Page 54 - 2015 Compass Now

curricular and instructional decisions to improve student achievement. Administrators use assessment
data as an accountability measure for school improvement. In addition to these state-developed standards,
the Common Core State Standards Initiative is an effort to establish a shared set of clear educational
standards for English language arts and mathematics that states can voluntarily adopt. Wisconsin adopted
the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and mathematics in 2010, and Minnesota
adopted the Common Core Standards for English language arts that same year. It is important to note that
beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction had established
performance standards (cut scores) for the WKCE reading and mathematics content areas to more closely
align with national and international expectations of what is required to be college and career ready. The
higher cut scores are comparable to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) cut scores.
Therefore, comparisons to previous years should not be made.

Reading proficiency is a key education indicator and the cornerstone of all learning. However, reading
proficiency is consistently lower for students from low-income families and children of color13. In addition,
there is a correlation between poverty, failure to read proficiently, and failure to graduate from high school13.
The WKCE and MCA tests are administered to all students in grades 3-8 and grade 10. Figures 7 and 8 show
the assessment scores for third and 10th grade reading from 2010-2012.

County averages of student scores show that a majority of students in the Great Rivers Region test similarly
or higher than the rest of the state in both third and 10th grade. Since 2010, 10th grade reading test scores
have increased in all five counties.

EDUCATION Figure 7: 3rd Grade Reading Results

% Proficient & Advanced 100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% Monroe Trempealeau Vernon Houston Wisconsin Minnesota
La Crosse

2010 87.5% 83.3% 79.6% 87.9% 82.1% 79.2% 76.5%

2011 83.9% 81.7% 81.3% 81.6% 79.0% 80.1% 78.5%

2012 85.3% 84.5% 79.3% 83.0% 79.5% 79.7% 80.4%

Source: Great Schools, Wisconsin Department of Instruction,
Minnesota COMPASS, Minnesota Department of Education
Percent of 3rd graders who scored at or above proficient on the MCA-II test of Reading (Minnesota) and
Percent of 3rd graders who scored at or above proficient on the WSAS test of Reading (Wisconsin).
New standards in Reading were implemented in 2013 for both Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Comparisons between years prior 2012 and after should not be made.

46 COMPASS NOW 2015