Nearly Half of Eagan Schools Show Decline Under State's New Rating System

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Four Eagan schools saw double-digit declines this year under the state's new evaluation and accountability system, which measures a school's academic performance based in part on students' results on statewide standardized tests.

The new system, called the Multiple Measurement Rating (MMR), replaced the the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) program earlier this year. Under the MMR system, schools are judged based on students' proficiency on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests taken each spring, achievement growth on those same tests, achievement gap reduction and—for high schools only—graduation rates.

Schools earn points in each of these four categories, and their score is percentage calculated by comparing points earned against the total points possible. The 2012 ratings were released last week by the Minnesota Department of Education.

In Eagan, six of 13 schools experienced ratings declines this year compared to the ratings given last year. saw the single largest decrease, dropping 31.44 percentage points this year compared to its 2011 ranking. came in second with a 21.66 percentage point decline.

, however, showed the most improvement, scoring an 83.57 this year, compared to a 57.97 in 2011.

Scroll to the bottom to see how your student's school fared in 2012, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

School District 196 Director of Teaching and Learning Steve Troen cautioned against making generalizations about each school's performance based on the score the building received. The success or failure of a relatively small group of students at the school can have a big impact on the school's rating because of how the scoring system is structured, he said.

"It’s really hard to make generalizations; you have to look at each school individually and really drill deep," Troen said.

Based on the MMR score, schools that receive federal Title I funding may also receive a designation as a "reward", "celebration eligible", "continuous improvement", "focus" or "priority" school. Reward schools are in the top 15 percent of highest performing Title I schools, while buildings labeled "priority" are in the lowest performing 5 percent of Title I schools.

In Eagan, Oak Ridge received a "reward" designation, while Glacier Hills earned a "celebration eligible" designation.

Based on the MMR data the district received earlier this year, district officials will be meeting individually with school administrators to review the schools' scores and identify goals to improve ratings, Troen said.

“I think that this helps shine a light at each school," Troen said. "This uses MCA data in a different way, and I think people welcome that, but I think the challenge is understanding the new system and digging deep enough to understand why a school got the score it did."

Multiple Measurement Ratings 2011-2012*

*Information courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Education

Correction: This article has been revised to correct an inaccuracy. Woodland Elementary in Eagan saw a 8.17 ratings increase between 2011 and 2012.