WILLMAR — Two schools in Willmar and one in Renville will receive additional state services next year based on student performance in statewide assessments.

The list of schools receiving the service, released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Education, includes Wilmer’s Roosevelt Elementary School, Renville County West Elementary School, and Wilmer’s Area Learning Center. The Department also released the updated Minnesota Report Card, which provides information about all school districts and schools in Minnesota.

File photo of Macy Moore / West Central Tribune

The state has identified schools in need of additional assistance based on 2019 and 2022 statewide testing. Pandemic year test scores are given less weight in the calculations.

School board member Heather Mueller said at a news conference Thursday morning that fewer students were tested that year, which could result in artificially higher or lower results. said.

Linda Vanderwerf / West Central Tribune file photo

The state’s Collaborative Minnesota Partnership to Promote Student Success will provide assistance to the listed schools (a total of 371 schools and 15 school district-wide).

COMPASS offers enhanced training for teachers to explore the social/emotional or mental health needs of their district.

The two local elementary schools on the state’s list are among 48 schools receiving comprehensive support for specific student groups (special education students at Roosevelt Elementary School and English learners at RCW Elementary School).

Wilmar’s ALC is on the list alongside 102 other high schools with a four-year graduation rate below 67%. Wilmar High School links with ALC because over 30% of ALC students graduated from high school.

Mueller said high schools are only measured by graduation rates. The state uses service cooperatives and their regional centers of excellence to provide support to schools.

Test scores have dropped during the pandemic, but “we believe in the resilience of our students and the professionalism of our staff,” Muller said.

For alternative high schools that did not meet the graduation criteria, The state will also check to see if academic reasons contribute to the problem and will also review high school referrals and credit accruals related to alternative programs.

The state’s new plan to support schools looks across the school system. If there are problems with high school test scores, the district’s elementary and middle schools may be evaluated to investigate problems affecting the scores of older students.

Mueller said he hopes states will be proactive by getting involved early in the education process, rather than reacting after test scores are known.

In the case of high schools, it might be understandable that some high schools have low early graduation rates, but the state wants graduation rates to improve over time, Mueller said.

ALC’s graduation rate has improved over time as students are allowed to continue attending school until they are 21 years old. % in 2018 to his 58.8% in 2021.

Alternative high schools often have students who do not thrive in traditional school settings for a variety of reasons. Some may find their education interrupted and strayed off the four-year path to graduation.

In a report to the Wilmar School Board last year, Director of Education and Learning Carrie Thomas explained to the board how graduation rates change over time.

The extra time helps students whose education has been interrupted in some way, and helps students arriving from other countries who may not speak English or have little formal education.

The school has not changed its graduation requirements for students who continue to study, Thomas said.

“I want that diploma to mean something,” she said.