Will a new school accountability system finally close Minnesota’s achievement gap?

Aug 30, 2018

Pioneer Press, Christopher Magan

No matter how the state measures school performance, one thing remains clear — Minnesota has one of the nation’s largest academic achievement gaps.

The Minnesota Department of Education will unveil a new method for grading schools Thursday, called the North Star accountability system, but the results are largely the same. Students of color, and those who are learning English, who have special needs or who come from low-income families routinely struggle academically compared with their peers.