The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education earlier this month released its annual review of the state’s school districts. In past years schools were ranked; this year’s report focuses on the data to help districts improve. Both Brentwood and Maplewood Richmond Heights school districts summarized their results.
Brentwood School District
Brentwood School District has earned a place in the top 4% of school districts in the State of Missouri. According to the newly released Annual Performance Report (APR) for the District, Brentwood is one of only 20 districts in the state to earn “target” status in both English/Language Arts and Mathematics. Missouri has 567 total school districts. “We are incredibly proud of our students and teachers for their continued efforts,” said Superintendent Dr. Brian Lane. “The scores serve as an additional affirmation of the district’s work in the areas of Mathematics and English Language Arts.” Brentwood also saw high achievement in College and Career Readiness, Attendance, and Graduation Rate.
Changes to how Missouri APR is displayed for school districts provides additional information for school leaders to help foster growth. “The earlier versions of the APR provided school districts with a percentage of indicator points earned,” explained Dr. Alex Tripamer, Director of Instruction and Student Support for Brentwood. “The 2019 APR uses graphs and keywords to show districts how they’re performing.”
For example, in 2018, Brentwood earned a 97.3% APR. “For most people, that was an easy way to understand how well a district is performing overall, but it doesn’t provide a very detailed picture of growth,” Tripamer explained. Instead of a score, Brentwood’s 2019 APR shows Brentwood students reaching the “target” marker in the areas of English/Language Arts and Math Achievement. The 2019 Science assessment was a new test aligned to updated Missouri Learning Standards. The science results will take time to analyze and report.
The district will not receive information related to Social Studies for 2019. Students participated in a field test in Social Studies which prohibits DESE from reporting achievement status.
The APR represents a report card on the academic health of Missouri school districts. The information provides a practical tool for the Board of Education, administrators, and teachers to identify strengths and needs in the district. It’s the accountability system used in Missouri to satisfy federal and state requirements. The APR is comprised of scores for each of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5) Performance Standards: 1) Academic Achievement, 2) Subgroup Achievement, 3) College and Career Readiness, 4) Attendance Rate, and 5) Graduation Rate.
“It’s important to remember that APR is one metric,” said Dr. Lane. “While we are proud of the achievements of our students and staff, we utilize several tools to educate the whole student and fulfill our District’s mission of supporting each child on their individual pathways.” In addition to statewide assessments, Brentwood utilizes NWEA and other benchmark assessments to provide “real-time” data that educators can use to adapt to changing student needs throughout the school year. In addition, the staff experience and understanding of individual student needs helps provide additional data on how to encourage growth for all Brentwood learners.
For the latest news, information, and updates, follow the district on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@BrentwoodMOSD) or visit www.brentwoodmoschools.org.
Maplewood Richmond Heights
The MRH School District sent its summary of the report as a PDF, see that here: APR 2019 MRH RELEASE
A screen shot is below:
Congratulations to our Educators and Students across the board! Job well done!
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