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Red Wing School District Testing and Assessments 
 
  1. To measure the effectiveness of the district's curriculum in instructing toward the academic standards.
  2. To ensure that all Red Wing School District students leave high school with sound college and career readiness skills.
  3. To have data regarding student achievement readily available for use by appropriate personnel.
  4. To assess new students quickly and efficiently to ensure appropriate placement.
  5. To adhere to state and federal regulations and requirements.
  1. Flexible grouping of students and differentiation by classroom teachers.
  2. Indicators for student placement and student need.
  3. To inform students, parents and educators of progress.
  4. To assess curriculum effectiveness.
  5. Indicators for more specific assessments.
  6. Guide student instruction.
Minnesota Department of Education Test Information Webpage.

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Series III (MCA III's) are reading, mathematics, writing and science tests that help schools and districts measure student progress toward the state’s academic standards. MCA’s are administered in:
  • Grade 3 Reading & Math
  • Grade 4 Reading & Math
  • Grade 5 Reading, Math, & Science
  • Grade 6 Reading & Math
  • Grade 7 Reading & Math
  • Grade 8 Reading, Math, & Science
  • Grade 10 Reading & Science (when students take life science standards)
  • Grade 11 Math
There are also Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Series III - Modified and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) for students on IEPS that have modified achievement standards.

ACCESS for ELLs- Minnesota districts will be administering the ACCESS for ELLs® assessment to all Limited English Proficient (LEP) identified students in grades K–12. Starting in the spring of 2012, the ACCESS for ELLs® will replace the Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE) and the Minnesota Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (MN SOLOM) in fulfilling the Title III requirement for assessing English language proficiency. 
Math Language Arts / Reading
Reading Strategies
  1. Practice BEFORE reading strategies. Read for a purpose. Skim the captions, questions, pictures, etc. before reading the passage to figure out what the passage is about. Ask yourself what you already know about the subject.
  2. Be familiar with various types of reading questions on state tests such as: main idea, author’s purpose, author's point of view, author’s message, fact/opinion, plot & setting, similes & metaphors, vocabulary using context clues, figurative language, synonyms/ homonyms, and analogies.
  3. Practice reading a broad array of materials, such as: text books, editorials, biographies/autobiographies, consumer materials, how-to articles, primary sources (i.e. Bill of Rights), short stories, literary essays (i.e. critiques, personal narratives), excerpts, historical fiction, plays, fables and folk tales.
  4. Practice DURING reading strategies. Highlight or using post-it notes to mark important text. Decide on a note-taking strategy that works for you ( i.e. two-column notes with main idea in left column and supporting details in right column). Make webs or bubble charts to organize information ( i.e. start with the main idea and construct a web linking supporting details to the main idea).
  5. Practice AFTER reading strategies. Summarize the key ideas in one sentence. Use a reflection log to record the main points of the reading. Build a pyramid to organize the cause & effect or the turning point & decision.
 
Math Strategies
  1. Make word problems a priority. Have your son/daughter write their own word problems based on situations in the environment, literature, or current events.
  2. Stress Number Sense. Take time to find where, how, and in what context numbers are reported in the newspaper. Compare the area of a hockey rink or tennis court to help quantify their world and see the usefulness of numbers.
  3. Focus on estimation. Give “flash quizzes” ( i.e. estimate the sum of 422+599 in their heads).
  4. Emphasize mental math. This involves tapping into students’ natural way of doing math ( i.e. share how they arrived at an answer).
  5. Practice basic facts. Quiz on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts regularly.
 
Before the Test
  • Eat a nutritious breakfast on the morning of the test.
  • Bring the right supplies. Check with your teacher regarding what to bring. (#2 pencils, highlighters, calculator).
  • Get adequate sleep the night before the test.
  • Wear comfortable clothing on test day.
 
During the Test
  • Read all parts of a question and the answer choices carefully before you choose an answer.
  • Cross out obvious wrong answers.
  • Highlight important parts of passage
  • Don’t get stuck on a question you don’t know!!   Lightly mark the item you skipped (or for online tests - flag the question) and come back to it later.
  • If you are unsure of an answer, go with your first choice.
  • Notice how words are emphasized (i.e. Underlined, Bolded, Italicized, or CAPITALIZED).
  • Fill in the ovals on the answer sheet completely.
  • Erase carefully and completely.
  • Answer EVERY question.
  • Review your answers.
  • If time permits, go back over the test as though it’s your first time.