Edina Ranks Among Best in Math, Reading Tests

Edina Public Schools turned in some of the best scores in the state on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) for the 2010-11 school year.

According to results released this week by the Minnesota Department of Education, Edina saw increases across the board on the MCA-II reading test and a slight drop on the brand new MCA-III math test.

The district as a whole achieved a 91.5 percent proficiency rate on the MCA-II reading test, up 1.2 percent from last year's results. Schools throughout Minnesota averaged a 74 percent proficiency rate.

Math proficiency within the district fell 7.3 percentage points to 79.6 percent this year. Much of that drop can be attributed to it being the first year that the new MCA-III math exam was administered to students in third through eighth grades. The average proficiency rate on the MCA-III test was 56 percent.

The revamped math test makes year-over-year comparisons impossible, as 2011 is considered a baseline year.

“Over the last five years, Edina’s proficiency rates in math and reading have been among the highest in the state,” said Chad Schmidt, Edina's director of research & evaluation. “While we saw a dip in math proficiency this year, some fluctuation is not unusual when a new test with a new format is administered for the first time.”

Students took the tests in April.

Results of the were released earlier this summer, with Edina students posting an average proficiency rate of 67 percent.

According to district officials, Edina has consistently been 20 percentage points higher than the state average in both reading and math proficiency for the past five years.

Results from Edina's six elementary schools showed reading proficiency increased 2 percent. Middle school students increased their reading proficiency by 1 percent. Math scores fell 9 percent at both levels.

saw reading proficiency hold steady at 94.9 percent, while math increased by 2 percent. High-schoolers did not take the new MCA-III math test.

Looking for more detailed information on how Edina students did on the MCA tests? Check out our breakdown.