On Tuesday, April 3, all sophomores at the Owatonna High School will be taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) for reading, and on Thursday, April 26, they will be taking the science portion of the MCA test. Throughout the last month, sophomores have been given opportunities to prepare for the important test. Many students have attended the academic support sessions that the school has provided for them every Wednesday and Friday. In the sessions, they are taught a variety of different strategies on how to approach and evaluate each problem.

The purpose of these standardized tests is to evaluate each student’s abilities compared to the Minnesota academic standards. The results can be used to make informed curriculum decisions at the district and school level, evaluate instruction at the classroom level and demonstrate student academic progress from year to year.

Students have also taken online practice tests that are very similar to the actual MCA tests. The sample tests are used to familiarize students and their teachers with how the content is assessed by providing examples of the format and types of questions students could possibly encounter. It would also behoove students to take these tests. After that – get a good night of sleep for two nights before the test, eat a wholesome breakfast on the day of the test and give 100 percent.