Minnesota Department of Education :

Best Academy Enters Q Comp Program

Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that Best Academy will become the 24th charter school to implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $62,400 in total revenue for the 2008-09 school year for implementation.

“We welcome Best Academy into this nation-leading education reform initiative,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “Q Comp provides a modern and professional compensation system, as well as the opportunity for teachers to enhance and improve their skills, which can lead to increased student achievement.”

“Whether it’s the Best Academy’s extended day, extended year, or STEM focus, every action item we present to our board has student moral, academic, and social achievement in mind,” said Eric Mahmoud, Best Academy Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “The Q-Comp plan has increased the incentive for teachers to grow professionally through pay for performance, teacher advancement opportunities and high quality staff development opportunities.” Read news release.

Harvest Prep Academy Opts for Q Comp

Minnesota Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren also announced today that Harvest Prep Academy will become the 25th charter school toimplement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $130,520 in total revenue for the 2008-09 school year for implementation.

“We welcome Harvest Prep Academy into this nation-leading education reform initiative,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “Q Comp provides a modern and professional compensation system, as well as the opportunity for teachers to enhance and improve their skills, which can lead to increased student achievement.”

“Harvest Prep has had ten years of academic, moral and social successes for African American children, with more than 40 percent of our students making exceptional growth in reading and math on the MCA II,” said Dr. Callie Lalugba, Principal. “The Q-Comp plan allows our school to target teacher advancement opportunities and high-quality staff development opportunities that will continue to improve on our success.” Read news release.

Shared Services Proposal to Reduce Costs for Schools

Governor Tim Pawlenty and key legislators today announced a bipartisan proposal that will require Minnesota school districts and charter schools to combine efforts to reduce costs. The proposal will compel schools to pool limited resources in order to deliver more cost-effective services, redirect administrative costs, and reduce duplication.

The Governor joined with Senator Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), Senator Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista), Senator David Hann (R-Eden Prairie), Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley), Rep. Carol McFarlane (R-White Bear Lake), and Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) to introduce the proposal.

“There are 340 school districts and 150 charter schools in the state, but back-room functions don’t need to be duplicated 490 times,” Governor Tim Pawlenty said. “Shared services will allow Minnesota schools to focus resources where they are needed the most – in the classroom and on improving student achievement.” Read full news release on the Governor's Website.

Department of Education Releases Minnesota Growth Model

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) today released a new tool designed to help parents and educators track overall student progress toward academic proficiency in math and reading. The new Minnesota Growth Model follows students’ progress from year-to-year in order to better determine whether they are gaining and retaining skills.

“The Minnesota Department of Education is committed to providing parents and educators with the tools and information they need to help better prepare every Minnesota student for success after high school,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “We have developed the easy-to-understand Minnesota Growth Model to better measure student proficiency in key areas.”

Read the full news release.

View the statewide growth models.

Visit the School Report Card Web page; lookup your school or district. 

Cyber Village Academy Enters Q Comp

Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that Cyber Village Academy will become the 23rd charter school to implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $29,900 in total revenue for the 2008-09 school year for implementation.

“We welcome Cyber Village Academy (CVA) into this nation-leading education reform initiative,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “Q Comp provides a modern and professional compensation system, as well as the opportunity for teachers to enhance and improve their skills, which can lead to increased student achievement.”

“As Cyber Village Academy enters its second decade, Q Comp funding supports will continue the development of the school as a high quality charter school,” said school director David Alley. “Its "hybrid" program for grades 3-8 is truly unique – offering on-site learning three days each week and online learning two days each week.” Read news release.

Mahtomedi District Enters Q Comp Program

Education Deputy Commissioner Chas Anderson announced that the Mahtomedi School District will become the 44th district to implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school district will receive $812,240 in total revenue for implementation in the 2008-09 school year.

“I commend Mahtomedi School District on their decision to participate in this important education reform,” said Deputy Commissioner Anderson. “Doing so will give the district’s teachers an opportunity to enhance their skills and participate in real-time, research-based professional development, which will help raise student achievement.” Read news release.

Minnesota Students Perform Well on International Math and Science Assessment

A preliminary analysis of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows that Minnesota students are performing very well in math and science compared to students from other nations. The Minnesota Department of Education and SciMath Minnesota (SciMathMN) released TIMSS data today that also indicates Minnesota students made significant improvements in 4th-grade math since 1995.

“We can be proud that Minnesota students performed well compared to students from many nations,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “The results of this international assessment confirm that we must continue with our efforts to increase academic rigor for students and professional development for educators in math and science.” Read news release. Review the analysis.

Free GED Online Preparation for Minnesota Students

The Minnesota Department of Education announced a new online instructional program for Minnesotans who are preparing for their General Educational Development Diploma (GED). GED-i, a nationally-recognized and teacher-facilitated service, is free to Minnesota students.

“This is an important resource for people who are working toward their GED diploma,” said Commissioner Seagren. “For many Minnesotans, transportation, child care and work obligations have kept them from going to class to prepare for the GED test. This new program will make GED preparation much more accessible.” Read news release.

Governor Pawlenty Appoints Ten to Advisory Council on Early Childhood

Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Sarah Caruso, Dr. Andy Chen, Ph.D., Stephanie Corradi, Tom Holton, Julie Leslie, Dr. Joseph Nathan, Ph.D., Dr. Arthur Reynolds, Ph.D., Maureen Seiwert, Sandra Simar, and Julie Sjordal to the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care.

In addition to appointed members, federal law requires designees from the Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Department of Human Services and the State Director of Head Start Collaboration. Karen Klinzing, Assistant Commissioner, will represent the Department of Education, Chuck Johnson, Assistant Commissioner, will represent the Department of Human Services; and Mary Vanderwert, State Director of Head State Collaboration, will serve on the council.

Governor Pawlenty created the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care by Executive Order 08-14. Federal law authorizes the creation and assigns responsibilities to the advisory council. The council consists of 18 members, including 14 appointed by the Governor. Read news release on the Governor's Website.

Congratulations 2009 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year!

It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Minnetonka School District Superintendent Dennis Peterson on being named the 2009 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. It is always a joy for me to acknowledge the exceptional achievements of Minnesota education administrators.

I want to thank Superintendent Peterson for his strong commitment to student achievement and establishing himself as one of the vital leaders in education in our state. - Education Commissioner Alice Seagren

Department Launches New Math and Science Teacher Academy Web section

The Minnesota Mathematics and Science Teacher Academy was created to improve mathematics and science instruction and learning through ongoing, quality professional development statewide. A result of Governor Pawlenty’s efforts to improve teacher effectiveness, especially in the areas of math and science, funding for the program was approved during the 2007 legislative session. The focus of this round of funding is to develop teaching modules in mathematics and train teacher leaders to use the modules in their classrooms as they implement the math standards. More than 1,000 teachers from across the state are currently part of the Academy.

Visit the department's new Math and Science Teacher Academy Website section for more information and to view the mathematics modules. 

Governor Pawlenty Unveils Education Reform Initiatives

Governor Tim Pawlenty today unveiled initiatives to improve teaching, increase accountability for academic results, and provide intensive intervention for 8th graders struggling in math and reading. 

“Besides parents, the quality of teachers is the most important factor in determining whether students will be successful at school,” Governor Pawlenty said.  “Minnesota is blessed with some of the best teachers in the country and we appreciate our teachers.  With these proposals, we will lead the nation in improving teacher effectiveness.” Read news release.

Minnesota Standards and Assessments Approved Under No Child Left Behind

The U.S. Department of Education has given full approval to Minnesota's standards and assessments under No Child Left Behind.

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren noted this system of academic transparency gives parents and educators "tools that gauge how well our students are learning the Minnesota Academic Standards" and "provides the basis to make instructional adjustments so all students are prepared for success after high school." Read news release.

Department of Education Releases 2008 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Data

The Minnesota Department of Education today released 2008 data regarding Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Of 1,920 Minnesota schools earning an AYP status in 2008, 983 schools made AYP compared to 1,191 schools in 2007. There were 937 schools that did not make AYP in 2008, up from 727 schools in 2007. Thirty-one schools provided insufficient data. Minnesota currently has 197 Title I schools in need of improvement, which will be providing additional options and services to students.

The increase in schools not making AYP is the result of only slight improvements in proficiency and the increases in the reading and math AYP targets required to meet the federal government’s requirement of 100 percent proficient by 2014.

“Minnesota is committed to preparing every Minnesota student for success after high school,” said Alice Seagren, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Education. “AYP can be used as a vital tool for moving forward with that goal.” Read news release. View Your School's 2008 AYP data. Review the 2008 AYP Summary.

Increasing Awareness of Military Issues Within Minnesota Schools

Thousands of Minnesotans serve our country in the military and in turn, thousands of military families and children are impacted by their service. As leaders in education, we want every educator to know that children in their classrooms and schools may be affected by the military service of a parent or family member.

The Minnesota Department of Education has partnered with Governor Pawlenty’s Yellow Ribbon Task Force and other educational organizations to increase awareness of military issues within Minnesota schools. As part of this effort, we are making available informational resources for military children, families and educators.