Le Sueur-Henderson reports higher-than-average MCA scores, board outlines interventions for third grade reading

Le Sueur-Henderson School District administrators told the board on Sept. 3 that students outperformed statewide averages on multiple Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments this year, and outlined targeted steps to address weaker areas, especially third-grade reading.

Kati, who presented the MCA and accountability report, said the district’s overall math proficiency was about 59% compared with roughly 45% statewide and that districtwide reading and science proficiency also exceeded state percentages in most tested grades. She noted that the district’s data include students who take alternate access testing and special-education assessments, meaning results represent the full tested population.

“Every grade that took reading statewide was just under 50%,” Kati said, then explained how the district’s blue bars on the presentation show grades above the state average. She called out third grade as the one reading grade below the state average and said administrators and teachers have plans to improve performance in that cohort.

The presentation included subgroup breakdowns. Officials noted English-learner students face additional barriers — including cultural/contextual differences in test items — and described lower proficiency percentages for that subgroup even as some EL subgroups outperformed state EL averages in particular subjects. Special-education results were presented separately; administrators said math and science results for special-education students improved in some grades but that reading for some groups remains an area for attention.

District leaders described several strategies aimed at sustaining and improving results: continued use of the Magnetic Reading curriculum in early grades (a pilot expanded to first grade this year), classroom interventions such as fast foundational reading supports and targeted small-group work, I-Ready diagnostics for personalized middle-school math pathways, and new high-school interventions. The board also discussed piloting a new middle-school math program in selected grades to compare approaches while keeping teachers’ instructional autonomy.

Superintendent and board members framed the results through the district’s strategic plan and the state’s Worlds Best Workforce goals: kindergarten readiness, third-grade reading, closing achievement gaps, college and career readiness, and on-time graduation. Board members praised staff and teachers for the results while urging sustained focus on the third-grade reading cohort.

Administrators said they will post the presentation to the district website and share highlights on social media to correct what one board member called an inaccurate public post about low scores. The board did not take a policy vote tied to the assessment presentation; next steps are continued curriculum pilots and targeted interventions, with periodic progress updates scheduled at future meetings.