Assessments Overview

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCAs) and alternate assessments (Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota's academic standards and also meet the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Students take one test in each subject. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet eligibility requirements may take one of the alternate assessments instead. The list below gives the tests given for each subject, with grades given in parentheses behind each test.

Reading:  MCA (grades 3-8, 10) or  MTAS (grades 3-8, 10)
Mathematics:  MCA (grades 3-8, 11) or MTAS (grades 3-8, 11)
Science:  MCA or MTAS (grades 5, 8 and high school)

Families are provided an Individual Student Report (ISR) once the scores are released publicly. Families receive the copy from the district by fall conferences of the following school year the test was given. 

For more information, visit the Minnesota Department of Education.

Resources for Parents

• Frequently Asked Questions: Why Statewide Test Results Matter
• MCA Parent Fact Sheet  - 8/24/18
• MTAS Parent Fact Sheet  - 8/24/18
• Test Preparation Suggestions for Parents and Teachers  - 8/24/18

The WIDA screener is a nationally recognized assessment to determine the English language proficiency of new students Grades 1-12. It is administered to new enrollments at any time during the school year to identify English language learners and language services. 

Access 2.0

Access 2.0 for English Language Learners is a nationally recognized suite of standardized assessments

• Administered to kindergarten through 12th grade students who are identified as English language learners through the WIDA screener and other data
• Meets federal and state requirements to monitor annual progress of students in language progression in English
• Assesses Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing progress in learning academic English

Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST™) is a suite of literacy assessments for universal screening and monitoring progression in reading. Assessments include:

• earlyReading for kindergarten and 1st grade to monitor rate and accuracy of early literacy skills
• CBMreading for grades 1 up to grade 8 for fluency
• aReading for grades 1-8 for screening comprehension and general reading ability
• Adapts to students based on responses. Item difficulty adjusts to the student

Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST™) offers an adaptive math assessment (aMath).

• aMath is offered kindergarten up to grade 8
• Screens student in broad math skills
• Adapts to students based on responses. Item difficulty adjusts to the student

PreACT®  monitors student progress toward the ACT® test for students in grades 9 and 10, an assessment used widely as part of college entrance requirements. The assessment has sections for Math, Science, English, and Reading  and includes item analysis for teachers to use to monitor progression and adjust instruction. 

The ACT® is a college admissions test that assists colleges and universities in determining the academic readiness of students for their programs. 

• Students typically take this assessment in 11th or 12th grade.
• District 191 high schools offer this assessment to all 11th graders during the school day with no fee (or any 12th grader who has not taken it prior).
• Students can take the ACT® additional times by registering for the national test in various locations.

The CogAT 7 is the Cognitive Abilities Test which is given to all 2nd and 4th graders in the district every fall. It measures the reasoning ability of students in verbal, qualitiative, and nonverbal (spatial) development. These abilities are learned and developed both in and out of school and is the only assessment provided in school that is not based on achievement. The purpose of the CogAT is to provide teachers with information about a student's reasoning ability to help with differentiation of instruction. The CogAT scores are also used with achievement data to determine students who meet criteria for advanced learning services. 

Teaching Strategies GOLD observation-based assessment system has 38 objectives for development and learning that include predictors of school success and are based on school readiness standards.