County students surpass state peers again in 2014 test results

Generally speaking, Washington County students continue to outperform their peers statewide in math, science and reading, according to 2014 test data.

Students in five districts — South Washington County, Stillwater, White Bear Lake, Forest Lake and Mahtomedi — outpaced their state peers in all three subject areas of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) exams.

The exception was the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District, where students lagged behind their state counterparts in science and reading results, but matched them in math — with 61 percent being proficient both locally and statewide in 2014.

Each year, students take the MCAs to chart the progress of schools and districts, and to monitor school improvement and accountability.

Local districts saw mixed results in how well students performed from 2013 to 2014. Only the Mahtomedi Public Schools — already enjoying the distinction of being No. 1 statewide in math, science and reading — showed increases from year to year in the percentages of students being proficient in all three subjects.

"This truly validates the hard work on the part of students and staff within Mahtomedi Public Schools," Lynne Viker, the district's director of teaching and learning, said in a statement. "While it's wonderful to have such high achievement, we are especially pleased to see our students' academic growth."

In Mahtomedi, 85 percent of students were proficient in math and science in 2014, up from 82 percent and 84.9 percent, respectively, in 2013, and 82 percent were proficient in reading, up from 77 percent a year ago. The district, it should be noted, also faces fewer challenges than most public school systems, with 10 percent of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches, compared with 38.5 percent statewide.

In South Washington County, the area's largest district with 17,737 students, the percentages of students who were proficient in reading and science grew. But there was a 2 percentage point drop in math, from 73 percent to 71 percent. That came after two years of improvements, a district analysis shows.

The review also revealed a significant achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students. On the other hand, white students found themselves outpaced by the district's Asian students in the math results. According to the data, 78 percent of the 1,009 Asian students who were tested were proficient in math, compared with 73 percent of the 6,777 white students tested. 19 percent of South Washington County students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

In a statement, Superintendent Keith Jacobus said he was impressed with the district's science results. In the coming year, he said, the district's priority will be to "accelerate the learning for our lowest achieving students while ensuring a comprehensive education and continued growth for all students."

The Stillwater Area Public Schools showed a 1 percentage point decline in math proficiency, and held steady in reading and science. District and school administrators plan to work with teachers in the coming weeks to see how students are performing at the school and classroom levels, and help teachers identify any areas in which they need to strengthen instruction, the district said.

South Washington County and Stillwater have similar percentages of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

According to the data, the Forest Lake Area Schools showed improvements in reading and science — with an 8 percentage point rise in science proficiency from 2013 to 2014 — but fell by about 1 percentage point in math.

The White Bear Lake Area Schools held steady in math, declined in science and rose in reading. Elementary reading proficiency increased by 5 percentage points, according to Ann Malwitz, professional learning and development coordinator, who cited the district's two-year phase-in of a new literacy curriculum as a factor.

"We are pleased with the results," she said.