Curriculum & Assessment

Rush City Schools Curriculum
Curriculum refers to written plans which guide student learning experiences leading to the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.  In Rush City Schools, teachers develop, revise, and implement curriculum in content areas according to a ten-year curriculum cycle to match the Minnesota Standards review process.  All Graduation Standards policies and procedures are contained on board policies  #613 and #621 which are available on the District website.
Local Literacy Plan

Rush City School District Assessment Calendar

Minnesota Department of Education has set forth a new requirement to provide detailed information about the district wide assessments given to our students. If after reading the information you have any questions, please feel free to contact your building principal or superintendent. We are more than happy to visit with you about our assessment calendar.


Alicia Nelson CE Jacobson Principal 320-358-4724
Coleman McDonough HS Principal 320-358-4795
Brent Stavig Superintendent 320-358-4855
Mary Kurvers Curriculum Instruction and Assessment Coordinator 320-358-4724

The state required test for Minnesota students is the MCA III (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment). The assessment is given one time a year in the spring. The purpose of the test is to gather summative information about school wide performance, measure student achievement improvements over time, and to identify any achievement gaps by demographics.


Rush City Assessment Calendar (click on link below)

2024-25 Asssessment Calendar

 

The amount of time spent on the MCA III assessments varies by grade and subject areas.  It is important to note the assessments are not timed and therefore will vary by student. Science assessments take between 1.75 and 2 hours; Reading assessments take between 2.5 and 3.5 hours; Math assessments take between 2.5 and 3.5 hours including time to explain all directions. 

Other state required assessments include the WIDA ACCESS for students enrolled in English Language Learning.  The WIDA ACCESS is given at all grade levels to students in an ELL program.  Reading and language proficiency are measured by the WIDA ACCESS and ranges in time for the student to complete from 45 up to 170 minutes.

MCA III data as mentioned, is summative data, and used to measure school successes and improvements.  The data comes in the summer and therefore does not provide timely instructional information for our teachers.  It is for this reason Rush City schools also assesses our students with an additional tool called FastBridge.  All students in grades K-8 and some students in grades 9-12 will participate in the Fast Reading and Fast Math assessments. Fast assessments are not timed, adjust to individual student instructional level, and provide valuable instructional information for our teachers in the Fall and Winter.  We then use the data from the Spring tests to assess instructional growth across the span of the academic year.

The ACT is offered to students in their junior year.  They are tested on Math, Reading and Writing.  Many of our students use the results to support college and career decisions. Taking the ACT is encouraged for all students, yet is optional. There is a fee for this assessment. 

Once again, we encourage all parents with questions or concerns about the district wide assessments administered in Rush City to contact your principal or superintendent.

State Assessment Parent Guide and Form - Any parent that does not wish to have their student complete a state assessment must complete this form and return it to the school office prior to the beginning of testing.  Please see the Assessment Calendar above to verify those dates.