Dakota Times

During the 2022-23 school year, 4,899 students from 8th grade took the math portion of the MCA in Dakota County, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

They scored an average of 846, with 43.2% of them considered proficient in the subject.

Data shows that Dakota County students from 3rd grade had the best math performance on the test, marking a score of 353 and a proficiency rate of 61.8%.

At the other end of the educational spectrum, 7th grade students scored in the lowest proficiency of the math portion of the MCA, when 40% of them were considered proficient in the subject with an average score of 746.

The number of Dakota County students taking the math portion of the MCA in the 2022-23 school year rose 2.2% from the previous school year.

The MCA is given annually to Minnesota students to determine the academic readiness of students. Not every grade is tested each year, and the scoring scale varies by grade level. These differing score brackets reflect the varying complexity and expectations at different educational stages.

Analysis from the the Nation's Report Card showed math and reading scores have fallen significantly in the last decade. Science scores have been steady in recent years.

Grade	Number of Students Tested	Considered proficient in Math (%)
3	5,027	61.8%
4	5,057	59.8%
5	5,051	48.3%
6	4,832	40.8%
7	4,811	40%
8	4,899	43.2%
11	4,439	40.8%