State Board of Education hears changes to Accredited with Distinction

(From the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

The State Board of Education heard an update during Tuesday’s State Board meeting regarding proposed criteria for districts to be classified as “Accredited with Distinction.”

Under the proposal, districts must earn at least 90 percent of the points possible on the current Annual Performance Report (APR), and APR status scores for all standards must be “On Track” or “2020 Target.” The classification will be made using each year’s APR from the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5) which includes the following standards:

• Academic Achievement

• Subgroup Achievement

• College and Career Readiness (K-12 Districts)

• High School Readiness (K-8 Districts)

• Attendance

• Graduation Rate

Being classified as “Accredited with Distinction” is one of the highest honors a district can receive.

“We have a duty to provide Missouri students with the best education possible,” said Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. “The proposal raises the bar and recognizes outstanding districts for their academic achievement.”

The Department also recommended a task force be implemented to develop a system that would recognize districts and schools that are using innovative or exemplary practices that lead to sustained high performance, significant improvement in student performance or significant gains in subgroup performance.

The Department originally presented criteria for “Accredited with Distinction” in September of 2013 when the State Board asked for further review by the Department. The criteria presented during Tuesday’s meeting focuses on performance standards and is based on feedback received from committee members, school districts and other stakeholders. The State Board is expected to vote on the proposal at its September meeting.

New standards for “Accredited with Distinction” are a step toward meeting the first goal of the Department’s Top 10 by 20 campaign to place Missouri students’ performance among the top 10 performing states in education by 2020.