During the 2022-23 school year, 130 students from 8th grade took the reading portion of the MCA in Watonwan County, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.
They scored an average of 837, with 31.1% of them considered proficient in the subject.
Data shows that Watonwan County students from 5th grade had the best reading performance on the test, marking a score of 549 and a proficiency rate of 49.7%.
At the other end of the educational spectrum, 7th grade students scored in the lowest proficiency of the reading portion of the MCA, when 29.5% of them were considered proficient in the subject with an average score of 742.
The number of Watonwan County students taking the reading portion of the MCA in the 2022-23 school year fell 0.8% from the previous school year.
The MCA is given annually to Minnesota students to determine the academic readiness of students. Not every grade is tested each year, and the scoring scale varies by grade level. These differing score brackets reflect the varying complexity and expectations at different educational stages.
Analysis from the the Nation’s Report Card showed math and reading scores have fallen significantly in the last decade. Science scores have been steady in recent years.
| Grade | Number of Students Tested | Considered proficient in Reading (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 123 | 36.3% |
| 4 | 135 | 46.3% |
| 5 | 152 | 49.7% |
| 6 | 136 | 46% |
| 7 | 145 | 29.5% |
| 8 | 130 | 31.1% |
| 10 | 138 | 38.1% |
