A few weeks ago, we reported the results of the latest round of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs). Statewide, the results were, at best, uninspiring. Locally, New Prague students who took the tests were slightly above the state average.
Given the highly-charged political environment we live in these days and the huge investment Minnesota dedicates toward E-12 education these days, the resulting blame game was predictable. Social media was awash with people blaming the DFL and Gov. Walz with the mediocre results.
Some folks blamed anybody and everybody without once looking in the mirror. It’s easy to do – blame somebody else and then post it on social media. But school districts can’t do it alone. It’s long since time for parents to take some responsibility and offer schools the help they need.
Schools can’t do it alone.
Parents need to start demonstrating school is important, perhaps one of the most important things in a youngster’s life. Odds are none of the student-athletes walking the halls at NPHS will earn a paycheck playing a sport professionally, but whatever their chosen field is, they will eventually turn pro in the game of life. The best way to get there is by taking education seriously.
Of great concern is a statistic showing 64% of NP students reading at grade level and 67% of all students are proficient in reading. Another source indicates it is 59% overall. The state’s average is 46% - both tough to accept. Along with the READ Act, schools need parents’ help to instill the importance of reading.
The MCAs were created to assess schools’ curriculum against state standards. But it’s hard for children to take school as seriously as they should when they are allowed to opt-out of taking the MCAs. In 2025, 17% of New Prague students eligible to take the MCA math assessment opted-out of taking it. In 2024, 11% of eligible students took a pass on taking the math exam. The state average for opting-out in both 2025 and 2024 was 6%.
Congratulations, New Prague. You’re way above average there. On the 2024 reading exam, 10% of NP students eligible for the reading exam were allowed to optout. The 2025 MCA reading exam saw 13% of student allowed to take a pass. In both years, the state average for opting-out was 4%. In 2024, 10% of NP students eligible for the MCA science exam opted-out of taking the exam. The state average for opting-out of the MCA science assessment is 11%.
Assuming the student is still a child, how does optingout demonstrate to children school matters. Unto themselves, these assessments don’t determine whether a child will graduate or not. They are, among other things, a yardstick measuring the school’s performance meeting state curriculum standards and a child’s understanding of those standards. And, oh by the way, the opt-outs work against the district’s level of proficiency the assessments are meant to measure.
All this is not to suggest the New Prague School District and its students need to perform better on the assessments. They were created to hold school districts accountable to the state and its mandated curriculum standards. But why should the opt-outs handcuff a school district?
School officials contend the students opting-out most frequently are the top-performing students. It begs the obvious question: How can the Minnesota Department of Education accurately measure a district’s performance when parents are allowed to tell their children taking the assessments are not important?
Some parents allow their students to pass on taking the assessments because the assessments measure superficial regurgitation of information rather than deep thinking. Others allow students to skip the exams because the tests are so incredibly important and must be taken seriously, but students don’t need to be subjected to the stress. OK, that’s fair. We’ve sent a mixed message there.
Minnesota dedicates too much money to E-12 education not to hold school districts to some level of accountability. But perhaps schools deserve some relief. Since the Minnesota Department of Education can’t, or won’t make taking the assessments mandatory, maybe opt-outs should not be held against districts.
Does that seem equitable?