More than half of Missouri’s school districts increased their scores in the Annual Performance Reports (APR) released by the Department on Friday.

More than 97 percent of districts earned at least 70 percent of possible points. In all, 56.6 percent of districts raised their APR scores from 2013.

The annual performance reports show how well each school and school district is meeting Missouri’s education standards under the state’s accountability system, Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 5. The reports are used to review and accredit Missouri’s school districts.

“Missouri set high expectations for districts ultimately to help children achieve at higher levels,” said Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. “We are pleased to see many districts are meeting and exceeding these high standards.”

However, Department staff cautions against using one year of data to show progress or decline. Under MSIP 5 a school district’s score on three consecutive APRs, along with other factors, is used to determine accreditation. Education officials believe a three-year period is needed to show long-term, sustained performance trends for districts. This is the second set of reports collected using MSIP 5.

Under MSIP 5, schools and school districts are awarded points based on performance in five areas:

• Academic achievement
• Subgroup achievement (includes minority students, students with limited proficiency in English, students with disabilities, students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches and students receiving special education services)
• College and career or high school readiness
• Attendance rate
• Graduation rate

MSIP 5 is designed to distinguish performance of schools and districts in a valid, accurate and meaningful way so that those in need of improvement can receive appropriate support and interventions, while high-performing districts can be recognized as models of excellence.

Preparing students for college and careers is one of the goals of the Top 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for Missouri to rank as one of the top 10 states for education by 2020.