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A semiannual update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Vol. 1, No. 1: Oct. 3, 2022
The Minnesota Department of Education’s Division of Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment has a mission to promote and support educational equity by producing a system of tools and resources that build capacity to ensure a well-rounded education. A key component in building that system of tools and resources is examining and improving our communication and outreach. We want to ensure all schools and districts are aware of the materials developed.
Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Newsletter: You are reading the division’s first semiannual newsletter. We are sending this communication to all Curriculum Directors and District Assessment Coordinators in the Minnesota Department of Education Organization Reference Glossary (MDE-ORG) in an effort to articulate Minnesota’s road map toward standards implementation. Our division intends for this newsletter to help strengthen schools and districts in their implementation of the Minnesota K–12 Academic Standards and the WIDA English Language Development Standards. Its articles will cover all content areas and will strive to support local, balanced, and comprehensive assessment systems. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to other leaders in your district, charter, or school who might be interested in it. Those who did not receive it originally may subscribe to the Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Newsletter.
Educator Edition: In September, our division launched its new monthly newsletter. The target audience of the Educator Edition is educators and curriculum directors. All Curriculum Directors in MDE-ORG and prior recipients of the Testing 1, 2, 3 newsletter will automatically receive the monthly Educator Edition. Information in Educator Edition provides timely information to educators regarding standards-based instruction resources, including professional development opportunities. Subscribe to the Educator Edition newsletter.
Assessment Update: All District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) and District Technology Coordinators will continue to automatically receive the weekly Assessment Update, which focuses on key reminders and updates related to DAC responsibilities and the statewide assessment process from administration through reporting.
The division will utilize your feedback and questions to inform future articles for each of these communications.
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The Minnesota K–12 Academic Standards are the statewide expectations for student learning in K–12 public schools. School districts are required to put state standards into place so all students have access to high-quality content and instruction. Together, state, district, and classroom-level assessments of the academic standards gather evidence of student learning to guide educational decisions. No single assessment can be used to support all purposes and uses. Together, information from each level of assessment should describe the learning expectations defined in the standards.
The Minnesota K–12 Academic Standards are reviewed and revised on a 10-year cycle. One content area of academic standards is reviewed and revised each year based on a schedule approved by the Minnesota legislature. After revisions are made to the English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science standards, the corresponding Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) and Alternate MCA (the alternate assessment that will replace the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills or MTAS) are developed to the relevant academic standards and field testing begins. The first Reading, Mathematics and Science MCAs and Alternate MCAs based on the revised standards are delivered according to the implementation year for those academic standards.
| Content Area |
Current/Most Recent Review |
Implementation Year |
Implementation Resources |
Assessing Student Learning |
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Physical Education
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2016–17
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2023–24**
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MDE Physical Education Standards Implementation page identifies applicable implementation resources.
Professional development videos have been created for training completed to date. View all physical education videos on the MNSHAPE website.
|
Locally developed classroom assessment of student learning.
District common assessments possible.
|
|
Arts
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2017–18
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2023–24*
|
MDE Arts Implementation page, Arts curriculum leaders meetings, TBD; and Perpich Center for Arts Education provides professional development for arts teachers.
|
Locally developed classroom assessment of student learning.
District common assessments possible.
|
|
Science
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2018–19
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2024–25*
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MDE Science Standards Implementation page and the Minnesota Science Teachers Association website
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Locally developed classroom assessment of student learning.
District common assessments possible.
Statewide MCA-IV and Alternate MCA-IV in spring of implementation year.
|
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English Language Arts (ELA)
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2019–20
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2025–26 (proposed)
Currently in Rulemaking
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MDE ELA Standards Implementation page includes recorded webinars made in collaboration with Service Coops
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Locally developed classroom assessment of student learning.
District common assessments possible.
Statewide MCA-IV and Alternate MCA-IV in spring of implementation year.
|
|
Social Studies
|
2020–21
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2026–27 (anticipated)
Currently in Rulemaking
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Will follow Rulemaking
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Locally developed classroom assessment of student learning.
District common assessments possible.
Civics Test Questions delivered by district.
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Mathematics
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2021–22
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2027–28 (anticipated)
Currently version 3 is under preparation for Commissioner Review
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Will follow Rulemaking
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Locally developed classroom assessment of student learning.
District common assessments possible.
Statewide MCA-IV and Alternate MCA-IV in spring of implementation year.
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* Delayed by legislature or rulemaking in 2021
** Currently required in MN statute 120B.021; process to be determined
All MDE Content Specialists support implementation of state standards and provide technical assistance to districts. Specifically, the following support is provided for these areas:
- Gifted Education: The Gifted Education Specialist will offer a district Gifted Education Specialist and Coordinator professional learning series that will focus on differentiating instruction.
- Computer Science: The Computer Science Specialist is providing support for district leaders on computer science integration (including the integration of computer science in the arts, science, ELA, social studies, and math benchmarks) through quarterly meetings of the CS district leaders group. Sign up to join the CS district leaders group. Also, the Introduction to Computer Science Teaching and Integration Canvas course for K–5 teachers was launched last year and provides an introduction to computer science and resources for integrating computer science into multiple content areas. A similar Canvas course for secondary teachers will launch this fall.
- Ethnic Studies: The Ethnic Studies Specialist will provide technical assistance to districts that are interested in offering ethnic studies courses as well as supporting implementation of the social studies standards when they complete rulemaking. This school year is a good time for educators to explore, learn and develop capacity to integrate ethnic studies into their social studies curriculum with the option as a stand-alone course or part of the current courses offered.
- Indigenous Education: The Indigenous Education Specialist collaborates across both content areas and divisions within MDE to provide a P–12 statewide system of training and support that helps districts fully implement the standards through aligned instruction, curriculum, assessment, and professional development focusing on Indigenous Education and the integration of the contributions of Minnesota American Indian communities and tribes as it relates to all academic disciplines. Currently, the Indigenous Education Specialist is working alongside Science and Arts Content specialists in support of the implementation of the standards through development of teacher-focused resources.
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The Benchmark Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs), posted on the Success Criteria page of the Testing 1, 2, 3 website under the Achievement Level Descriptors expandable header, describe the knowledge, skills and abilities students typically demonstrate across the four achievement levels on the Reading and Mathematics MCA-III for benchmarks in the current English Language Arts Academic Standards (2010) and the current Mathematics Academic Standards (2007). Descriptions are outlined for each benchmark from the standards at each achievement level.
The purpose of the Benchmark ALDs is to promote equity for all students across the state by clarifying the expected learning outcomes for instruction and classroom assessment, which are aligned to the Minnesota Academic Standards in reading and mathematics. They also support teacher analysis of the depth of their curriculum, instruction, and classroom assessments.
Previously, some released items and passages were available on the MDE website and referenced within the Benchmark ALDs as examples of how individual questions on the MCA-III assess knowledge, skills and abilities at each achievement level. MDE has developed a new resource for educators, the Minnesota Questions Tool (MQT), where released items, including rationales and data are now found. The MQT provides educators with content aligned to the Minnesota K–12 Academic Standards to support or supplement their grade-level instructional materials for the classroom. In June and August 2022, more released items of Reading and Mathematics MCA-III questions have been added and are referenced on the Benchmark ALDs. Educators are able to explore the Benchmark ALDs and the released items in the MQT to evaluate the rigor of instructional content across achievement levels.
A training module for the Benchmark ALDs is now available on the Success Criteria page of the Testing 1, 2, 3 website, under the Benchmark Achievement Level Descriptors expandable header.
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