MCA Testing at the High School
As winter turns to spring, New Prague High School turns its thoughts toward the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. This year's tests will take place during the months of April and May. These tests are administered to determine how New Prague High School is preparing their students on the standards taught in the state of Minnesota. These tests are also part of the federal No Child Left Behind Law and are also required for graduating from a Minnesota High School. These tests are one part of the educational process preparing students for post secondary and career readiness success at New Prague High School.

Tests that are required for graduation include ninth grade GRAD Written Composition, tenth grade MCAII Reading, and eleventh grade MCAII Mathematics. Of these three tests, students must pass the written and reading assessments. Students are required to attempt the MCAII Math assessment three times if they do not achieve a passing score on each assessment. If a student receives a passing score on the first or second attempt, they do not have to retake the test the remaining times. Previous to taking the second and third attempt, students must complete a remediation course before the next attempt. If students do fail the test three times and have completed the remediation course they will graduate, but their transcript will indicate that they did not meet the state requirements. Students are also required to take the tenth grade Science test and must also pass 56 credits to receive a New Prague High School Diploma.

During the fall workshop of each school year, where MCA assessments are administered, teachers develop an action plan to be used in their classroom to prepare students for these tests. These action plans include such things as: embedding MCA test question within their classroom tests, bell ringer activities specific to MCA questions, reviews leading up to the tests, and testing strategies to ensure success. A few other things that happen include mini workshops presented within the Language Arts Department, testing strategies on Moodle sites, and class meetings held to provide motivation for students to do well on these tests. New Prague High School believes that the interventions mentioned above, provide a strong foundation to allow our students to have success on these tests.

Below are the testing dates for the 2010-2011 School Year:
April 12	GRAD Written Composition	9th Grade
April 12	Reading	10th Grade Segments 1 and 2
April 13	Reading	10 Grade Segments 3 and 4
April 12	Mathematics	11th Grade Segments 1 and 2
April 13	Mathematics	11th Grade Segments 3 and 4
May 16	Science	10th Grade
May 17	Science	10th Grade

New Prague High School takes the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests very seriously and encourages parents to help prepare their students for these tests. For students to have success on these tests, it is important they get a good night's sleep and a protein packed breakfast. Studies show that students that are rested and properly fed perform better on tests. We also encourage parents not to make appointments or plan vacations around the testing dates. These assessments are important to us and your students and provide us feedback as to how we are preparing your students for the future.