Southern Boone School District MSIP

September 7, 2014 at 12:07 a.m. | Updated September 7, 2014 at 12:07 a.m.

ASHLAND, Mo. - After seeing significant progress and growth in the academic progress of individual students, the Southern Boone County Public Schools earned 97.1 percent of the points available on the state's latest accountability measures for education.

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"As a staff, we were extremely excited about the 94.6 score we earned last year. This year "s 97.1 is just terrific," Superintendent Chris Felmlee said. "A lot of hard work went into that. I'm very proud of our teachers."

When students take the MAP exams, their performances are categorized in four ways: "proficient," "advanced," "basic" and "below basic."

Since 2011, the district has experienced an increase in the number of students who are proficient or advanced in math (60 percent), science (71.5 percent) and social studies (57.9 percent).

The largest increases were seen in science, a trend that was seen across central Missouri. There, the number of students deemed to be doing well rose from 58.3 percent in 2011 to 71.5 percent in 2014.

Felmlee attributed the success in science to the fact that many students enjoy the subject, but he also noted that many districts have worked hard to make sure that what is being taught in the classrooms is aligned with what is being assessed by the state.

"Everyone is trying to focus their game plan" to reap the best performance, he noted.

One area - English/language arts - saw a decline in scores. But because some students saw "growth" in their individual academic achievement, the district picked up some extra points and was able to earn all the available points in that category.

Felmlee said teachers are plowing their energies into more collaboration.

Were it not for shortfalls in the academic performance of students who fall into one of the "subgroups" - English language learners, minorities, children with disabilities and those who are eligible for free- and reduced-price lunches - the district would have had a perfect overall score.

More than one in five students are eligible for help with their lunch expenses and 3.7 percent are minorities, according to demographic data compiled by DESE.

The district is meeting the state's Top 10 by 2020 target in four areas: science, attendance, graduation and the percentage of graduates doing well in Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit courses.

Last year, 93.3 percent of students attended school more than 90 percent of the time. And, 97.5 percent of students graduated within four years.

Introductory article:

State's MSIP 5 ranks performance, progress of 21 area schools

How 21 Mid-Missouri school districts fared:

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