Student proficiency levels in math and reading stayed relatively flat since last year, according to results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests.

Statewide, 45.2% of students met or exceeded standards in math and 49.6% met or exceeded standards in reading, both slightly down from the previous year.

Last year’s test results showed 45.5% of Minnesota students reached grade-level standards in math, while 49.9% tested as proficient in reading.

Science test results will be released in the fall, after the first year of instruction following newly revised academic standards, according to officials with the state Department of Education.

Consistent attendance rates improved this year and have been trending up since 2022. Statewide, 75.5% of students attended at least 90% of the time in the 2023-2024 school year compared to 74.5% in the 2022-23 school year.

St. Paul Public Schools

In St. Paul Public Schools, students’ overall scores improved slightly from those of last year. About 26.6% of students scored proficient in math and 34.8% were proficient in reading. Last year about 26% scored proficient in math while 34.1% were proficient in reading.

Those percentages are based only on students who take the test and receive a valid score. Students who don’t receive a valid score are those who don’t take the test, including those who opt-out or are absent.

For SPPS, 90% of eligible students tested in math and 92% tested in reading.

“We have seen a slight increase in our reading scores and a slight increase in our math scores,” said Andrew Collins, SPPS executive chief of schools. “It’s also kind of very apparent and clear to us that our focus needs to continue to be on, again, our student outcomes and ensuring that each and every one of our students has a strong academic performance and experience in St. Paul Public Schools and that continues to be our focus and our priority.”

Effort to improve attendance

Meanwhile, in the past school year 12 districts participated in a pilot program to improve attendance and state officials are working with those districts to identify which efforts have been most effective, said Michael Diedrich, an education policy specialist with the state Department of Education.

In addition to increased attendance rates, state officials also saw some small decreases in proficiency gaps between different student demographics.

“We’re seeing faster increases for most of our populations of color, for English learners, for students in special education, students eligible for free and reduced price meals,” Diedrich said. “Similarly, when we look at testing data for many of those groups, we are seeing faster rates of growth for students of color and other groups than we are seeing for the state overall. So we are seeing signs that we’re seeing some small closure of gaps over time.”

Other initiatives

Other ongoing education initiatives include the READ Act, signed into law in 2023, teacher recruitment and retention programs and COMPASS, a statewide system to support schools in areas such special education and English language learning.

The READ Act aims to have all Minnesota children reading at or above grade level every year and to support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in their individualized reading goals.

Teachers and instructional support staff began receiving reading instruction training in July 2024, with districts requesting training for more than 30,000 teachers as of January.

Third graders included in Friday’s data entered kindergarten prior to the passage of the READ Act, according to state officials.

Students take the reading and math MCA tests in third through eighth grades and once in high school. Science testing is done in fifth and eighth grades and once in high school.

 

 

“Everyone really needs some love right now.”

Those were the words of Daryl Hall as he addressed a relatively slight audience of 3,217 at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. He knew that he had arrived in a state that’s in a lot of pain after Wednesday’s shooting at a Minneapolis church. So he and his six-piece backing band set out to deliver a set full of sweetness, their bouncy pop built on foundations of funky grooves and the kind of catchy choruses ideal for communal sing-alongs.

Add an inspiring opening set from the Rascals — a vintage rhythm-and-blues-based band whose heyday preceded that of Hall and his former partner, John Oates, by about 15 years — and you have an uplifting show, an evening of sonic salve that deserved a considerably more substantial audience.

Hall and his band stepped in on short notice when the Steve Miller Band canceled its Grandstand show, but it was the audience’s good fortune that the original warmup act, the Rascals, stayed on the bill.

The lone original Rascal was the band’s principal singer and co-songwriter, keyboardist Felix Cavaliere. It was he who set the tone for the evening by addressing the local population’s sorrow before his band played a note, offering consolation in words and in a touching choice for an opening song, “A Ray of Hope,” which Cavaliere and co-Rascal Eddie Brigati wrote to encourage equality advocates disheartened by the killing of Martin Luther King Jr.

At age 82, Cavaliere still has his distinctive rough-edged tenor, which may not still hit all the notes, but the eight-piece band (including three horns) did remarkable justice to such soulful fare as “Groovin’,” “People Got to Be Free” and an exhilarating finale of “Good Lovin’.”

And the 78-year-old Hall proved a fine fit to follow them to the stage, as he was a product of the Philadelphia R&B scene. Sure, his tenor voice can’t soar as high and clearly as it once did, but Hall worked around it by allowing his bandmates to sing the choruses of familiar Hall and Oates tunes while he wound improvisations around them, a tactic from the gospel tradition.

There was a string of Hall and Oates chart toppers from the early ‘80s — “Maneater,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “Rich Girl” and an extended pre-encore jam on “I Can’t Go for That” — but Hall’s passion really emerged on a pair of songs from his solo albums, “Walking in Between Raindrops” and an homage to the music of his youth, “I’m in a Philly Mood,” which he introduced by favorably comparing Philadelphia and Minneapolis as cities that have each produced a unique R&B sound.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

Police in Oak Park Heights arrested a teen who brought a BB gun to the Stillwater Area High School football game on Thursday night.

Students told officers at the game about the young man around 8:30 p.m. after hearing him talk about having a gun, Superintendent Mike Funk wrote in a letter sent to families on Thursday night.

“Officers quickly located the individual, who was found to be carrying a BB gun,” Funk wrote. “The person, who is not from our school community, was taken into custody at the scene.”

A 17-year-old fled on foot from officers after they approached him, but was quickly arrested and taken to the Washington County jail in Stillwater, said Oak Park Heights Police Chief Steve Hansen. “The students reported to law enforcement that there was a verbal altercation involving the suspect male,” he said.

The incident remains under investigation, he said.

The incident occurred a day after a shooter opened fire Wednesday through the windows of Assumption Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 18 people celebrating Mass during the first week of school.

“We recognize that in light of this week’s tragedy, this situation was especially frightening,” Funk wrote. “We are deeply grateful for the swift action of our students, who spoke up right away, and for the rapid response of our local law enforcement. Because of their efforts, the situation was resolved quickly and safely.”

The Ponies lost to the Maple Grove Crimson, 37-17.

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For the third straight year, the Gophers’ offense mustered a slow start in a season opener at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Minnesota was a 17-point favorite against Buffalo, but its inability to finish long drives allowed the Mid-American Conference opponent to hang around in an eventual 23-10 win.

The Gophers had six drives go inside the 25-yard line, but only one ended in a touchdown. They got over that hurdle by scoring before reaching the red zone.

Early in the fourth quarter, Drake Lindsey felt pressure, rolled right and found a wide open Jalen Smith for a 60-yard touchdown. It was the Gophers’ first 60-plus yard touchdown toss since October 2022.

After the one-play touchdown drive, Minnesota stacked up a 16-play drive that consumed nearly 10 minutes to put the game away.

The U’s start was all too familiar. They edged Nebraska 13-10 to start 2023 and fell late in a 19-17 loss to North Carolina to begin last year. The last comfortable win with explosive offensive plays in Game 1? A 38-0 blowout of New Mexico State and Jerry Kill in 2022.

In his first career start, Lindsey completed 19 of 35 passes (54%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. A handful of dropped passes stymied drives, and a weird turnover ended another.

Up 13-3 in the third quarter, Gophers gave up a 40-yard touchdown pass from Ta’Quan Roberson to Victor Snow, whose double move beat U safety Kerry Brown. Given the U’s struggles on offense, any miscue on defense loomed larger.

The Gophers’ offense had four first-half drives reach inside the Buffalo 25-yard line, but two ended in turnovers (downs and interception), while the other two ended in points (touchdown and field goal).

The Gophers were thwarted on a fourth-down, tush-push by Jameson Geers, a tight end under center, being stopped at the line of scrimmage.

But on the next drive, Geers made a leaping grab on a jump ball from Lindsey for a 9-yard touchdown.

The following drive, Lindsey was docked an interception, but it was one of the flukiest turnovers possible. Geers was popped when running a shallow crossing route and was on the ground when Lindsey’s pass hit his foot. It ricocheted up, and linebacker Michell Gonser returned it 54 yards.

Darius Taylor’s shoestring tackle saved a Bulls touchdown and kept four points off the scoreboard once the Bulls made a 36-yard field goal. On offense, Taylor rushed for 141 yards on 30 carries and added four receptions for 36 yards.

Minnesota’s defense had six tackles for lost yards in the first half — the most in a half for the U since 2020 — and Buffalo managed only 66 yards on 26 plays in the first half. They ended with 151 total yards.

Minnesota wide receiver Jalen Smith (8) catches a 60 yard touchdown pass against Buffalo during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
Minnesota defensive lineman Jalen Logan-Redding (97) sacks Buffalo quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson (2) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)

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