When the Minnesota Department of Education released its 2008 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment data last month, education officials touted the big increase in reading proficiency among 10th graders.

The state reported a 9 percent proficiency increase among high school sophomores, resulting in 71 percent of students meeting or exceeding state reading standards.

Perhaps more impressive, 75 percent of Minnesota’s 10th-grade students also met the state’s new, more rigorous, reading graduation requirement on the first attempt.

The Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma replaced the state’s Basic Skills Test, which had been administered from 1997 to 2005. Math and reading tests were given in eighth grade and writing in 10th grade.

Embedded into the 10th-grade reading MCA-II test, the new reading test includes questions for both the MCA-II reporting data and specific GRAD questions.

Students pass the graduation requirement in two ways — either by earning a proficient score on MCA-II or by earning a passing score on the GRAD component.

Read more in the July 10 Independent Review.