The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the latest scores for school districts across the state. Before we share the details from our report, we’d like to explain a little more about what these results are and what they mean for our district.
What is the APR?
Missouri’s DESE has an accountability model for school districts called the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP). To score districts on their performance and improvement, DESE uses an Annual Performance Report (APR).
This is the second year DESE is using the sixth and latest version of its accountability model, MSIP 6. There are a couple of notable differences between this model and those used previously, listed below:
- School districts are scored based on a variety of measures, including Status and Growth in state assessments. “Status” describes whether the district achieved the goal on test scores set by DESE. “Growth” shows student and district improvement, while working toward the goal set by DESE.
- Status and Growth are also scored separately, while in the previous model, they could be scored in conjunction.
- Two new areas to achieve Growth points this year are Science and Social Studies.
Republic APR Overview
As a district, we received 85% of the points possible within the APR. There were 190 points possible, and we earned 161.5. This places Republic School District in the top 15% of all districts across the state of Missouri!
As mentioned above, in this accountability model, school districts are not only scored by the test scores students receive (Status), but also by how much they improve those scores from the previous year (Growth). We are extremely proud of our students, who tested higher than the state average in every category– English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. Through their dedication to success – and that of our teachers – Republic School District students are high achieving year after year. When calculating scores for Growth, each student’s 2023 score is compared to a prediction based on previous scores, and the average of those comparisons is then ranked against all districts across the state. Since Republic’s APR in 2022 was 88.7%, we acknowledge a decrease in our Growth ranking along with an increase in our overall Status points. As a district, we continue our commitment to achievement in both Status and Growth, along with each of the other measures included in the APR.
Each of our K-12 buildings also received scores, which are available for viewing on the DESE website. While building performance does factor into the district’s results, the district’s points are not simply an average of building scores.
It’s important to note that the data noted in the APR is from the 2022-2023 school year. While this data has just recently been packaged and released to the public, our school district has been focusing on opportunities for improvement since the start of the school year. Therefore, we’ve already implemented action steps to address the needs of our students and continue to do so on a regular basis. In addition, Republic School District practices Early Release Fridays, which allow teachers and administrators to go over data and make weekly instructional adjustments in real time to best support our students.
Below, we’d like to share some celebrations and opportunities for improvement we’ve drawn out of our APR score.
Celebrations:
- We received 100% of the points available in Status for all students in English Language Arts, Math and Social Studies. This showcases our students’ scores on the MAP and EOC tests from spring of 2023.
- In addition, we once again received 100% of the points for Graduation Rate and Graduate Follow-Up. We are proud of these scores, as they represent our efforts to help students set and reach goals after high school graduation. This falls in line with our mission of "preparing each student for future excellence through a safe educational environment.”
- We received 75% of the points for Career and College Readiness (CCR) Assessments, which include ACT, SAT, WorkKeys, Accuplacer and ASVAB tests. This was an Opportunity for Improvement last year, when we received 50% of the points in this category. While we’re proud to share our progress, we will continue to strive to receive the full 100% score.
Opportunities for Improvement:
- As a district, we received 75% of the points for Attendance. We know attendance matters for students’ academic success, and we have a district-wide focus on attendance this school year. While we know illness is a factor when deciding whether to send students to school, we hope to see a reduced number of school days students miss as they in turn miss unique learning opportunities.
- While the Growth category is new with MSIP 6, and we are always seeking to improve, this measure will be an Opportunity for Improvement as we move forward. The academic strategies outlined in our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan guide us as we seek mastery of priority standards for our students.
The district’s APR can be found here. We plan to celebrate these wins with our employees, while we create and continue action steps as we look to improve our school district based on the results of this report. As always, we continue to pursue educational excellence for our students. We remain committed to our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, which was created through a collaborative effort with our community, and outlines strategies for meeting the needs of our students and staff, academically and beyond.