Spring is a busy time at Murray County Central, reflective of nature, full of preparation, change, and growth. As we get ready for the final quarter of the school year, testing season is in full swing, we’re planning our schedule for next year, and gearing up for spring activities.
This year for the first time, we administered the Capti test for students in 4th-12th grade who showed a need in the area of reading. A new state mandate required a screener for dyslexia and subsequent interventions for students below the decoding threshold. According to the research set forth by the Minnesota Department of Education, “The decoding threshold is a score of 235 on the Capti ReadBasix Word Recognition and Decoding subtest. For students scoring below this threshold, it is essential to prioritize decoding/phonics interventions to ensure these students make progress towards grade-level reading proficiency.” At the high school, these interventions will take place during AP time twice a week.
We are also administering the ACT at MCC this week for all juniors who chose to take the test. The ACT is still optional for all Minnesota institutions, so it is not required to report an ACT score for admission. However, there are still many scholarships tied to the ACT, and it’s a great opportunity to showcase knowledge in the different areas of Reading, Math, English, Science, and Writing.
The last standardized test of the year will be the MCAs, which assess students’ abilities in 3-8th grades, and 10th-11th grades in Reading, Math, and for 5th, 8th, and 10th grade students, Science. The testing calendar is posted on the school website and has the specific dates & subject area for each grade level. We encourage students to get a good nights’ sleep and a healthy breakfast before their test and to try their best. These tests are not a perfect measure of students’ abilities, but they do show us a snapshot of what a student knows and can do at this moment in time. We use these scores to help plan instruction, coordinate schedules, and as a measure of how well we are meeting students’ needs according to the state standards in core subject areas.
As we plan for next year, many high school students are taking advantage of the rigorous courses we offer here at MCC through the College Now program. MCC works closely with SMSU to be able to provide college classes right here at MCC, taught by our MCC teachers in conjunction with SMSU professors. These classes are a great opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school, with familiar staff. The courses we are planning to offer next year are: College Literature & Writing, College Algebra, College Government & Citizenship, and College Spanish. When students register for these classes, we can continue to offer challenging coursework right here at home.
Now that registration is complete, we will begin working on the Master Schedule for the high school and finalizing our course offerings for next year. When we have the Master Schedule complete, we use that along with the registration sheets students submitted to create individual student schedules. Typically we complete student schedules over the summer and share them with students and families in August.
I love this time of year, but I know it can also be a challenge, with the pull of so many different activities, and the stretch to complete everything in the limited time we are given. We are testing, preparing, and growing, and looking forward to the measure of change each year allows. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the sunshine at a track meet or ball game this spring, recognize the great things our students are doing both academically and in their various activities, and celebrate all the incredible growth that happens during this season.
Respectfully,
Christina Walker