Morris Area Superintendent's Report

In 2011, the combined Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD) writing test scores for Morris Area High School ninth graders were five percentage points better than those recorded statewide. In addition, MAHS ninth graders scored nearly two percentage points higher than neighboring comparison districts.The GRAD writing assessment is designed to measure whether a student has attained basic writing skills before graduation. Skills assessed on the writing GRAD include the ability to formulate and communicate a written message in English to an adult reader, according to a press release from the Minnesota Department of Education. In addition to meeting locally developed standards, students must pass GRAD assessments in writing in ninth grade, reading in tenth grade, and mathematics in eleventh grade in order to receive a diploma from a public high school. In late June, the Minnesota Department of Education released the results of the GRAD writing test that was taken by Morris Area High School ninth grade students this past spring. Those results show that 94% of MAHS students passed the test, compared with 89% of the ninth grade students who passed statewide. Morris Area High School ninth grade students consistently score above the state average on this test. In 2008, 95% of all MAHS ninth grade students passed, which was 5 percentage points above the state average. In 2009, the passing rate was 96%, or 7 percentage points above the state average. Last year, 99% of MAHS ninth grade students passed, which was 9 percentage points above the state average. Those failing to pass the GRAD writing test have additional opportunities to retake it through their senior year in high school. The writing assessment, which is graded “passing” or “not passing,” takes into account composition, style, sentence formation, grammar, mechanics and spelling.

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