The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) uses the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) to review, accredit and recognize school districts for academic performance. In order to determine accreditation, DESE uses information from a district’s Annual Performance Report (APR). An APR demonstrates progress in meeting MSIP standards.
MSIP 6 is designed to distinguish the performance of schools, districts and charters. MSIP 5 only awarded points on performance standards. MSIP 6 divides points by performance and continuous improvement, with performance accounting for 70% of points and continuous performance for 30%. In MSIP 6, the performance standard, points are allotted for academic achievement overall and student groups (Black, Hispanic, students with disabilities, English learners and low income students); success-ready students related to college and career readiness (CCR) assessments and advanced credit; graduation rate; and graduate follow up. In the area of continuous improvement, indicators include: continuous improvement plans; climate and culture survey data; attendance; success-ready students related to Kindergarten Entrance Exam (KEA), Individual Career and Academic Plan (iCAP) and attendance; and response to standards.
Each standard is assigned a specific point value. The total points possible for Pattonville is 180 points. Some education agencies have fewer points, such as K-8 districts that don’t have high school ratings. Districts earn accreditation status based on how many points they earn. Pattonville earned 140.8 points, which is 78%, putting Pattonville at accredited status.
The scores released use data from the 2021-2022 school year. Three years of data collected under MSIP 6 will be taken into account before DESE can change a district’s accreditation. The accreditation and classification of schools under MSIP 6 will begin after the 2023-2024 school year. At this point, the total number of points will increase to 200 to accommodate additional data that is not currently available, such as progress in assessments and response to standards. Based on the district’s current scores, Pattonville will remain accredited. As data is released for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, all districts’ scores, including Pattonville’s, may change based on district performance. Additionally, Pattonville is making changes to internal reporting systems that will lead to an increase in points in some categories. However, because districts are now two-thirds of the way through the second year of accreditation data, it’s unclear how much improvement can be made this and next year.
Because MSIP 6 is a new system with different scoring, it is inaccurate to compare a district’s current APR score to previous years. The way MSIP 6 is designed, nearly all education agencies lost points and a district’s score and rating will most likely be significantly lower than scores under MSIP 5. There are four different accreditation ranges: accredited with distinction, accredited, provisional and unaccredited. Under MSIP 6, the number of districts that were labeled accredited with distinction under MSIP 5, including Pattonville, dropped from 319 to four. Additionally, the number of districts labeled provisional went from six to 112. See the chart at right.
Pattonville results
Despite the lower APR scores, the findings from this and other data sources affirm what the Pattonville community already knows — Pattonville is a high-achieving district. The work being done is leading to student learning growth.
State data confirms that no district in Missouri with Pattonville’s level of diversity can match the achievement of Pattonville’s students. As determined by Niche.com, Pattonville is considered the most diverse district in Missouri. No district with the same level of diversity as Pattonville scored higher on APR data. Pattonville students represent 57 countries and 42 languages.
Additionally, in reviewing MAP data from 2021, the all student and student group results in achievement is at the same level of performance. Pattonville has been working to implement strategies to close the achievement gap between student groups and all students. This data shows significant gains have been made in this area.
