said his agency is confident that the federal and state governments “will be able to work together to address outstanding concerns and provide Minnesota with the requested flexibility.”
States are expected to start hearing in January which waivers will be approved.