The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) are the tests used by the state of Minnesota to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. They are used to determine how school districts compare to each other. Last year the Orono School District ranked lower than comparable districts.

“While Orono’s MCA scores are a vital factor in determining district rank, students’ scores on the ACT/SAT or AP exams are two significant data points that could also be used in determining district rank but are not,” guidance counselor Shana Borgen said. “With our last year’s average ACT score being well above average at 26.6, many of the Orono staff members find it unfair that our MCA scores take priority over our ACT/SAT or AP scores in determining our district’s rank.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the main purpose of the MCAs is to test students’ knowledge and proficiency on concepts deemed important at their grade level. The tests are measurements of a school system’s progress in math, reading, and science requirements at both the state and national level. This means that the tests not only measure a student’s educational progress, but the school’s ability to educate students efficiently, as well.

“I do not believe that the scores earned by Orono students on the MCAs are an accurate representation of the Orono schools at all. Even though most students would not try to intentionally bomb the tests, I do not think many students stress themselves over earning a good score on them, either,” junior Grant Cox said.
Considering that the scores students earn on the MCAs are analyzed as a measure of a school’s success, or lack thereof, and help determine whether it is making adequate yearly progress (AYP) or not, this attitude can greatly hurt the reputation of a school district and even affect funding of the school.

“The MCAs are used to measure the progress of school districts. While I can understand that students don’t always try their hardest on [the tests], it is frustrating because this attitude can negatively affect the funding of our school and the opinions of families looking to enroll in our district,” OHS principal Dave Benson said.

The inability for the MCAs to accurately assess student progress and their school’s level of efficiency, due to students not taking the assessments as seriously as they should, has become increasingly noticeable these past few years. It is because of this that the tests are being replaced.

With schools like Orono, scoring well above average on the ACT and AP tests, but ranking lower than other schools who score higher on the MCAs and lower on the ACTs and AP exams, this change in testing is greeted with open arms.

“While in an ideal world [students] should take [the tests] seriously, I can’t imagine why they all would when they have other high-stakes tests like AP tests and the ACT/SAT tests, which they have personal stakes in, to worry about,” English teacher Larry Williams said. “I think it’s a good thing that the MCAs are being replaced.”

Current ninth graders have already been phased into the new test requirements, and are no longer required to take the MCAs. Sophomores and juniors are still required to take the tests this upcoming spring, but for the first time are not required to pass them. Students in grades 3-8 are still required to take the MCAs.

“In the 2012 legislative session, a new statute passed about evaluating a teacher’s performance. It goes into effect the fall of 2014,” Orono’s Education Association president and OHS media specialist Mary Bischoff said. “It says that 35 percent of the summative evaluation must be based on student test scores from a ‘value-added’ assessment. The MCA’s are not a value-added assessment as they are currently written.”

This means the tests that are going to replace the MCAs will focus on the rising trends of students and their academic growth over time, instead of just ensuring that the students are meeting the academic standard set in place by the MDE like the MCAs do.

While sophomores and juniors are still going to be required to take the MCAs until these new tests are implemented, they will not be required to pass them in order to graduate, but instead have the option to replace them with an ACT test or other tests made optional to them by the school.

“I’m glad that we are going to have the option to replace the MCAs with tests like the ACT because the ACT is something that students put time and effort into, trying to earn the best score possible. The MCAs don’t matter to students as much, so we don’t try as hard,” junior Garrett Savoie said. “This is going to be better for both the students and the school.”