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

Do they make the grade?

September 7, 2014 at 5:51 a.m. | Updated September 7, 2014 at 5:51 a.m.

Students fill the hallway as classes change Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, at Blair Oaks Middle School.
Students fill the hallway as classes change Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, at Blair Oaks Middle School.

In a ranking of student achievement, can Missouri become one of the Top 10 states in the nation by 2020?

That's the goal Show-Me State education leaders have set and hope to achieve.

If they are successful, three-quarters of Missouri's children will be proficient in their schoolwork. The number of high school graduates will be approaching 100 percent. And businesses will flock here because of our reputation for a world-class workforce.

To understand Missouri educational leaders' plans for reforming public education, it helps to know a little bit about the Missouri School Improvement Program, known as "MSIP 5."

The program - now in its fifth version - is the method by which the Missouri Board of Education sets high expectations for all Missouri public school students. It also serves as the state's accountability system for reviewing and accrediting the districts they attend.

By issuing annual performance reports, MSIP 5 shows how well each district is meeting a series of performance standards. The reports evaluate several factors - from how students of all ages performed on the MAP tests to how many teens graduated from high school and how many kids attended class.

It's unclear if Missouri will be able to meet that goal by 2020.

In mid-August the department reported that the statewide average rate of proficiency had fallen in English/language arts, math and science. After testing the data, researchers concluded there did not seem to be a single consistent reason for the decline in scores; rather, it appeared that a combination of factors may have contributed to the overall drop in state averages.

The following feature takes a deeper look at the annual performance of 21 school districts in the Mid-Missouri region. Here is an examination of their achievements, to date, based on conversations with area superintendents.

How 21 area school districts fared

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