By 2017, the state wants Minnesota schools to reduce the academic achievement gap between white students and students of color by 50 percent. On Tuesday schools got a report card on progress being made.
The state Department of Education says nearly two-thirds of schools are on track to meet achievement gap goals. In reading, 43 percent of schools met 2015 targets for students of color. In math it was 41 percent.
Each year schools must help more students reach more challenging targets. Catching up is not easy. Don Pascoe of the Osseo School District compares it to a foot race.
"If you have groups of students that are way behind, they have to grow really fast to catch up," Pascoe said. "If you're in a marathon and you're a mile behind, you're really going to have to pick up the pace to catch up to the folks in front of you, and that's what we have. We have kids that come to our school starting out academically behind."
Pascoe says the district is working diligently on the problem with some success. When it comes to closing the achievement gap, Pascoe says 16 of the district's 24 schools closed the gap more than the state average. He points to a reading program that has helped students progress faster than the state average.
North View becomes "Celebration Eligible"
For one Brooklyn Park Middle School, being in a category called "Celebration Eligible" is a big step. That's just below the highest performing schools.
"North View was a few years ago a priority school and their scores were not where they needed to be," Pascoe says. "They worked very hard and they made some fantastic improvements in math and their math growth scores are what is really lifting them into that celebration eligible area."
North View Middle School's scores did slip this year, but this is the 2nd year the school is in that Celebration Eligible category.
State's full report card
12 News Staff
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Channel 12 is on Comcast cable in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.
