Report cards for school districts statewide came out on February 1, and the majority of districts in the St. Louis area scored well above the range for full accreditation.
However, state education officials explained that school districts cannot measure their growth because the tests have been changing almost every year.
“The real problem with the data that you’re looking at is that you can’t make comparisons because the state legislation kept directing us to change the instrument,” said Mike Jones, a member of the state Board of Education. “It’s hard to make any judgment about a first-year score. It really does a disservice to the districts to find out how well they are doing relative to the students because you keep moving the goal post.”
Ritenour School District Superintendent Chris Kilbride wrote to district families explaining that the children took completely new assessments in English language arts and math this year.
“In fact, there have been four different tests in the past five years,” Kilbride wrote.
On February 1, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the scores for all public school districts on the Annual Performance Report (APR). These scores are not only based on the students’ performance on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests, but also on End Of Course (EOC) exams scores, attendance data, graduation rates and college and career readiness preparation. This scoring system is part of the Missouri School Improvement Plan – fifth cycle (MSIP 5).
A district must earn at least 50 percent of available points to qualify for provisional accreditation, at least 70 percent of points to qualify for full accreditation, and at least 90 percent of points to qualify for Accreditation with Distinction.
Several districts and charter schools scored within the top “Accredited with Distinction” category for the first time under MSIP 5, including Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis with 97.6 percent, St. Louis Language Immersion School with 95 percent, Ferguson-Florissant with 92.1 percent, Grand Center Arts Academy with 90.9 percent, and Jennings with 90.2 percent.
“We have made history in Jennings,” said Jennings Superintendent Art McCoy.
Ferguson-Florissant Superintendent Joseph Davis said that the students’ performance shows they are headed in the right direction.
“We are especially excited that 87.5 percent of our seniors graduated in four years,” Davis said. “The hard work of our students, teachers and administrators is reflected in our scores on the APR.”
It was the fourth consecutive year that Riverview Gardens School District (RGSD) scored in the full accreditation status range, with 75.3 percent. However, the district remains provisionally accredited.
Changing the tests every year not only presents challenges for the students, but also the teachers who have to learn how to prepare for new exams in a relatively short amount of time, some administrators said. The MSIP 5 scoring system also weighs attendance heavily, which disproportionately impacts school districts with large numbers of low-income students.
“Many students in North St. Louis County, and particularly in Riverview Gardens, face a unique set of circumstances that can dramatically impact their education,” said Anthony Kiekow, communications director for Riverview Gardens School District.
“For example, in addition to attending school, some of our students hold full-time jobs or serve as caregivers to siblings while their parents work. Also, the majority of them are still dealing with the remnants of the 2014 crisis in Ferguson. The exams do not account for those factors. Our students’ ability to overcome those challenges is all the more reason to celebrate the progress we have made.”
The scores do not mean that districts automatically receive a certain status. That status is decided by the state education board and DESE, who analyze a district’s performance over time.
North Side Community School scores perfect
Five school districts earned a perfect score of 100 percent, including Kirkwood and Valley Park, as well as three charter schools: Premier Charter School, North Side Community School and Lafayette Preparatory Academy. It was the fourth time in the past five years that North Side Community School, located just north of Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis city, scored 100 percent. The school’s population is considered 100 percent free and reduced lunch by the state, and about 98 percent of the students are African-American.
Other school districts scoring in the “accredited with distinction” range include: Mehlville with 99.6 percent, Ladue with 99.1 percent, Lindbergh Schools and Parkway both with 98.9 percent, Clayton with 98.5 percent, Maplewood-Richmond Heights with 98.4 percent, Rockwood with 97.8 percent, Brentwood with 97.3 percent, Webster Groves with 97.2 percent, Affton with 96.8 percent, Hancock Place with 96.7 percent, Pattonville with 96.6 percent, and Bayless with 96.4 percent.
These districts scored within the range for full accreditation: Ritenour with 88.3 percent, St. Louis College Prep with 87.5 percent, Hazelwood with 86.8 percent, Lift for Life Academy with 85.6 percent, University City with 85.4 percent, City Garden Montessori and KIPP Schools both with 82.8 percent, Special School District of St. Louis County with 81.3 percent, Saint Louis Public Schools with 78.5 percent, and Confluence Academies with 77.9 percent.
Below the mark for accreditation
Falling below the mark for accreditation were largely charter schools, including Eagle College Prep Endeavor with 69.8 percent, Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls with 63 percent, The Biome School with 60 percent, Carondelet Leadership Academy with 53.7 percent, Preclarus Mastery Academy with 37.7 percent (which closed in June), and LaSalle Middle School with 25.8 percent.
LaSalle Middle School became a charter four years ago, after previously being a private school located in North St. Louis. It serves 130 middle-school students, a majority being African-American.
“We didn’t have to see the scores,” said LaShanda R. Boone, head of school at LaSalle. “We understood where we were, and we took proactive steps in order to ensure that we are changing what we do every day with our students and adding interventions.”
Boone said that more than a year ago they brought in 80 tutors, initiated a Saturday school and expanded after-school programs and camps.
Normandy Schools Collaborative was the only non-charter that scored in this category with 67.5 percent.
“This score keeps us on track to perform in the fully accredited range (70 percent or higher) by the 2020-2021 school year,” said Charles Pearson, superintendent for Normandy Schools Collaborative, in a letter to the district. “We remain committed to achieving that target over the next two years.”
