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South Washington County Schools presents baseline MCA4 science results and expands STEM offerings
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Kelly Jansen and district teaching-and-learning staff told the board the district's first-year MCA4 science results are a single-year baseline and not directly comparable to prior tests, outlined grade-level outcomes and highlighted expanded AP/IB and K—2 STEM programming including a new STAR Lab and classroom STEM kits.
Assistant Superintendent Kelly Jansen introduced a Teaching & Learning science report at the May 7 South Washington County Schools board meeting that framed the district's first set of results from Minnesota's new MCA4 science assessment as an initial baseline rather than a point for direct comparisons with older tests.
A district teaching-and-learning presenter said the MCA4 is “a brand new assessment” aligned to the 2019 Next Generation Science Standards and warned that “results cannot be compared between science MCA3 and the MCA 4.” The presenter described MCA4 as more focused on phenomena-based application and requiring students to construct evidence-based explanations.
District figures presented as a baseline showed fifth grade at roughly 28% meets/advanced (with 38% in the intermediate band), eighth grade at about 17% meets/advanced, and a districtwide combined rate of 29% meets/advanced compared with a 26% state rate. Presenters repeatedly cautioned these are single-year results and said they will report multi-year trends as the state'transitioned assessments mature.
The presentation also reviewed the district's secondary course sequence and elective pathways. Presenters said students may satisfy the state physical-science requirement with chemistry or physics and noted options for AP and IB courses (AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1 and 2; IB Biology and IB Physics) that can potentially earn college credit. The district said it can provide enrollment breakdowns for specific courses on request; a presenter said the exact proportion of seniors taking AP Physics was not known off the cuff and would be provided later.
At the elementary and middle levels, staff described hands-on programming: STAR Lab visits all 16 elementary sites, the Bailey School Forest offers free field-trip opportunities with district-provided transportation, and media specialists run a STEM progression in elementary schools. Ally, a district media specialist, demonstrated an Indy coding robot and explained how the district moves students from screen-free introductory robots to app-based tools and more advanced robotics and data work.
Board members asked for concrete examples of performance-level descriptors. A presenter read an example comparing intermediate and meets performance for fifth grade: an intermediate student can “identify patterns showing that the sun's position in the sky changes throughout the day,” while a meets-level student can “collect and use several data sets to describe daily seasonal changes and patterns of daylight to explain how earth's surface changes over time.” Presenters said the district is coupling NGSS-focused curriculum changes with district professional learning teams and MTSS strategies to support teachers in implementing the new standards.
The presentation closed with a commitment to return with trend data and additional enrollment figures. The board did not take any formal action on the report; staff said further analysis and follow-up will be provided in future materials.
