First APR Scores Under MSIP 6 Released

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on Tuesday released Annual Performance Reports (APR) for each district in the state.

Crawford County R-1 scored 72.3 percent, receiving 130.1 out of 180 points.

The 2021-22 APR scores were the first under MSIP 6, the mechanism used by DESE for making recommendations for accrediting public school districts.

This year’s APR scores cannot be compared to past APRs due to the difference in criteria.

It also reflects the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered in-person leaning in 2020.

Seventy percent of the APR measures performance and 30 percent continuous improvement.

Superintendent Dr. Kyle Gibbs wrote in a presentation to the school board that the performance is lower than where it needs to be, “but we are making the continuous improvement efforts to move performance forward.”

Bourbon’s score is in the lower half of APR scores across the state.

The state average was 76.9 percent.

Cuba (78.9), Viburnum (78.5) and Vienna (78.3) all scored higher than Bourbon among Gasconade Valley Conference schools.

Steelville (72.2) and Belle (71.7) were lower.

The middle school had an overall APR of 70 percent, while the high school was at 72.1 percent.

Strengths

Gibbs described several areas as “solid,” including the performance across the board in English Language Arts (ELA).

The middle school and high school each scored solid.

At the middle school, the strength was driven by a strong academic performance in two out of three areas and above-average growth in ELA.

BHS’ APR score was attributed to strong academic performance in three out of four areas, a high graduation rate and above average graduate follow-up.

Bourbon received all 20 possible points on the five-year graduation rate.

The district’s Continuous Improvement measures that have been put in place helped offset a lower performance score.

Improvement

Gibbs said the district’s math performance across the district was below average and limited student growth was shown across many grade levels.

The elementary school’s APR was “well below” the state average and growth is needed in academic areas. BES received 37.9 percent.

The academic performance was 31 percent and Gibbs said it must be “an area of intense focus moving forward.”

Science must improve and be more consistent across buildings, Gibbs wrote.

Attendance at the middle school and high school is below average as well.

Gibbs said they are implementing District Continuing Improvement (DCI) Work, which aligns closely with MSIP 6 requirements.

They also are monitoring data to facilitate discussion on student growth as a grade level and for individual students.