Edina Schools Show Growth on 2012 MCA Tests

Despite some slight falters in math, students once again turned in some of the highest scores in the state on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) for 2012.

According to results released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Education, Edina saw increases across the board on the MCA-II reading test and on the MCA-III math test.

The MCAs are given annually to the state's third- through eighth-graders in reading and math, and to high school sophomores (reading) and juniors (math). The tests measure student understanding of math and reading curriculum relevant to their respective grades. Edina students took the MCAs in April.

The district managed to increase its overall proficiency rate to 92.7 percent on the MCA-II reading test this year, besting 2011 scores by 0.4 percent. For perspective, schools throughout the state averaged a 76 percent proficiency rate.

"We are pleased to see the increases over last year’s scores and the continued trend showing Edina students performing well," said Superintendent Ric Dressen. "While we understand that the MCAs represent just one day in the student’s academic career, we are proud of how our students performed on these high-stakes tests and thank the teachers and parents for their ongoing partnership to ensure success for every child."

Elementary school reading scores increased to a 94 percent proficiency rate, middle school students came in at 90.5 percent and high schoolers averaged 95.3 percent.

Math scores on the MCA-III test were up over 2011 results at the district's elementary and middle schools, where it was administered for the second year in a row. Edina elementary school students averaged a 84.7 percent proficiency rate, while middle schoolers averaged a 79 percent proficiency rating. Across Minnesota, elementary school students averaged a 70.4 percent proficiency rating, while middle schoolers averaged 60.1 percent.

The lone blemish for the district came from , where students still take the MCA-II math test. Those scores fell to a 72.3 percent proficiency rating in 2012, down 6.2 percentage points from 2011's 78.5. The average Minnesota proficiency rate on the MCA-II math test was only 42.5 percent.

Chad Schmidt, Edina's director of research and evaluation, said EHS's drop in math proficiency mirror high school results across the state. Minnesota's high school proficiency rating dropped by 6.1 percent.

"We will be looking closely at the high school results to determine if there are instructional adjustments we should be making at this level or if the results were unique to this particular group of students," Schmidt said.

Looking for more detailed information on how Edina students did on the MCA tests? .

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