St. Cloud Sun

Sherburne County saw 43.5% of their students pass the science portion of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in the 2023-24 school year, according to the ["Minnesota Department of Education", "Sherburne County"].

Of the 3,291 students who took part in the MCA, 34.9% met the testing standard while 8.6% exceeded expectations and scored highest on the test.

The passing rate among Sherburne County students fell by 0.3% from the previous school year.

The MCA and the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards and also meet federal and state legislative requirements. The tests cover math, reading and science, depending on the grade that is being tested. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet eligibility requirements may take the MTAS instead.

Overall proficiency on Minnesota's MCA exams has declined compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to Minnesota's Report Card. Math proficiency, for example, dropped by more than 7% from 2019, while reading proficiency fell by almost 5%.

School name	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)
Becker Intermediate Elementary School	36.1%	7.9%
Becker Middle School	25.9%	4.7%
Becker Senior High School	40.7%	20.6%
Big Lake Middle School	20.3%	1%
Big Lake Senior High School	34.1%	9.3%
Clearview Elementary School	43.4%	3.8%
Elk River Senior High School	38.2%	16.6%
Independence Elementary School	41.3%	5.8%
Lincoln Elementary School	30.6%	2.8%
Meadowvale Elementary School	48.6%	8.6%
Parker Elementary School	42%	13.6%
Salk Middle School	21.1%	7%
Spectrum High School	44.4%	20.5%
Spectrum Middle School - Grades 7-8	32.6%	3.6%
Three Rivers Montessori School	23.1%	15.4%
Twin Lakes Elementary School	46.7%	3.3%
VandenBerge Middle School	29.9%	1.3%
Westwood Elementary School	39.8%	2.8%
Zimmerman High School	43.1%	13.2%
Zimmerman Middle School	29.4%	6.9%