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District prepares for new MCA4 assessments and a READ Act stipend MOU for teacher training
Summary
Teaching-and-learning staff told the board the window for new MCA4 assessments is opening and the district is preparing teachers with LETRS and other trainings; an MOU documenting READ Act stipends negotiated with Education Minnesota will come to the board for approval.
Westonka Public School District administrators told the school board the district is preparing for the next-generation state assessments (MCA4) and for a memorandum of understanding that implements READ Act training stipends for teachers.
Mark, a teaching-and-learning administrator, told the board that the testing window for state assessments has opened and that the MCA4 science assessment is being administered this year; the district expects MCA4 science results later than usual because the state will take additional time to calibrate the new test. "These assessments are going to what I would call inquiry based," Mark said, explaining the MCA4 series will include more open-ended and higher-level questions than prior assessments. He briefed the board that the state has scheduled MCA4 reading for spring 2026 and MCA4 math for spring 2028 and that the alternate assessment (formerly MTAS) is also being updated.
Mark also described negotiations around a memorandum of understanding to implement stipends for staff who complete approved literacy training under the READ Act. The district and Education Minnesota have negotiated stipend amounts that vary by program and hours: early LETRS for preschool staff, LETRS (a multiyear program) for elementary teachers, and CORE Online Language Literacy Academy for other licensed staff. Mark said the MOU defines completion criteria, proficiency expectations, and deadlines for stipend eligibility and will be presented to the board once the union ratifies the agreement. The district is still awaiting final details about training for paraprofessionals.
Administrators said training aligns with the district’s literacy practices; implementation details and stipend timelines will be in the MOU and in the teachers’ contract once approved. The board was told testing results for most MCA4 assessments will arrive later than in prior years (science results expected in October for this cycle), and the district will refrain from direct comparisons to earlier MCA generations while it analyzes new benchmarks.
The board will receive the MOU and related documents for action after Education Minnesota’s internal vote.
