Missouri's new standardized test scores were a mixed bag of results.
Some schools did really well, while others say their scores leave a lot of room for improvement as they adjust to the new standards.
There are, however, several contributing factors as to why a particular district didn't do as well as another, including student demographic and district size.
Last year, the Department of Early and Secondary Education raised the standards for English and math, creating a more rigorous end-of-year exam, known as the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), for elementary and secondary students.
In previous years, students may have lucked out by guessing the correct multiple choice answer. But now, students had to qualify why their answer was correct by demonstrating critical thinking skills.
It was also the first year elementary-grade students took the exam electronically.
The new Missouri Learning Standards demand more from students, said Sarah Potter, communications coordinator at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Some skills that were taught in second grade might have been moved to first grade, so students are obtaining more skills at a younger age.
The new standards make students more competitive on a national and international level and ensure students in every state are being taught the same material in the same grade level, Potter said.
Jefferson City School District
One month into the 2015-16 school year, districts are further analyzing the MAP data and planning how their school can perform better for the next test.
Larry Linthacum, superintendent for the Jefferson City Public School District, said he was hoping his district's scores would be better, but the schools are continuously working to improve student learning.
"We have to make sure the instruction is vertically aligned so we have common assessments across the grade levels," Linthacum said. "We make sure the curriculum is building upon itself each year."
The district's focus areas are literary and math skills, Linthacum said. Students need to have strong reading and writing skills to do well on the MAP tests because of the heavy critical-thinking component.
Creating a welcoming environment is also essential because some of the students don't have that environment at home.
"Student achievement goes up 27 percent when teachers greet students at the door," Linthacum said. "We have kids that may or may not have hope, and what I want when they walk through those doors is to be inspired and want to dream big."
The Jefferson City School District is one of the largest in the state with 8,932 students in its 15 schools, according to DESE's website.
The district's participation in the free and reduced rate lunch program is 55.2 percent, but some of the school's rates are much higher. The free and reduced rate is a measure of the poverty level at a school building, school district and statewide level.
East Elementary School has the highest free and reduced rate in the district at 87.7 percent. Principal Julia Martin said the school's reading and language arts scores are always low because some of the kids come into school without any reading ability.
Martin said this is the first year with the new standards, so the school is still getting used to them and the new test was very difficult.
"Just the typing skills alone," Martin said, of the younger kids who had a hard time typing everything out for the MAP tests. "We have a typing program but you have kids that are hunting and pecking (the computer keys) to type their answers."
On Friday, the school will review the MAP scores on a deeper level to determine which subjects students need more help on, she said.
Martin said there will likely be a tutoring program this year to help students who may be struggling.
Blair Oaks School District
Blair Oaks Superintendent Jim Jones said the students did really well on the new test and attributes their success to dedicated teachers and parents.
Blair Oaks is a modest-sized district with three schools - elementary through high school - and 1,162 students, according to DESE's website.
The district's free and reduced lunch rate is 13.6 percent, much lower than the state's free and reduced rate at 51.7 percent.
"We're extremely pleased with the results shown on the MAP and end-of-course exams," said Jones. "The challenge now is how to further improve the teaching of our students."
In the coming weeks, teachers will be further analyzing the scores. The test scores can be broken down by subject and classroom so teachers can decipher which areas their students did poorly on and how the curriculum can be improved, Jones said.
One of the challenges with the new standards was adjusting classroom curriculum to fit all the necessary lessons into the 174-day school year, Jones said.
"It's hard to ask teacher to teach more," Jones said.
In order to prepare for the new standards, Blair Oaks Elementary School Principal Kimberley Rodriguez said staff began with more rigorous lesson plans and integrating more computer work into the classrooms.
"We do a lot of cooperative learning," Rodriguez said. "It's getting (students) to think and question and teach each other. A lot of times, teachers like to do a lot of the talking, and we're trying to turn that around."
Rodriquez said the district overall did really well. However, Blair Oaks also doesn't have some of the same challenges as the other districts.
"We are blessed that we don't have the free and reduced rates that other districts have," Rodriquez said. "We do have our challenges, but we are at an advantage there. But there's certainly no lack of teacher effort. Our scores are a direct correlation to staff who are very dedicated and passionate. They're always pushing themselves to be better."
Russellville School District
Perry Gorrell, superintendent for Cole County R-1 School District in Russellville, said in an email that he's very pleased with his district's scores, but always sees room for improvement.
Cole County R-1 has 559 students at two schools - a high school and a K-8 building - and a free and reduced rate at 42.4 percent.
"Since the assessments have changed, our focus is on extra instruction with those students who are scoring in the bottom two levels," Gorrell said.
Preparation for the tests is a year-long process with practice tests on the computer leading up to the main event in the spring.
Eugene School District
Dawna Burrow, superintendent for Cole County R-5 in Eugene, said at first she wasn't pleased with her district's scores because she was comparing them to last year's scores. But after comparing them to school's around the state, she says her district did well on the test.
Cole County R-5 has 615 students at its elementary and high/middle school. The free and reduced rate is 37 percent.
"I feel staff is doing a very good job preparing our students for what comes after high school," Burrow said in an email. "Even though I am happy with the test scores overall, we can improve. I know that test scores are not what determines the quality of education our students are receiving."
This year, teachers at the various grade levels are developing goals, aligning the curriculum with the standards and checking for mastery of skills.
Each spring, the school does a MAP success day with students based on the past year's results to inspire students to do their best on the upcoming tests.
What's next?
The Annual Performance Review (APR), which determines a district's accreditation, comes a few months after the release of the MAP scores.
In mid-October, every district in Missouri will find out if it achieved the desired 70 percent of the 140 APR points to be an accredited school district.
The MAP scores are only one component of the 140 points, but make up half of the score.
"We want students to leave schools with a firm grip on all the subjects," Potter said. "(MAP scores) are the most objective measure in the APR because all students are taking the same test. It shows if students are learning what they need to be to be ready for post-secondary school."
In the 2014-15 school year, 507 school districts out of Missouri's 520 districts were fully accredited, 11 were provisionally accredited and two were unaccredited.
In 2015, all four school districts were accredited, and the superintendents say they expect to be accredited again this school year.