State assessment results provide important information about student learning, and Cambridge-Isanti Schools is committed to using that information to strengthen teaching and learning for every student.

The 2025–26 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) results show both areas where continued improvement is needed and important areas of success across our district.

Districtwide, 40.8% of Cambridge-Isanti students met or exceeded state standards in math, compared with 42.2% statewide. In reading, 40.2% of district students met or exceeded standards, compared with 46.2% statewide.

These results are not as high as we want them to be. Increasing the number of students who meet and exceed grade-level standards remains an important focus for Cambridge-Isanti Schools.

At the same time, looking more closely at the results gives us additional information about student progress and areas of strength.

A positive math indicator

In math, 60.2% of Cambridge-Isanti students increased their achievement level or maintained performance at Partially Meets Standards or higher, compared with 54.9% statewide.

This measure is not a traditional year-to-year growth rate. Instead, it tells us the percentage of students who either moved to a higher math achievement level or maintained performance at Partially Meets Standards or above.

It provides one additional way to understand how students are progressing beyond the overall proficiency percentage.

Areas of strength among student groups

Several Cambridge-Isanti student groups also exceeded the performance of their corresponding statewide student groups.

Among students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, 31.3% met or exceeded math standards compared with 24.1% of the same student group statewide. In reading, 33.6% met or exceeded standards compared with 29.6% statewide. This group also exceeded its statewide comparison on the math maintain-or-improve indicator, 52.4% to 39.2%.

Cambridge-Isanti's English learner students also exceeded statewide English learner achievement rates. In math, 22.5% met or exceeded standards compared with 19.2% statewide. In reading, 24.5% met or exceeded standards compared with 20.8% statewide. On the math maintain-or-improve indicator, Cambridge-Isanti English learners were at 49.4% compared with 34.8% statewide.

These results do not mean every measure for these student groups is where we want it to be. They do show areas where local students are performing above the statewide comparison and provide important information for educators as we examine what is working and where additional support is needed.

There are additional areas of strength within individual schools and other student groups. We use those results internally to study instructional practices, identify patterns and determine what we may be able to strengthen or apply more broadly across the district.

Understanding the 2026 reading results

This year's reading results are based on a new state assessment.

Minnesota introduced the Reading MCA-IV in 2026, aligned with updated state academic standards. The updated standards place greater emphasis on comprehension, analysis and higher-order thinking skills, including drawing conclusions, summarizing and making inferences.

This is important because students are not simply taking a new version of the previous assessment. They are being assessed against updated expectations using a new assessment.

As a result, the 2026 Reading MCA-IV results establish a new baseline. They should not be interpreted as a direct increase or decrease from 2025 Reading MCA-III results.

The 2026 results still provide important information. They tell us how students are performing in relation to Minnesota's new reading standards and how Cambridge-Isanti performance compares with students statewide under the same new assessment.

Future Reading MCA-IV results will allow us to examine trends over time using the same assessment system.

One assessment is one part of the picture

MCA results provide a statewide snapshot of student performance at one point in time. They are valuable because they show how students are performing in relation to Minnesota academic standards and allow us to compare local patterns with statewide results.

They are not the only information educators use to understand student learning. 

Teachers do not wait for annual state assessment results to determine how students are progressing. Throughout the year, they use standards-aligned classroom assessments, common assessments, FastBridge and other evidence of learning to understand what students know and what they need next.

Teachers regularly come together in Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, to review student learning, share instructional strategies and determine next steps.

They ask four central questions:

What do we want students to learn? How will we know if they learned it? How will we respond when they need additional support? And how will we extend learning when students are ready for more?

This ongoing process gives educators information they can act on while learning is taking place.

For English learners, educators also use language-development measures such as WIDA alongside academic information. These measures answer different questions and help educators understand both academic learning and progress toward English-language proficiency.

Turning results into action

Cambridge-Isanti Schools will continue to examine the 2025–26 results closely.

That means looking beyond a single district percentage to examine patterns across grades, student groups and schools. It means identifying areas where results are stronger, understanding what may be contributing to those outcomes and looking honestly at areas where students need additional support.

The district uses established continuous-improvement processes to move from data to action.

Our educators review evidence together, adjust instruction and intervention, monitor student progress and determine whether those changes are having the intended effect.

The newly released MCA and North Star results become another source of information within that ongoing work.

Our goal is not to focus only on the measures that look strongest, nor to allow one measure to define our students or schools.

Our goal is to understand the full picture.

The 2025–26 results show that overall MCA achievement is not yet where we want it to be. They also show areas where Cambridge-Isanti students are maintaining or improving performance and where particular student groups exceed statewide comparisons.

Both are important.

We will continue to examine what is working, address what is not and build on effective practices as we work toward greater academic growth and achievement for every learner.

Our goal remains clear: ensure every student makes meaningful academic progress while increasing the number of students who meet and exceed grade-level standards.