Fourth Snippet from My New Book (>Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools: Current Condition, Future Prospect<) >>>>> Chapter Twenty-One: Academic Results

Chapter Twenty-One


Academic Results

A Note to My Readers:

This article posted on 13 January 2017 is one of a series of articles already posted and with many more yet to come that are extracted with my rapidly progressing new book, Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools:  Current Condition, Future Prospect.

 

In this article I remind you of the abysmal academic performance of students in the Minneapolis Public Schools, particularly young people who come from economically challenged homes, the latter of which are disproportionately students of color.

 

In the full book, I will provide the entire two long documents that record student performance as measured on the spring 2016 MCAs (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) and the MMRS (Measurement Rating System)---  which deliver highly consonant messages conveying the fact that student academic performance in the Minneapolis Public Schools is wretched and is getting worse before it is getting better under the district’s ineffective Strategic Plan:  Acceleration 2020.

 

As we analyze student performance in the Minneapolis Public Schools, we must be specific as to who are the people most responsible, asking very direct questions of key individuals, exemplified as follows:

1)  Michael Walker  >>>>>     Why do your programs in the MPS Office of Black Male Achievement only cover 175 students of the entire African male population of the Minneapolis Public Schools and why has your office been so ineffective for the two years that you have held your position?  

2)  Anna Ross  >>>>>     For all of the sonorous pitch of your website at the MPS Department of Indian Education Achievement, why are the academic results for Native American students so terrible?

3)  Terry Henry  >>>>>     Why do your programs in the Department of College and Career Readiness offer promises that are not fulfilled, in a school district with unacceptable graduation rates and from which those students who do stride across the stage to claim diplomas are not college or career ready (as evidenced by the fact that one-third of these students need remedial classes as they begin matriculation at colleges and universities?

4)  Susanne Griffin  >>>>>     How do you explain these academic results over three years into your tenure as Chief Academic Officer (and could this be the reason for your recent demotion to Deputy Chief Academic Officer?   

5)  Macarre Traynham   >>>>>     Inasmuch as you are the director of the Department of Teaching and Learning, why is the quality of teaching so low and the amount of learning so meagre at the Minneapolis Public Schools;  and how are you ever going to address these issues in the absence of a knowledge-intensive subject mater and high-quality, cohesive tutoring?

So keep these questions in view as you now are reminded of the terrible academic results revealed in the stark facts presented in the following summary  >>>>>

 

Percentage of Students Recording Grade Level Performance on MCAs:

Disaggregated Data for Academic Years Ending in 2014, 2015, and 2016

 

Math                                   

 

African American              2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                    20.8%       22.0%        19.1%

Female                                 21.2%       20.7%       20.5%

 

African (Somali, Ethiopian, Liberian--- late

20th/early 21st century immigrant populations)

                                           

                                            2014           2015        2016

                                        

Male                                    24.2%        25.0%      23.6%

Female                                 24.1%        25.9%      21.5%

 

Hispanic                              2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                     32.1%        33.5%      32.1%

Female                                 29.4%         30.3%     30.4.%

 

 

Percentage of Students Recording Grade Level Performance on MCAs:

Disaggregated Data for Academic Years Ending in 2014, 2015, and 2016

                                                                                               

(continued)

 

Native American/ American Indian

 

                                             2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                     19.9%         16.5%     16.0%

Female                                 25.0%         21.9%     21.3%

 

 

Asian                                   2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                     44.1%         47.4%      45.4%

Female                                  51.3%         53.4%      54.1%

 

Whites/ Caucasian             2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                      76.7%         78.4%      77.4%

Female                                   77.0%         77.9%     78.4%

 

All Students                         2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                       43.1%         44.3%    42.9%

Female                                    43.9%         44.5%    44.4%

 

Percentage of Students Recording Grade Level Performance on MCAs: Disaggregated Data for Academic Years Ending in 2014, 2015, and 2016

 

Reading                                               

 

African American                    2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                         18.8%         18.5%     18.2%

Female                                      24.0%         24.5%     23.4%

 

African (Somali, Ethiopian, Liberian--- 

late 20th/early 21st century immigrant populations)

                                                 

        2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                          18.8%         19.3%     20.4%

Female                                       27.6%         24.3%     23.2%

 

 

Percentage of Students Recording Grade Level Performance on MCAs: Disaggregated Data for Academic Years Ending in 2014, 2015, and 2016

 

 

Hispanic                                      2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                           22.0%         22.9%     24.7%

Female                                        24.5%         26.6%     27.6%

 

 

Native American/ American Indian

 

                                                      2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                            18.3%         13.9%     15.3%

Female                                         23.6%         26.1%     25.9%

 

Asian                                            2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                             36.0%         35.8%     38.8%

Female                                         44.7%          44.1%     50.6%

 

White/ Caucasian                       2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                             75.3%          74.3%     74.0%

Female                                          81.0%          80.2%     80.0%

 

All Students                                2014          2015          2016

 

Male                                             39.2%           38.7%     39.6%

Female                                         45.3%            45.1%     45.8%