Minn. District Develops New Process For Evaluating Minority Students

School psychologist Mark Zabel had a problem. Hispanic-American children at Kennedy Elementary School in Willmar, Minn., were performing poorly on placement tests relative to the general student population. While low scores traditionally suggest a need for special education or remedial classes, Zabel knew that many of these students didn't belong there. Standardized tests, once acclaimed as an objective way to compare students with their peers, are now a topic of increasing controversy. Some educators argue that conventional measurement tools cannot be used to compare students with different backgrounds, including ethnicity. Different Challenges For example, many minority students fare poorly on verbal portions of standardized tests because English is their second language. While these students still may require some type of special attention, they face a different set of challenges than do students with learning disabilities. In the Willmar district, the special education staff have long considered criteria that includes standardized tests, classroom performance, teacher evaluations and Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA) to determine whether a child needs special education. However, the child-study team felt that the standardized tests and CBA did not provide appropriate evaluations of the Hispanic children referred to them. They wanted to develop an academic assessment tool that was both accurate and fair for these students. An "Appropriate" Measure Zabel and his team met this objective, using sample populations of minority test scores as the baseline for evaluation standards. The psychologist enters minority data into MINITAB Statistical Software, Release 10 for Windows, where he computes the frequency distribution and cumulative distribution of the test scores. He can then compare individuals' scores to the resulting baseline to determine relative performance. When they initially implemented the process, staff members performed all calculations by hand. Adopting MINITAB has improved both the turnaround time of student placement and the accuracy of the assessments. Raw data came from local students in grades 1 through 8. After Zabel and an assistant entered the data, MINITAB literally did the rest, completing in seconds calculations that once took hours. The software, published by MINITAB, Inc., in State College, Pa., integrates process-control capabilities with a comprehensive set of statistical methods. Users can access a wide variety of Pareto diagrams, Shewhart-type control charts and problem-solving tools. The program runs on over 35 platforms, including minis, mainframes and micros. Among other enhancements, MINITAB 10 offers improved data-import capabilities, more 2D and 3D graphic options, and new tool palettes. Convenient and Reliable "The convenience factor means a lot to us," Zabel says. "And the improved reliability of the data is important too." The results at Willmar are encouraging. The child-study team now can measure minority students' academic progress more accurately, and can identify children's handicaps more easily and confidently. And because the process has been streamlined, students receive assistance that is timely as well as appropriate to their needs.

Featured

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Personalize AI

    Microsoft has introduced a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.