Why were Pinewood and Riverside Central elementary schools cited by the state?
Pinewood and Riverside Central students did not meet the Minnesota Department of Education’s yearly progress goals, linked to the federal No Child Left Behind mandate. The benchmarks, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, require certain percentages of a school’s population to pass state tests in reading and math. School populations are separated into eight groups, including racial and socio-economic categories. If one of the groups does not make AYP, the school is cited. Pinewood Elementary was cited for reading proficiency among Hispanic, black and English-language learning students. Riverside Central Elementary was cited for reading proficiency among black, English-language learning and low-income students. Math proficiency also lagged among low-income students. Were other schools in Rochester cited? Yes. Thirteen of Rochester’s schools were cited in all. Nearly half of Minnesota’s schools statewide were cited. If other schools were cited, why were these two schools penalized? Pinewood
