Letter from Minnesota Department of Education

Dear Principal/Superintendent:   I want to thank you for the excellent work that you and your district have invested in student learning and achievement on behalf of Minnesota.    I know that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” does require a commitment of school time and staff, and I appreciate the work your school did to ensure the successful administration of the NAEP in Minnesota. The participation of your students and school serves a vital role in showing what Minnesota students know and can do. The support of the entire team—superintendents, test coordinators, principals, teachers, and student—has enabled the measure of student progress for over four decades and has served as a valuable tool for gauging Minnesota’s progress in comparison to other states and the nation.    NAEP results for grades four and eight in reading and mathematics function as the common metric of student achievement across the nation, and play an important role in informing national policy leaders about the educational achievement of America’s students. I am so proud to share with you the highlights of Minnesota’s 2013 results.   Minnesota scores were significantly higher in both math and reading at fourth grade, and for the first time since these data were collected, we saw achievement gap closure in fourth grade reading.   Grade Four Reading ·         Black and Hispanic students scored significantly higher than 2009 ·         Students eligible and not-eligible for free/reduced price lunch scored significantly higher than 2011 ·         Females score significantly higher than 2011 ·         Gap between white and black students decreased 10 points since 2009 ·         Gap between white and Hispanic students decreased 10 points since 2009 ·         Percent-at-and-above proficient and percent at advanced significantly higher than 2011   Grade Four Math ·         Minnesota has highest overall score in the nation in 2013 ·         Minnesota has highest percent of students at-or-above proficient in 2013 ·         Minnesota black and white students each has fourth-highest score in 2013 ·         Minnesota has fifth-highest score for students eligible for free/reduced price lunch ·         Males and females scores significantly higher than 2011 ·         Percent-at-and-above proficient and percent at advanced significantly higher than 2011   Governor Mark Dayton and I argue that investments in early learning scholarships, all-day kindergarten, more rigorous reading and math standards and Minnesota’s waiver from the federal “No Child Left Behind” law were important factors in helping teachers and schools make this amazing progress with students. While eighth grade students still performed among the best in the nation, they did not show as much improvement from 2011 as fourth graders, evidence of years of disinvestment in our system of education in Minnesota. This underlines that we continue to have important work ahead of us to ensure that every child in Minnesota is successful.   Again, thank you for your participation in 2011 NAEP. Should you have any questions about NAEP, please do not hesitate to contact me or Kate Beattie, our NAEP coordinator at 651-582-8532.   Sincerely, Brenda Cassellius Commissioner