Some Scores at secondary level lower than statewide average

After today’s release of the spring 2015 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment test scores, Albert Lea Area Schools will be taking steps in the 2015-16 school year to help alleviate poor state test scores at the secondary school level.

“The district is not satisfied with the scores of our students at the secondary school level,” said Superintendent Mike Funk in a press release.

“We are adding an instructional coach to focus instruction for the coming school year in the areas of mathematics, reading and science, while maintaining interventionists at the middle school, one each for math and reading,” Funk said.

Nearly 37 percent of Albert Lea 10th-graders scored proficient in the science MCA test, below the statewide proficiency level of 54.9 percent, but a slight improvement over last year, when slightly less than 33 percent tested proficient.

At the eighth-grade level, 28 percent of Albert Lea Area Schools students were proficient in science, less than the 45.9 percent of students statewide.

Albert Lea seventh-graders saw a slight setback in math proficiency levels. Just over 38 percent of seventh-grade students were proficient in math, less than the 55.1 percent proficiency levels of seventh-grade students statewide. Nearly 40 percent of seventh-grade Albert Lea students tested proficient in math in 2014.

Seventh-grade students were also below state proficiency in reading, and sixth-grade students were below state proficiency in math and reading.

“This is an indication of how the school district is doing on one test and one day,” Funk said. He said the test isn’t a final indicator of how the school is doing.

Third-graders had a 73.3 percent proficiency level in math, higher than last year’s 71.4 percent proficiency and higher than the statewide proficiency percentage of 70.9. Albert Lea fourth- and fifth-grade math students were slightly less proficient than fourth- and fifth-grade math students statewide, with proficiency levels of 66.7 percent and 57.9 percent.

Funk was pleased with elementary school test scores.

“Our spring testing data shows that our elementary students are near or exceed the state average in reading as we continue to see positive growth with our focused reading programming,” Funk said.

Albert Lea fifth-graders were 68.9 percent proficient in reading, higher than the 65.7 percent proficiency level of Albert Lea fifth-graders last year and higher than 66.7 percent of students statewide.

Third- and fourth-grade reading proficiency percentages were slightly lower than state average.

He said the testing serves as a barometer check on how the school district is doing on core instructions compared to the state.

“I’m pleased with the direction our elementary schools are going and we have some work to do at the secondary level,” Funk said.