Area schools share strategies for improving next APR scores

Second-graders like Emma Gardner benefit from STEM-related activities, such as building a LEGO robot, in Tracey Bieri's Russellville Elementary School class.
Second-graders like Emma Gardner benefit from STEM-related activities, such as building a LEGO robot, in Tracey Bieri's Russellville Elementary School class.

The education model is never perfect.

Even school districts in Missouri with Annual Performance Reports (APR) in the high 90s say they're always seeking ways to outperform next year's results.

The APR is how the state measures district and charter school performance based on five measures - academic achievement, subgroup achievement, college and career readiness, attendance and graduation rates.

How did area school districts make gains in their individual APR scores and how are they hoping to move the needle next year?

 

Academic achievement

The Cole County R-5 School District in Eugene has seen steady growth in the last three years with APR scores, achieving a 92.9 percent and 130 points out of a possible 140 total.

Its academic achievement has improved since last year, with 100 percent achieved in that category and improvement at 92.86 percent in subgroup achievement this year. Superintendent Dawna Burrow said its elementary students have consistently been strong in those fields, with the high school doing well but not as consistent.

"Our high school principal has built focus groups in (that school) to address some of those areas. Those focus groups have concentrated on discussions among all of us; for example, every math teacher is there and asked what is it that every math students needs to know, what are you doing and how can this class build on this class?" she said. "It has not necessarily been for testing purposes but students' purposes. We have put a lot of concentration on making sure they get the background they need to move forward in their academic careers and higher education."

The Miller County R-3 School District in Tuscumbia saw a substantial increase in its APR score this year at 98.9 percent from 87.7 percent in 2015.

Superintendent Jason Price said the district saw consistent growth in academic achievement through scores earned in the Missouri standardized test given each spring. In fact, the district earned 100 percent this year in that area and saw about 91 percent in the subgroup achievement, which was also an improvement from 2015.

Price credits part of the academic improvements to the district's teachers. He said collaboration of teachers and those in surrounding districts has made the greatest impact on the improvement.

"Our teachers have made a priority to set aside time each week to meet and discuss data collection and analysis, technology in their classrooms and student struggles. We have also made a shift to incorporate more co-teaching in our core areas," he said, noting co-teaching ensures the district has a content expert and an instructional interventionist in the classes that needed it.

Even with making strides to improve the district's APR scores in several areas during the last three years, Price said the district will continue to revamp its curriculum to better align to the new Missouri Learning Standards, as well as be reflective with its co-teaching and evaluate its math and reading programs at the primary grade levels to ensure they are addressing the needs of every student.

Price said the district's high APR score allows the district to create a more directed and focused effort on certain aspects of instruction needs and seek grants and long-term expansion projects to keep moving forward.

Steady improvement is paying off for the Osage County R-1 School District, which earned an 89 percent overall score on this year's APR. That is up from 83 percent in 2015.

"We're closer to that 90 percent mark," Superintendent Lyle Best said.

The district has shifted its attention from end-of-the-year marks to looking at where students are on a day-to-day level, he said, and are working to create districtwide curriculum for better alignment to the standards. They received full points for the English language arts portion of academic achievement, but it continues to be an area they seek improvement.

"We have a long way to go," Best said. "Even though we saw improved scores, we're still not at the level want to be. But we know it can't change overnight."

 

College and career readiness

Eldon R-1 School District achieved a 94.3 percent overall score for the APR. They were able to secure 132 points out of a possible 140, which was one point less than what they received last year but three points higher than 2014.

Eldon School Superintendent Matt Davis said the district performed well and saw steady success in one aspect of college and career readiness.

"Our district has partnered with State Fair Community College so that our students can take enough dual credit classes to earn an associate's degree. We believe that this helps with our Advanced Placement score," he said. "We continually offer multiple career electives so that our students can be college and career ready."

In fact, the district offered a brand new career elective this year through the Eldon Career Center, Informatics. This program allows students to receive hands-on experience designing, building and testing computer databases to collect information on products and consumer habits for business optimization in a data-rich digital world. The Eldon R-1 School District is the first to offer the program for high school students in Missouri.

Davis also said the district is still working to improve its ACT score.

"We are identifying the best practices that we can implement to improve our scores," he said. "We have sent our teachers to training on the ACT so that they are better prepared to help our students in preparing for the ACT."

Eugene saw a 3.5-point dip in its college and career readiness score but is putting a strong emphasis on college and career readiness.

"Our main goal is to prepare our students for what they want next - job force or college," Burrow said. "That is keeping our focus where it needs to be. We don't concentrate so much on test scores, but we concentrate on what do we need to be teaching our students to make them successful in wherever it is they want to go. The test scores are a natural part of that. I think our students are receiving a good education, and the Show-Me Conference Schools are doing very well because we are a very strong conference. We all work together to try to help and build each other."

Burrow said they help students with college and career readiness through taking juniors to a college campus twice a year and allowing them to experience campus life, tour the campus and visit with key college representatives. The district also has a school to work program - implemented through the business department and school's Future Farmers of America program - where students go out into the community and work for school credit.

"We also rely heavily on Eldon Career Center, which does an excellent job to prepare our students straight out of high school into the workforce and for students who are going to college," Burrow said. "We are trying to think of more ways for small-town students to get exposure to different things. We have several seniors that will graduate with several college hours already this year."

This has helped the district score a 100 percent in its APR graduation rate score, with a nearly 100 percent current graduate rate at Cole County R-5 School District.

 

Attendance and graduation rates

The Morgan County R-2 School District in Versailles scored a 92.5 percent overall APR score, securing 129.5 points out of a possible 140.

That score is slightly lower than last year's 94.6 percent and 132.5 overall points; however, it still shows improvement in academic achievement areas and steady growth in graduation and college and career readiness through continued initiatives at the district.

"We are always really strong on our graduation rate," said Superintendent Dr. Joyce Ryerson, who added the district's average four-year graduation rate is 94.7 percent; it received a 100 percent graduation rate APR score this year.

Ryerson said the high graduation rate stems from an effective at-risk program that has helped continue to influence high school graduation during the last several years. She said it has two different tiers that work with a variety of different high school students.

The first tier focuses on freshmen and sophomores, allowing kids who are moving into the area and behind in credits to take one school period, much like a study hall, to work with teachers to check their homework, find resources and concentrate on improving their academic areas. There is also the second chance program, which allows students to re-earn credits, retake courses, attend summer school or use correspondence courses to help them graduate on time.

"The second portion of the program is for students who are more than a year behind and can be enrolled in the Missouri option program, which is like a GED track," Ryerson said. "This keeps them in school and helps them study, practicing for their GED and allows them to successfully complete the program."

Ryerson said there are a few areas the district is looking to improve, the first being its attendance. The district's administration has implemented some methods the last few years to help better keep track of attendance to meet the state standard that 90 percent of students attend 90 percent of the time.

"Principals have a dashboard that pulls up all the kids' attendance and allows us to track it. If they are in the green, they attend 90 percent and above. Yellow is in a range where they are falling below 90, and red is students falling below and not catching back up with attendance," Ryerson said. "We also have provided incentives with younger grades where, for example, if a student reaches 98 percent attendance, they get to take a field trip. We are using the carrot, but also wanting to use the stick."

Ryerson said the district administration has had discussions about making a policy that future high school students who do not reach 90 percent or better attendance don't walk at graduation. That means something to kids and parents, and they will make sure they are here, especially seniors, she said.

"With 174 school days, they can miss 17 days or three weeks and still be at 90 percent," she added.

Reporters Samantha Pogue, Michelle Brooks, Helen Wilbers and Shelby Rowe contributed to this story.

Related:

Browse statewide APR results in our searchable database

With APR, every school faces challenges

What is the Annual Performance Report?