Minnesota Officials Draft New School Achievement Plan

Duluth Public Schools plans to focus more on student attendance under the updated plan

DULUTH, Minn. – At the state and federal level schools current rely solely on test scores to measure student achievement. Minnesota officials have drafted a new plan that would look at more ways to assess performance in the classroom.

The plan calls for evaluating schools based on state test scores, the number of students who move up a level on state tests, graduation rates, and progress for students learning English.

Most metrics remain the same under the new plan, however schools won’t receive a single overall grade.

Another area included in the plan looks at student attendance, something that has Duluth Public Schools superintendent  Bill Gronseth excited.

“We know that it’s really important for our students to be at school,” said Gronseth. “If they’re not in the seat or in the classroom participating, they’re not able to learn. We’re going to be taking a focus on attendance this year, following the state’s lead on that.”

Under the new plan, low–performing schools would be flagged and required to create an improvement plan that the state would monitor.