MDE Student Achievement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which MDE measure is used to evaluate how well students who were not proficient are 'catching up' to grade level over time?
- Achievement Index
- Growth Index (Correct answer)
- Proficiency Benchmark
- Opportunity Gap Score
Correct answer: Growth Index
The Growth Index measures academic progress for students who have not yet met proficiency standards, tracking whether they are closing the gap.
Question 2: Under Minnesota's accountability system, which student group is specifically identified to ensure achievement gaps are not hidden within overall school averages?
- Advanced Placement students
- English Learner students (Correct answer)
- Home-schooled students
- Transfer students
Correct answer: English Learner students
English Learner students are one of several federally required subgroups that Minnesota must disaggregate and report separately to reveal achievement gaps.
Question 3: Minnesota's Multiple Measurement Rating (MMR) for schools combines proficiency, growth, and which additional component?
- Per-pupil expenditure
- Achievement gap reduction (Correct answer)
- Teacher certification rate
- Graduation rate only
Correct answer: Achievement gap reduction
MMR incorporates proficiency, growth, and achievement gap reduction (equity metrics) alongside graduation rates to create a comprehensive school rating.
Question 4: Which MCA strand in Reading is most directly aligned with measuring a student's ability to integrate information across multiple texts?
- Vocabulary acquisition
- Literature: Key Ideas and Details
- Informational Text: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (Correct answer)
- Foundational Skills
Correct answer: Informational Text: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
The Informational Text strand 'Integration of Knowledge and Ideas' explicitly assesses students' ability to synthesize information from multiple sources.
Question 5: A Minnesota school is identified for 'Targeted Support and Improvement' (TSI). What triggers this designation?
- The school's overall proficiency falls below 50%
- A student subgroup consistently underperforms state exit thresholds (Correct answer)
- The school fails to meet AYP for two consecutive years
- Teacher turnover exceeds 30% annually
Correct answer: A student subgroup consistently underperforms state exit thresholds
TSI is triggered when a specific student subgroup within a school performs below the level of the lowest-performing schools statewide for multiple years.
Question 6: On the MCA-III Mathematics test, what is the primary purpose of including 'constructed-response' items?
- To reduce testing time
- To assess procedural fluency only
- To capture reasoning and problem-solving processes (Correct answer)
- To replace multiple-choice items entirely
Correct answer: To capture reasoning and problem-solving processes
Constructed-response items require students to show work and explain reasoning, capturing mathematical thinking beyond what selected-response items can measure.
Question 7: Minnesota's achievement data is publicly reported through which state portal?
- North Star Accountability System
- EdFacts Gateway
- Minnesota Report Card (Correct answer)
- Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System
Correct answer: Minnesota Report Card
The Minnesota Report Card (reportcard.education.mn.gov) is MDE's public-facing data portal where school and district achievement results are published annually.
MDE Student Achievement 2
Which MDE measure is used to evaluate how well students who were not proficient are 'catching up' to grade level over time?