Big changes are coming to the way Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment math tests are taken.

Austin Public School officials revealed during a report on curriculum developments, assessments and student achievement at Monday’s board meeting that third through eighth-graders may take the MCA math test up to three times next year.

John Alberts, educational services director, said Minnesota Department of Education officials confirmed elementary and middle school students can take the MCA III math test up to three times during a three-month period between Feb. 6 and May 18 next spring. The rationale behind taking the test up to three times is to show school officials where a student is faltering so staff know which targeted services to provide.

That’s welcome news for educators, according to Alberts.

“We just got our math results (from last year) now,” he told the board. “It doesn’t help us in that juncture.”

District officials will be able to submit the best score out of a possible three tries in a given year. Alberts said district officials just found out the news Monday and will be discussing how to decide whether a student must retake the online-only test in the coming weeks.

The new testing procedure is made possible since MDE officials switched testing vendors, with the new vendor supposedly offering online test results almost immediately, according to Alberts.

Austin will play guinea pig to a few other MCA changes this year. Southgate Elementary School, Ellis Middle School and Austin High School were selected to test the new MCA reading test, which is set to go online next year, Alberts said.