Why does participation matter?

A statewide assessment is just one measure of your student’s achievement, but your student’s participation is important to
understand how effectively the education at your student’s school is aligned to the academic standards.
• In Minnesota’s implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, a student not participating in the statewide
assessments will not receive an individual score and for the purpose of school and district accountability calculations,
including opportunities for support and recognition, will not be considered “proficient.”
• Students who receive a college-ready score on the high school MCA are not required to take a remedial, noncredit course
at a Minnesota State college or university in the corresponding subject area, potentially saving the student time and
money.
• Educators and policy makers use information from assessments to make decisions about resources and support provided.
• Parents and the general public use assessment information to compare schools and make decisions about where to
purchase a home or to enroll their children.
• School performance results that are publicly released and used by families and communities, are negatively impacted if
students do not participate in assessments.
• English learners not taking ACCESS or Alternate ACCESS for ELLs will not receive a score to meet English learner program
exiting criteria.