The early results from the 2010 MCA-II scores are in and the headline clearly is that while test scores for Minneapolis and St. Paul were disappointingly flat from 2009, numerous charter schools showed solid and impressive gains in closing Minnesota’s achievement gap.
A chart in today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune shows that 7 of the top 10 urban public schools that are “Beating the Odds” in Reading and 8 of the top 10 that are “Beating the Odds” in Math were charter schools. Similar results are in for those schools that have shown the biggest gains from the 2009 to 2010 school years: 7 out of 10 in Math and 6 out of 10 in Reading were charter schools.
While CSP has never had a charter v. district perspective, we believe that while an achievement focus has been increasingly embraced by both districts and charters, charters, by definition, can simply respond quicker and with more agility to the needs of the traditionally underserved communities in our urban areas. These results reflect this dynamic.
Congratulations particularly to Tarek Ibn Ziyad (TIZA), Global Academy, Hiawatha Leadership Academy, Concordia Creative Learning Academy, Higher Ground, Harvest Prep/Seed Academy, Cedar Riverside Community, New Spirit, Lighthouse Academy of Nations, Partnership Academy and several others.
We will be exploring several different angles of the MCA-II scores in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.