Ninety-eight percent of Missouri school districts fully accredited

(From the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

Missouri educators and students worked hard to meet state standards, according to the Annual Performance Reports (APR) released on Friday.

More than 98 percent of districts in the state scored at least 70 percent of the possible points on their APR, which places those districts in the fully accredited range.

“We are pleased that Missouri public schools are meeting state standards while expectations continue to increase,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “As a state, it is imperative that we continue to focus on high quality education in every school so that ALL Missouri children graduate from high school ready for post secondary success.”

The reports are used to show how well school districts are meeting Missouri’s education standards under the state’s accountability system, the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 5.

More than 61 percent of districts received at least 90 percent of the possible points, an increase of nearly 15 percent from 2014. Thirty-five districts received the maximum number of points possible. Overall, districts and charter schools continue to show progress on graduation rates, attendance rates and college and career readiness measures.

MSIP 5 is used to distinguish the performance of schools and districts in valid, accurate and meaningful ways so that districts in need of improvement can receive appropriate supports and interventions. The APR outlines performance based on five standards for K-12 districts and charter schools:

1. Academic achievement

2. Subgroup achievement (includes students receiving free/reduced price lunch, African American and Hispanic students, English Language Learners and students with disabilities)

3. High school readiness (K-8 districts) and College and Career Readiness (K-12 districts)

4. Attendance rate

5. Graduation rate (K-12 districts)

Charter schools receive APR scores but do not receive a classification. Twenty-seven percent of charter schools scored at least 90 percent of the possible points, an increase of 15 percent from 2014. Overall 19 out of 34 charter schools scored at least 70 percent of the points possible.

To fairly accommodate recent modifications to Missouri’s assessment system, districts were given the option of using their English language arts and math data from 2014 or 2015 when calculating academic and subgroup achievement scores.

Under MSIP 5, a school district’s score on three consecutive APRs, along with other factors, can be used to determine accreditation. However, House Bill 1490 states that a district’s accreditation cannot be lowered based on data from a new assessment. District accreditation classification will be included on the December State Board agenda. Each district’s classification remains intact unless acted upon by the State Board of Education.

Ensuring students graduate from high school ready for college and careers is one of the primary goals of the state’s Top 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for Missouri to be a top 10 state for education by 2020.