Preliminary numbers show that Missouri schools are doing about the same as last year when it comes to annual performance reports, putting the state in line with No Child Left Behind standards.
The Department of Education and Missouri school districts are reviewing their annual performance report numbers. The department’s Margie Vandeven says there are no red flags as of right now. She says numbers are on par with last year’s, but there’s always room for improvement.
Vandeven is the assistant commissioner of quality schools for the Education Department. She says numbers for math, English, attendance and other standards are up in some areas and down in others, which is typical year to year.
The State Board of Education takes these numbers into consideration when making a ruling on whether each district is fully accredited, provisional, or unaccredited. However, she says the board does not rely completely on these numbers, but rather takes several years into account and other performance measures.
(See the district breakdown below)
Vandeven says Missouri’s annual performance report pre-dates the federal government’s adequate yearly progress data from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, and that the department believes the state’s standards are a better reflection of school district performace than the federal benchmarks. She says it does help pinpoint which schools are struggling and need extra attention.
Of Missouri’s 512 school districts, two remain unaccredited — St. Louis public schools and Riverview Gardens, which is in St. Louis. Ten districts are provisionally accredited. The remaining 500 are fully accredited.
View the spreadsheet listing schools’ performance numbers [Excel]
