Every year in April, students statewide in grades 3 - 8 and grade 11 are required to take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA exam presented by the state. Please use this page as a resource guide to help you better understand what the MCA exam is, what will be on the exam, and how to better prepare your child for it. The Minnesota Dept. of Education has a Parent Information site that offers additional explanation about the exams, how they are scored, and suggestions for how to prepare students for them. The Dept. of Education also has a list of Item Samplers to help students practice material in a form very similar to how it will be presented on the actual exams. Pearson Education administers and maintains the statewide exams. They have a website named Perspective that offers families additional study resources and information regarding the MCA exams.