The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released its Annual Performance Report (APR) this week, highlighting a 2.5% increase in the overall score for the St. Joseph School District.

According to a press release, the report offers a comprehensive overview of school districts statewide through the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5). The St. Joseph School District earned a total of 121 out of 140 points, or 86.4% of the points available.

The APR evaluates school districts on academic achievement, subgroup achievement, college and career readiness, attendance and graduation rate.

An overview of the data in the APR shows:

• An increase in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in Science (+2.1%).
• An increase in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in Social Studies (+5%).
• An increase in the percentage of students in Subgroup Achievement scoring proficient or advanced.
• An increase in APR points in Subgroup Achievement in ELA and Math compared to 2016.
• An increase of 2 APR points in College and Career Readiness.
• A decrease in the percentage of students meeting the attendance benchmark (‐0.4%).
• Decreases in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in English Language Arts (‐1.4%) and Math (‐2.7%).

“I was particularly pleased with the growth in grades 3‐8 English Language Arts; the APR growth model is one that is inclusive of state data and the SJSD’s rating was exceeding,” said Dr. Kendra Lau, Director of Assessment. “Growth is the engine for increased proficiency and this indicates we are making significant gains.”

Dr. Lau added that in terms of college and career readiness, the metrics are very encouraging.

“I’m pleased with the increase we have seen in our APR results, but recognize that we still have the need for additional improvement,” said Dr. Marlie Williams, Assistant Superintendent. “The work of our teachers and schools has led to the increases we’ve seen, and we will continue to support the goals that are in place to positively impact student learning.”

The attendance benchmark is just one area of improvement that remains a priority for the district.

“Scoring 6 of 10 points on attendance highlights the importance of the Strive for 5 initiative.  Students benefit when they are in school and working with their teachers and peers, so improving attendance has benefit far beyond points on this section of the APR, it contributes to academic outcomes and is also a workforce readiness trait,” added Dr. Williams.