Helping your children prepare for MCA II testing

By T. Joseph Vieau Jr.
Assistant Delano High School Principal/District Curriculum Director
The state MCA II testing season is nearly upon us. The Minnesota Department of Education will be conducting
2009 statewide testing beginning in April. This testing will include reading for students in grades 3‐8 and 10
and math for grades 3‐8 and 11. Additional testing will be in writing at grade 9 and science in grades 5, 8, and
after life science in the high school. As testing draws near, you may be interested in locating some resources
for your student(s) in order to optimize their results. The following is information regarding two websites your
students can use.
The first website is a site constructed by Pearson Inc., who is the test writing company. They have put together
a site that allows your students to use practice material. If your student has taken the reading and/or math
test in the past, they have been given a “Learning Locator” number. This number is on your student’s last test
results report which was sent out last summer. In the event that you have misplaced this document, please
email me and I will contact you with this information. Perspective is accessed through the following link:
http://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/mn/educator/
The materials at this site are completely aligned with the state standards since this is published by the same
company as the writers of the test.
Another site to visit with good information can be found at the Pioneer Press Newspapers In Education
website. Their address is: www.ppnie.com. They have compiled a set of questions for each grade level in each
subject. Once at this site, follow the instructions to “It’s Testing Time” to access the materials.
The testing season can be a terrific time for our students. The entire district is working very hard to ensure
that your student is properly prepared to be successful on these upcoming tests. The aforementioned
websites can provide you and your student with another opportunity to perform even better. Delano Public
Schools takes great pride in our test results and will continue to exhaust all possibilities to maintain the
tradition of educational excellence. That is our foremost goal. Thank you for taking the time to explore these
options and may your students perform to their optimal potential.