Scores for MN state tests are out

Last year's AYP scores came out for Minnesota recently.  The state Department of Education defines these scores as:

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a means of measuring, through standards and assessments, the achievement of No Child Left Behind’s (NCLB) goal.  The goal of NCLB is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.

Every year, students in the sixth grade take standardized tests.  In Minnesota, those tests are referred to as the MCATs - the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-Series tests.  Schools are graded not only on how well the students perform, but also on how many of them actually take the tests and what attendance is like on a day-to-day basis.    The scores also break students down into subgroups: all students; American Indian/Alaskan Native students; Hispanic students; Black students not of Hispanic origin; Asian/Pacific Islander students; White students not of Hispanic origin; limited English proficient students; students eligible for free- or reduced-priced meals and special education students.

Schools that are Title 1 (they receive funding based on having a certain number of free- and reduced-price lunch students) can face repercussions if they score consistently below their targets.  These targets are increased yearly, with the goal of having all students proficient in math and reading by 2014.  Schools that don't meet these standards are required to make improvements in various ways.  More years below their goals mean more required improvements.  If they do not begin scoring closer to or above their targets in a certain timeframe, they receive funding cuts.

These scores are released publicly, and can be found on the MN Dept. of Education website.