Salem Hills, Hilltop Make Big Gains on Test Scores, High School Slips

Two Inver Grove Heights elementary schools showed double-digit improvements this year in the percentage of students passing the state's standardized science tests.

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments—Series II science test, which Minnesota public school students in grades five, eight and in high school take each spring, measure students' understanding of the relevant science curriculum. Students also are tested in reading and math.

In 2010, roughly one-third of fifth-grade students at Hilltop Elementary received passing scores on the science test, but that number jumped upward to 44.9 percent in 2011. Ditto for Salem Hills Elementary, which went from roughly 27 percent passing in 2010 to 44.4 percent in 2011. The percentage of fifth-grade students receiving a passing grade at rose marginally, while the Atheneum program's scores dipped.

While the majority of elementary schools made gains, the percentage of students receiving passing scores on the science exam dropped slightly at both the Inver Grove Heights Middle School and . The middle school suffered the largest decrease, with the percentage of students passing dropping nearly 4 percent between 2010 and 2011. Both schools fell below the statewide average in 2011.

Despite their gains, both Salem Hills and Hilltop also remain below the state average in 2011.

Statewide, the science test scores were similar to where they were in 2010, with 46 percent of fifth-graders, 44.4 percent of eighth-graders and 53.8 percent of high-schoolers achieving proficiency.

“The 2011 Science MCA-II results ... reinforce our need to approach science and math education with a sense of urgency,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said in a press release. “While we see some slight gains among some groups of students, they are not enough to ensure all of our kids will be able to compete in a global economy.”

Cassellius noted in the press release the disparities in academic performance among different groups of students, and cited resources like STEM initiatives and Science/Math Teacher Academies as examples of best practices to improve science education and student achievement.

“We continue to see a persistent disparity in achievement between students of color, students in poverty and their white counterparts,” Cassellius said.

Results from the science assessment do not impact schools' Adequate Yearly Progress standings. Reading and Math MCA-II scores, which are used to calculate AYP under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, will be released in mid- to late-September.

Earlier this week, Gov. Mark Dayton directed Cassellius to apply for a federal waiver from some NCLB requirements to allow Minnesota to focus on local education improvements without the sanctions that can come with the federal mandates.

Key
D=Did not meet expectations; P=Partially meets expectations; M=Meets expectations; E=Exceeds expectations

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