On Dec. 18, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2022-23 school year. The APR is a component of the latest version of DESE's school accountability system, the Missouri School Improvement Program 6. MSIP6 outlines expectations for schools regarding practices and outcomes, and sets the goal of having students graduate with a framework to be successful in college, career and life. These measures are then combined to create the APR, which measures students’ and school districts’ progress toward standards.
The 2023 APR is the second APR generated under the newest iteration of MSIP 6 and will be used for accreditation purposes for school districts once the 2024 APR data is released and three years of data are available to support those determinations. However, because our district is a member of the Success-Ready Students Network, we have been approved for an innovation waiver that allows us to pilot an alternative, growth-based student assessment and ultimately, implement a better accountability system. This means that while we will still administer the MAP and EOCs, they will not affect our accreditation while the waiver is in effect.
At the Dec. 19, 2023 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lance McClard reviewed the district’s standardized test scores. Dr. McClard pointed out that we will delve into the APR in-depth at the January Board of Education meeting. There are two categories within the APR: status, and growth. This month, Dr. McClard focused on the status portion and presented our ACT, MAP and EOC data. He pointed out that in every area, we outpaced the state, and in many subjects, we widened the gap between our scores and the state’s. He stressed that this is the second APR generated under MSIP6, and the measurements now include a rather ambiguous growth measure that was not present last year. As a result, our district’s overall APR percentage has decreased from last year, which is the case for a large percentage of high-performing school districts.
“As you can see from our test data below, we have shown tremendous growth when looking at our scores, so it is important to remember that you can tell a different story with the same data, and that is the case here,” Dr. McClard said. “The term “growth” within the new APR is really a comparison, a ranking system among districts, not what the average person would think as ‘you started here, you are now here, and we can see the growth.’ We see advancement of our scores from last year, we are above the state average in every category, and have widened the gap comparatively in most areas between our scores and the state scores. The important takeaway is that we are showing improvement in student scores and that what our teachers are doing is effective for students. They should be commended, because our scores are a result of the dedication, expertise and hard work of our faculty and staff.”
ACT Data:
Overall, the ACT test scores have increased. The composite superscore for 2022-2023, which is the best score a student has earned at any point taking the ACT) is 20.1, up from 19.4 the previous year.
The high school also offers the ACT WorkKeys, an alternative way to assess students who plan to enter a career tech field or other vocation following high school graduation. This test provides a type of industry standard for workforce readiness, and offers students a more meaningful assessment. This test means that students can strive to be more intentional in their fields of interest.
An overview of the MAP Performance Index Scores is below. On the whole, our scores were higher or slightly above the state averages. “In many areas, the distance between our scores and the state have increased, and state scores have been going up across the board, as well,” Dr. McClard said. “So that’s good news for Missouri and great news for the district.”
English Language Arts:
Grades 3 through 8 all performed higher than the state average, with many grade levels outpacing the state more than the previous year.
The high school English End of Course exam score was higher than the state average.
Math:
Grades 3 through 8 all performed higher than the state average, and in each grade level, the scores are significantly higher than last year’s scores.
The Algebra I and II End of Course exams both outpaced the state averages.
Science:
Grades 5 and 8 both performed higher than the state average.
The high school Biology End of Course exam score was slightly higher than the state average.
Social Studies:
The high school Government End of Course exam score was slightly higher than the state average.
In addition to the annual MAP/EOC testing, our district also utilizes through-year NWEA testing in order to measure and assess student growth at multiple points during the school year. This provides our educators with the opportunity to impact student learning in real time. This supports our teachers and staff in helping students to take an active role in setting goals and working toward achieving them. The NWEA test aligns with the Missouri Learning Standards, as well as the district’s work in the Success-Ready Students Network.
There are several key considerations when reviewing the 2023 APR data in January: The 2023 APR can only be compared to the 2022 APR, as it is built upon a completely new metric system from years’ prior. The 2023 APR contains data from the 2022-2023 school year only, and it is only one of many data points — a snapshot— in evaluating a district’s programming at one given point in time. The new APR also does not measure the success and well-being of the whole child. Our district focuses on social-emotional learning, coping skills, prioritizing mental wellness, building confidence, and preparing students for success after graduation.