Minnesota Department of Education :

Schools Sprinting to Win Obama’s Race to the Top Billions

President Obama touted Race to the Top to the nation in a speech in Madison, Wis., Wednesday. But schools already know it well.

The $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funds have already spurred significant education reform in a number of states – even though the final guidelines for the program haven’t yet been announced, no states have yet applied, and the first grants won’t be made until at least April 2010.

The program offers competitive grants to states that have policies aligned with certain federal priorities. These priorities include a willingness to evaluate teachers using student achievement, an openness to charter schools, and a commitment to building long-term data systems to track student performance. Read full article.

Girls and Science Day a Rocketing Success

An estimated 8,000 girls and their parents packed St. Paul’s Science Museum of Minnesota for FOX 9’s annual “Girls and Science” day. It was a chance for girls to grow and learn from science industry women leaders, in the fields of chemistry, biology and more.

As part of the Minnesota High Tech Association booth, the Minnesota Department of Education helped young women participate in an engineering activity in which they designed and tested straw rockets. Over 4,000 rockets were launched in a 6 hour period. Read Fox 9's report.   Watch the video.

Education Leaders Kick-off Race to the Top Effort with Regional Meetings to Gather Public Input

Minnesota well-positioned to receive federal funding due to recent education reforms

A series of public meetings around the state have been scheduled to gather input on Minnesota’s application for federal Race to the Top funding. The Race to the Top Fund is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and provides competitive grants to states that are engaged in education innovation and reform.

A stakeholder group consisting of leaders from K-12 education, higher education, business and the minority community has been working on Minnesota’s application and are now seeking additional public input from administrators, teachers and parents throughout the state. If Minnesota is awarded funds through Race to the Top, half of the money will be designated for local school districts that pledge to implement the reforms.

"The federal government is recognizing that educational systems around the country need reform, and I expect Minnesota to be one of the leading states in those efforts," said Alice Seagren, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education. “Many of the things they’re asking states to do, we already have in place here in Minnesota. Q Comp, for example, is Minnesota’s nation-leading reform that rewards quality teaching and keeps good teachers in the classroom by paying them in a more professional way." Read news release.

Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS)

Minnesota students made some incredible gains in academic achievement between 1995 and 2007, as evidenced by the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). Of the 16 countries that participated in both the 1995 and 2007 TIMSS, Minnesota’s 4th-grade gain in math performance was among the largest internationally.

This and other findings were presented in a final analysis by Michigan State University’s Distinguished Professor of Education and Statistics, Dr. William Schmidt. The Minnesota Department of Education, in partnership with SciMathMN; John Stanoch, Qwest Minnesota President representing the Minnesota Business Partnership, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Minnesota High Tech Association recognized the final analysis of Minnesota’s 2007 TIMSS results at the Minnesota Science Museum Wednesday, October 21.

Analysis of these results indicates these gains are, in part, a result of rigorous academic standards that have been implemented in both the math and science subject areas, yet a significant gap in achievement, correlated to socioeconomic status, still exists.

“There is much work yet to be done to ensure all Minnesota students are prepared for success in a globally competitive economy,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “We must continue to seek innovative solutions to improve our professional development for teachers, academic standards and the manner in which we deliver the necessary knowledge and skills to all Minnesota students.”

TIMSS is the largest study of student math and science achievement around the world.   There were more than 60 TIMSS participants, including seven regional “benchmark” participants as states or provinces, including Minnesota.  TIMSS was taken by a sample of Minnesota 4th- and 8th-graders in 2007. Minnesota also participated in TIMSS as a benchmark participant in 1995. View final analysis.

Which Minneapolis Teacher Was Just Honored With a $25,000 Milken Educator Award?

First Lady Mary Pawlenty and Alice Seagren Commissioner of Education were on hand to surprise Martha Spriggs, a math teacher at Andersen United Community School. Spriggs, shown here with Commissioner Seagren (l) and Milkin reprentative Dr. Stark (far r), was surprised to receive the news of her selection as a 2009 Milken National Educator Award recipient. The award, which comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000, was presented in front of a schoolwide assembly brimming with cheering students and proud colleagues.

Dubbed “the Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards were conceived by Lowell Milken to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and encourage talented young people to enter the teaching profession. Unlike most teaching awards, the Milken Educator Awards have no formal nomination or application process. Each year exceptional teachers, principals and specialists—recommended without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education—are stunned with the news of their awards. Read news release.

Qwest Foundation to Award $100,000 to Minnesota Public School Teachers

The Qwest Foundation and the Minnesota Business Partnership Education Foundation announced today that they will again award $100,000 to Minnesota public school teachers through the Qwest Teachers and Technology Grant Program. Applications are being accepted through Nov. 30. All grants will be presented in April and May of 2010. “I want to thank Qwest for their generosity and encourage educators to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren.

“For the past 3 years, Qwest has been proud to fund the efforts of Minnesota teachers who are using technology to enrich lessons in math, science and technology,” said John Stanoch, Qwest Minnesota President. “We look forward to seeing how this year’s grant applicants plan to bring new learning opportunities to schools across our state.” Application information is available on the Minnesota Business Partnership Website. Read news release.

Minnesota Eighth-grade Students Ranked Second in National Math Assessment; Fourth-graders Rank Third

The 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math results were released today by the National Center for Education Statistics. Administered nationally to fourth and eighth graders, the NAEP again showed Minnesota students surpassing the national average in mathematics. In Minnesota, 6,000 students from 300 schools participated in the test.

"Minnesota’s focus on improving academic achievement, raising accountability and increasing rigor is helping raise Minnesota students’ performance," said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. "Minnesota must continue to pursue innovative educational reforms to ensure all Minnesota students are prepared for career and college success." Read news release.  Watch Commissioner video.

Innovative Foreign Language Programs Recognized With $2.15 Million Grant

Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Cloud Public Schools and Yinghua Academy have been awarded $2.15 million from the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) by the U.S. Department of Education to establish, improve or expand innovative foreign language programs.

“These schools and districts are developing nationally recognized programs designed to build students’ conversational world language skills,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “These programs are preparing Minnesota students to communicate and interact in a global community.”

FLAP grants support projects that show the promise of continuing beyond the funding period and demonstrate approaches that can be duplicated by other schools or districts. Read news release.  Watch video.

New Online Resource for Students, Teachers, Parents and Advisors

A new online resource was unveiled today that will expand learning options for students, provide more resources for educators and assist parents and advisors in guiding young people on their educational path. The Website, Minnesota Learning Commons (http://www.mnlearningcommons.org), is a collaboration of the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota Learning Commons was created to provide a central source of resources for K-12 through higher education. Parents, students and advisors can find online high school and college courses and information about financing higher education and planning careers. Educators can create online instructional materials, complete training programs, access library materials and engage in discussions with peers on educational issues and topics. Read news release.

Minnesota Students Widen State’s Lead on ACT Scores

Data highlights importance of efforts to increase rigorous courses

Minnesota’s 2009 high school graduates increased the state’s average ACT score from 22.6 to 22.7 on a 0 to 36 scale, pushing Minnesota further ahead of other states where the majority of students take the ACT college entrance exam.  Minnesota has led the nation in average ACT scores for five consecutive years and the average score has increased each of the last three years. The average ACT score for 2009 high school graduates nationally was 21.1.

"Minnesotans can be proud of these ACT results," Education Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education Alice Seagren said. "Over the past five years, Minnesota students increased their scores annually at a pace that was twice the national average. Additionally, we are seeing positive gains in the minority subgroups. These are encouraging results. We must continue our efforts to prepare every Minnesota student for post-secondary success by increasing rigor and high expectations for all students.”

Read news release at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education

Minnesota Department of Education Releases Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Data

The Minnesota Department of Education today released 2009 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) data under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). 

Of 2,303 Minnesota schools earning an AYP status in 2009, 1,066 schools made AYP compared to 984 schools in 2008.  There were 1,048 schools that did not make AYP in 2009, up from 931 schools in 2008.  One hundred eighty-nine schools had insufficient data in 2009.   Minnesota currently has 283 Title I schools in need of improvement, which will be providing additional options and services to students.  Read news release

View more statewide AYP results

Minnesota Science MCA-II Scores Show Strong Improvement

Roseville - Science MCA-II online assessment results released by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) today showed strong improvement over last year’s results.  For 2009, fifth-grade scores improved by nearly six percentage points over last year, eighth-grade scores increased by about four percentage points, and high school scores improved by about seven percentage points.  Read news release

MCA-II Science Results
MCA-II Science Results Overview

Department of Education Releases Math and Reading MCA-II Results

Roseville – Math and Reading MCA-II test scores increased or stayed relatively steady for most grades in 2009, according to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The biggest gain in the annual testing was made in 11th-grade math, with about an 8 percent increase over 2008 results.

“Minnesotans can be proud of the progress that has been made toward improving student achievement in several areas,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said.  “Our challenge now is to build upon our successes and continue to address existing challenges in order to prepare every one of our students to succeed.” Read news release

MCA-II Reading and Math Results
MCA-II Reading and Math Results Overview

Minnesota Department of Education Announces Graduation Requirement Results

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced today that 57 percent of Minnesota 11th-graders met the state’s new and more rigorous math graduation requirement on the first attempt. Additionally, 78 percent of Minnesota 10th-graders met the state’s reading graduation requirement on the first attempt, a three percent increase from 2008. 

MDE also announced that 42 percent of Minnesota 11th-graders scored proficient in the Math MCA-II, which is an eight percent increase from last year.  Seventy-four percent of Minnesota 10th-graders are proficient on the Reading MCA-II, which is a three percent increase over last year. 

“Like last year’s reading results, this year’s math results are another clear indication that if we raise expectations, more of our students will accept the challenge and meet those expectations,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said.  “These results highlight the need for Minnesota to continue with its efforts to prepare every Minnesota student for success in the 21st century through greater academic rigor.” Read news release.

Minnesota Joins Common Core State Standards Initiative

The following is a statement from Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren regarding Minnesota joining the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a state-led process to develop common English-language arts and mathematics academic standards.

“Minnesota is a national leader in creating rigorous academic standards that are designed to help our students to be work-and-career ready.  By participating in this effort, we will take an active role in helping other states create consistent academic standards that will be as rigorous as Minnesota’s current standards.”

Read the news release from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) on Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Minnesota Department of Education on Twitter

You can now follow the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) on Twitter, which is a free real-time short messaging service. 

Follow MDE at:  http://twitter.com/MDECOM

Updated/Redesigned Federal Stimulus Page 

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been in the process of reviewing hundreds of pages of guidance from the federal government regarding the allocation of federal stimulus dollars. The federal government will be releasing additional guidance on ARRA reporting requirements and ARRA competitive grant programs.

MDE has updated and redesigned its federal stimulus page to include additional information on ARRA grant programs.  This new page will be updated on a regular basis.   

Department of Education Releases Analysis of Q Comp

Report finds “There is a significant and positive relationship between the number of years a school has been implementing Q Comp and student achievement.”

Roseville, MN – There is a significant and positive relationship between the number of years a school has been implementing Q Comp and student achievement, according to a new analysis conducted by Hezel Associates, LLC, an independent education research and evaluation firm. The analysis, conducted on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Education, was released today. Read news release. View the report. View Q Comp overview.

Business and Education Leaders Launch Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Web Portal

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) President Kate Rubin today announced the launch of www.getSTEM-mn.com, a Web portal for Minnesota educators and businesses to build relationships and collaborate to match STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education needs with STEM businesses resources. “Minnesota educators are working to prepare students for careers rich in math, technology, science and engineering skills,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “The getSTEM Web portal will connect teachers with interactive and exciting learning resources they need to provide the rigorous and relevant learning that will prepare students for success.” Read news release.

Increasing Awareness of Military Issues Within Minnesota Schools

Thousands of Minnesotans serve our country in the military and in turn, thousands of military families and children are impacted by their service. As leaders in education, we want every educator to know that children in their classrooms and schools may be affected by the military service of a parent or family member.

The Minnesota Department of Education has partnered with Governor Pawlenty’s Yellow Ribbon Task Force and other educational organizations to increase awareness of military issues within Minnesota schools. As part of this effort, we are making available informational resources for military children, families and educators.