Congratulations to the Pierz students, teachers, parents, and all the staff who persevered through many obstacles (thank you, Covid!) to outperform schools throughout our region on the 2022 State MCA tests.

In general, Minnesota public school students perform among the highest in the nation when it comes to national assessments. At Pierz Schools, our students in grades 3-6 outperformed our fellow Minnesota students. So when we do well on our own MCA tests compared to how Minnesota students are doing, we know we are competing at a high level compared to our nation and even the world.  

Pioneer Pride stands for perseverance, respect, and self-discipline: these tenets are our road map to being successful over the long term. It does not matter whether it is math or music, athletics or agriculture: our expectation is that respectful students and supportive parents— merged with great teaching and coaching— equals success. It is the best formula to bring every day.

This fall as we reviewed our MCA data, we were proud to see the results of hard work and dedication. Looking at the results of students at every grade at Pioneer Elementary School and comparing our math results to all the schools in our region, we are challenged to find any school that performed better in any of the grades. A huge congratulations and thank you to all the teachers, paras, and supportive parents and guardians who joined together to support our students to achieve this outcome. 

The MCA math test measures if children are considered proficient in all of the grade-level standards in math. The percentages in the graph show the percent of the students in each grade who are proficient in all of the standards-based upon that test. 

It should be noted that as grade levels progress, more standards are added, so it is common for the percentages to drop as students increase in grade. It is challenging for educators and students to keep up with the level of new learning required every year. That said, Healy High School 7th and 8th graders consistently perform above the state in math; 11th graders outperformed the state in math this past year; and 8th graders outperformed the state in science as well. 

In order to sustain learning growth into the teenage years, it is critical to have consistency for children in all parts of their lives and critical for the student to always be present and ready to learn every day. We know that both parenting and teaching is never ending and ever-changing. We embrace working together to support the development and growth of students.

Thanks to all in our community who support our children in all areas of their lives.