JCPS test scores fall below state average

Jefferson City Public Schools (JCPS)
Jefferson City Public Schools (JCPS)

District assessment scores have been released for Missouri school districts, with Jefferson City Public Schools falling below the state average, while the Blair Oaks School District fared better.

Statewide 2016 results were released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in early September, noting the Missouri Assessment Programs (MAP) for math and English language arts were different this year and cannot be compared to 2015's results.

The state average scores for proficient and advanced - excluding the high school end-of-course exams - are 62.9 percent for English language arts, 48.6 percent for math, 52.1 percent for science and 63.3 percent for social studies.

Jefferson City Public Schools' average scores were below the state average for proficient and advanced in each test category. The district's scores are 59.2 percent for English language arts, 40 percent for math, 49.3 percent for science and 36.7 percent for social studies.

Blair Oaks, on the other hand, scored above the state levels. Its proficient and advanced scores are 82 percent for English language arts, 66.3 percent for math, 77.3 percent for science and 80 percent for social studies.

Science scores in fifth and eighth grade can be compared to 2015's state scores, which showed fewer students in those grades scored proficient and advanced in science than the year before.

In 2015, 47.5 percent of fifth-graders statewide earned proficient and advanced, and in 2016, 42.7 percent scored in the top two categories. Among eighth-graders, 49.4 percent were proficient and advanced in 2015, and 47.8 percent were proficient and advanced in 2016.

For Jefferson City, 36.6 percent of fifth-graders scored in the top two categories in science and 45.4 percent of eighth-graders were in the top two categories. Last year's fifth grade was slightly higher with 40.5 percent, as was eighth grade with 47.2 percent.

For Blair Oaks, roughly 71 percent of fifth- and eighth-graders were proficient and advanced in science - which is on par for the fifth grade's 2015 science score and about 5 percentage points lower than the eighth grade's science score.

High school end-of-course exams for English II, Algebra I, Biology and American Government can also be compared to 2015. In 2016, more students scored proficient on the English II and Algebra I exam than they did in 2015.

JCPS Superintendent Larry Linthacum said while the district's scores are below the state average, they did make improvements on the English language arts and math exams. Its science scores went down slightly from last year but not as much as the state average did.

As far social studies goes, Linthacum said that score is a bit of an outlier and doesn't reflect the education students are receiving. Part of the reason for the low score was because in 2014 the district decided to move the curriculum for government from a student's freshmen year to his or her senior year.

The 36.7 percent in social studies this year reflects a small number of students who were part of that curriculum change. They were students who hadn't already taken the exam their freshmen year or were new to the district.

The district has been working on curriculum updates after partnering with the International Center for Leadership in Education. Last year, they looked at the English language arts and math curriculum, and this year the focus is on science.

"The benchmark is not to be at the state average. To me, that's the minimum, and you work to keep getting better and improving the learning process," Linthacum said. "Also, I think of our three priorities - learning, workplace culture and behavior. Workplace culture affects the learning environment, and student behavior affects the learning environment. It's not an excuse, I just think they're all tied to the learning environment."

Linthacum said they're hoping for some improvement on the upcoming Annual Performance Review - a score calculated by DESE to determine a district's accreditation level. Academic achievement is one of the five categories on which districts are assessed, and they can earn up to 140 points.

Last year, JCPS received 70.7 percent on the APR, just a few decimal points above the threshold for accreditation. Its MAP scores accounted for 30 of the 56 points for academic achievement.

Blair Oaks Superintendent Jim Jones said they were very pleased with their scores. They were fairly similar to last year's scores, and improving next year will be a challenge.

Part of the academic achievement portion of the APR is based on improvement. At a certain point, it becomes more difficult to raise the bar each year, he said.

Blair Oaks received a 96.4 percent on last year's APR and earned 52 of the 56 possible points for academic achievement. Districts' APR scores will be publicly released in early November.

Blair Oaks' average math score was the lowest of the other categories, but it doesn't represent low achievement throughout the grade levels, Jones said. Some of the grades were at more than 90 percent proficiency and advanced in math. Some grades brought the average down, and they'll use the scores to further improve the learning and teaching in those areas.

"We're extremely proud of students, parents, faculty, staff and building administrators," Jones said. "Efforts over the last year will continue as we bring the class of 2029 in as kindergartners. We're going to do our best to make the best possible well-rounded students."