Bill Green says test scores a concern in final 'State of the Schools' speech

Bill Green
Minneapolis Schools superintendent Bill Green delivers the 'State of the Schools' speech at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Tom Weber

Minneapolis schools are on the cusp of seeing higher test scores, but a large achievement gap remains.

That was the message this morning from superintendent Bill Green during his final 'State of the Schools' speech.

While scores in Minneapolis have improved in most student groups, white students still far outperform students of colors and English Language learners.

In fact, based on ACT scores, just 1 percent of Minneapolis ELL students are considered "ready for college." But Green says he expects changes that were made to ELL in recent years will translate to improved scores in the future.

"Some of our ELL populations come from culture where literacy is non-existent," Green said. "So, we've had a lot of things to do, but we're learning how to be effective in developing partnerships in those communities. And so, the test scores are a concern."

For Green, this was his final State of the Schools speech - he's stepping down as superintendent after this school year.

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