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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, why mosquito numbers could surge mid-summer. We look at how state tests may be failing some students and schools. And a Minnesota tribe is betting on the future. I'm Chantel SinGs.
Dry weather in March means fewer spring mosquitoes. But last year's above-average rainfall could bring them back in big numbers by July. Cattail mosquitoes, a species that hasn't been seen in large numbers for a few years, are expected to return this summer. They emerge around the 4th of July after spending the winter in wetlands and could reach levels not seen since 2020. Experts remind you to check your yard frequently and get rid of anything that could hold water. That's because water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Up next, standardized tests are a familiar part of the school year, but what happens when a growing number of students aren't taking them? Reporter Katharine DeCell with more.
Kristy Drollinger: In Bloomington, if you look at our school proficiency scores, our school performance scores have been going down, and part of the reason for that is we have all of these kids who don't take the tests.
Katharine DeCelle: That's Kristy Drollinger, a parent of three kids in the Bloomington public school district talking about Minnesota's comprehensive assessment tests, or MCAs. MCAs are statewide tests that measure student progress in reading, math and science.
Kristy Drollinger: I am increasingly hearing, "None of my friends have to take MCAs. Why do I?"
Katharine DeCelle: In recent years, many parents are opting out of having their kids take the standardized MCA tests due to test anxiety or the false notion that these test scores don't matter.
Kristy Drollinger: There actually is an implication for the school. If your student opts out of the test, those scores are part of what prospective parents who are thinking about moving into our district see as the way our schools get evaluated. It matters for our school.
Katharine DeCelle: Currently, students who opt out of the MCA tests receive a zero, inaccurately lowering school scores. A proposed bill aims to change this by only including the scores of students who take the test.
Dr. Julio Caesar: We asked the commissioner to other education to amend the state's accountability plan in a way that provides alternative options for meeting the ESSA requirement to address nonparticipation.
Katharine DeCelle: Dr. Julio Caesar is the executive director of research evaluation assessment at Bloomington public schools, who testified in March at the Minnesota legislature's Committee on Education Policy.
Dr. Julio Caesar: Opt-out rates have risen dramatically in recent years in Bloomington high schools. So opt-out rates exceed 50% in 2021 and in recent years, over 20% of students have opted out.
Katharine DeCelle: Dr. Eric Melby, superintendent of Bloomington public schools, testified that not only do counting the scores of students who opt out of MCAs hurt the public perception of the school, it also affects the staff.
Dr. Eric Melby: Students opting out of MCA testing can negatively impact staff morale. When scores are driven down by students who do not participate, it creates an inaccurate perception of staff effectiveness and leads to discouragement.
Katharine DeCelle: Kristy Drollinger is hopeful that new legislation will change the current evaluation of MCA testing methods.
Kristy Drollinger: We should be talking to the legislature. We should be changing the way this works. Our administration is working to try to do something different.
Katharine DeCelle: The proposed changes did not make it through this legislative session. Those hoping for change will have to try again in 2026. For North Star Stories, I'm Katharine DeCelle.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
There may be a new casino coming to Moorhead. The White Earth Nation wants to build a casino and convention center on 280 acres of farmland it recently purchased near Moorhead. Tribal leadership recently met with the two city councils and a county commission seeking their support and public input for the project. The proposed casino would include 12 hundred slot machines, twelve table games, and employ more than 5 hundred people. The Tribe still faces several more hurdles at the state and federal level, which means if approved, the new casino is still several years from becoming a reality.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.