Posted 8/23/01 Rush City students make improvements on state tests By MaryHelen Swanson Rush City elementary students in grades three and five made significant improvements this year in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests, according to information that was presented at the Aug. 14 regular school board meeting. A year ago the district had been identified as ìneeding improvementî by the state and, reacting to this label, the elementary staff shifted the emphasis and ìgot good resultsî according to Superintendent Tim Eklund. ìIt looks like weíre on the right path when it comes to MCA scores, thatís a positive,î said Eklund. The target score for 5th-grade math this year was 1358.93 and the Rush City students score average was 1439. Likewise, the 5th-grade target score for reading was 1401.82 and the actual score was 1521. In writing, the adequate yearly progress computations (AYP) target score was 1420 and Rush City 5th graders had an actual AYP of 1585. Eklund noted that the district must keep up this progress in 5th-grade math for two years in order to get off the ìneeds improvementî list. Eklund commended Principal Vern Koep and his staff for the significant improvement in a short timeframe. He said the district believes it now has a good foundation for achievement on these tests. He also reminded everyone that the MCA tests measure the high end of learning. ©Post Review