Assessment, Research & Evaluation

View the Assessment Plan

Each summer, the Assessment, Research, and Evaluation department hires a group of students to work as youth data analysts. Together, the youth interns and adult staff conduct a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project to dig into a research question (or questions) of relevance to the St. Louis Park school district. Student voice is centered as the team studies past research, collects and analyzes data, and makes recommendations to the district. Past YDA projects have focused on racial equity issues regarding discipline practices, enrollment in rigorous classes, and the hopes and dreams of the SLP community. Recommendations are then woven into the continuous improvement plans of all district staff. 

Information about the YDA internships for summer 2023 will be released in early Spring. Check back for information on how to apply!

St. Louis Park Public Schools sees tremendous value in education research. Our department manages all requests to conduct research in SLP Schools. We prioritize student and staff data privacy and take every measure to ensure that studies are conducted ethically. When evaluating any proposal to conduct research in our district, we also evaluate the proposal’s ability to help us work toward our mission:

"St. Louis Park Public Schools sees, inspires, and empowers each learner to live their brilliance in an environment that centers student voice and experience to create racially equitable learning that energizes and enhances the spirit of our community."

We use our mission as a lens to help us determine if a study should be conducted in our system when a proposal is sent to our district. 

Procedure: Start by reading the research proposal form that must be submitted along with other documents. The window for approving or denying research proposals will be made in 4-6 weeks.

Leer en Español  Af-Soomaali ku akhri

St. Louis Park High School has a significantly higher opt-out rate than our neighboring school districts. We want to help staff, families, and students understand how these tests can benefit students and schools and how opting out can actually have unintended negative impacts.

Let’s break it down
The state uses proficiency data to help identify which schools need additional support and recognize those making fantastic progress. But when students opt out of testing, they are marked as “not proficient” by the state, significantly lowering apparent proficiency levels. It impacts everything from students’ college-ready scores and understanding of academic progress to school enrollment and perception. 

It’s not that SLP students aren’t proficient, it’s that many are not testing
At nearly all schools, the proficiency levels of SLP students in both math and reading is higher than the state, sometimes much higher. While opting out is somewhat of a problem at the Middle School where 11-18% of students opted out of each MCA test in the spring of 2022, it is a large problem at the High School, where 38-65% of students opted out of MCA testing last year. When this large group opted-out, the overall proficiency for the High School dropped over 12% for math and over 15% for reading. These drops make it appear that the High School is lagging behind others in the state, when in fact it is above or similar to other districts across the state.

There are a variety of beliefs about standardized tests
Movements across the country have encouraged families to opt out without understanding the impact it has on students and schools. Some movements, for example, are based on the premise that standardized tests are racially biased against Students of Color. We acknowledge that some tests can be biased or used inappropriately to disadvantage Students of Color, however, through St. Louis Park Public School’s strategic plan for racial equity transformation, we remain committed to ensuring our testing practices benefit students. Ultimately, we believe these tests provide vital information on how the district as a whole is or is not providing rigorous instruction for all students. 

We encourage SLP families to continue their learning and understanding about standardized tests. 

In the meantime, we want to share our beliefs about standardized tests. 

• They are a small but important part of measuring the effectiveness of teaching.
• They help us understand what teaching strategies and practices are working.
• They help highlight classrooms and schools that are making fantastic progress, and where we need to continue to improve.
• They help hold SLP schools and our district accountable for high quality instruction aligned with state standards.

How standardized tests benefit students and schools

• Students who take the tests receive a college-ready score that can save them time and money by not having to take remedial, non-credit courses at a Minnesota State college or university. 
• Schools, teachers, and caregivers can gain valuable information about how well a student is progressing academically. 
• Teachers and school leaders receive information about areas of strength and gaps in our current curriculum, which then informs how educators plan lessons in math, reading, and science.
• Students who take the tests count towards the school's and district's overall state test results. 
• It ensures that resources and support for student learning are equitably distributed to SLP schools.

How do educators use standardized test data?

“As a teacher in St. Louis Park I use the results from the end of year tests, like the MCAs, as a kind of thermometer to understand not only the students, but my own success for the year. No one I work with would ever want to put too much emphasis into a single test from a single student, but the MCAs are a great tool for holding myself accountable and identifying where I can improve meeting the needs of my students. I want students to leave my room ready to change the world. The MCAs are an important tool to help me change what needs changing and make what is working even better. I need objective data to make sure our students don’t just feel ready to create change, but have the skill sets to do so.” - Phil Stern, 5th grade teacher
 
“The results of the MCA test inform our schools how well the curriculum and instruction is translating into understanding of our state standards and benchmarks. At the end of each testing season, each school receives a report stating how well the students understand each benchmark. When this report shows high levels of proficiency, we teachers celebrate! At the middle and high school level, I have been working with different departments in the areas where this report shows low levels of proficiency. From there, we dig deeper into the meaning of the standards and benchmarks and make changes to our curriculum and instruction. This often means that we increase the rigor in our classrooms and our expectations of learning on our assessments.” - Maddy Wegleitner, Secondary Learning Specialist

Why do so many SLP Families Opt out of Testing?   Leer en Español  Af-Soomaali ku akhri

Important Information for Families: St. Louis Park High School has a much higher opt-out rate than neighboring districts. When students opt out of testing, they are marked as “not proficient” by the state, significantly lowering apparent proficiency levels. It impacts everything from students’ college-ready scores and understanding of academic progress to school enrollment and public perception.

We encourage SLP families to continue their learning and understanding about standardized tests. 

In the meantime, we want to share our beliefs about standardized tests. 

• They are a small but important part of measuring the effectiveness of teaching.
• They help us understand what teaching strategies and practices are working.
• They help highlight classrooms and schools that are making fantastic progress, and where we need to continue to improve.
• They help hold SLP schools and our district accountable for high quality instruction aligned with state standards.

Parents/guardians have a right to not have their student participate in state required standardized assessments. Minnesota Statutes require the department to provide information about statewide assessments to parents/guardians and include a form to complete if they refuse to have their student participate.

When completed, this form should be returned to Assessment Specialist Dr Becca Starr. Email: starr.rebecca@slpschools.org | Mail: 6425 W 33rd St, St Louis Park, MN 55426

English statewide assessments opt-out form Spanish statewide assessments opt-out form Somali statewide assessments opt-out form

Testing calendar

In St. Louis Park Public Schools, we take every care to protect test security, and understand its value as a public investment to provide reliable and accurate data to inform us about student learning.  If you have any concerns about test security that you wish to report directly to the MN MN Department of Education, please use the following link. 

Minnesota Statewide Test Security Tipline

 

The SAC and Asst. SAC are responsible for reminding staff of the district process for communicating potential security breaches within the school and to the District Assessment Coordinator, as well as providing information on the MDE tip line as an additional option for reporting security concerns. This will be posted on each school’s website, with the testing calendar. 

https://w1.education.state.mn.us/tip/

For the first item above, if any non-district staff such as a parent or MDE test auditor comes to the school during testing, ask for proof of test security training before admitting them to testing areas. If there are questions of any kind, refer them to our district test security procedures and call 952-928-6074 or 952-928-6022.

• Testing guidelines for staff presentation
• Data Sources