The majority of Jefferson County’s 11 school districts scored above the state’s median Annual Performance Report (APR) composite score of 78.8 on the latest Annual Performance Report, which the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education uses to measure how well districts meet a range of expectations.
Each year, Missouri school districts receive an APR score based on graduation and attendance rates; advanced coursework; career preparation experiences; Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores in reading and math; scores on the ACT and other national exams; and the number of graduates entering college, the workforce or military service, according to DESE.
This is the first year DESE calculated an APR composite score, which is the average of the last three APR scores, and eventually DESE will use that score to determine accreditation for public schools.
This year, the Festus R-6 School District had the best APR composite score in the county with 88.7, and the Crystal City School District was right behind with 88.6.
Jefferson R-7 (86.1), De Soto (83.7), Fox C-6 (83.6) and Hillsboro R-3 (82.3) also scored above the state median.
The school districts that scored below the state median were Windsor C-1 (77.2), Dunklin R-5 (77), Northwest R-1 (75.8), Sunrise R-9 (71.7) and Grandview R-2 (70.6).
However, all 11 Jefferson County school districts would be fully accredited if the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) used those scores to determine accreditation this year as had previously been planned.
DESE officials said during a conference call with reporters on Nov. 21 that composite APR scores will be used to determine accreditation in 2026.
“Originally, we had anticipated that as early as the 2024 APR we would have enough data to use (for accreditation),” said Lisa Sireno, assistant commissioner in DESE’s Office of Quality Schools. “However, as we started to look at data and considering the importance of the stability of measures and using multiple years of data to make decisions, it was determined it would be important to use two consecutive (composite) APRs.”
If the composite scores were being used for accreditation now, a district would be accredited if its composite APR score were between 70 and 94.9. Those scoring at 95 or above would be considered accredited with distinction, those scoring between 50-69 would be provisionally accredited and those below 50 percent would be unaccredited.
DESE released the latest APR and MAP tests scores for public schools across the state on Nov. 25.
The data and test scores are from the 2023-2024 school year. DESE uses that information to measure schools’ performance as part of the Missouri School Improvement Program, which is in its sixth iteration and is called MSIP 6.
This is the third time the APR has been produced under the new criteria, which scores districts based on performance and continuous improvement.
Only three Jefferson County school districts improved their APR in the third year of the revamped system – Jefferson R-7, Dunklin and Windsor.
Jefferson R-7 notched the county’s best score, capturing 92.6 percent of the points available. Dunklin scored 83.7 percent, and Windsor 78.2.
“I think the jump from last year to this year has really shown a lot of collaboration in our district to align our resources,” Jefferson R-7 Superintendent David Haug said. “We have really strived to get people in that collaborative mindset in the past three years. Darren Schaffer (executive director of administrative services) deserves a big credit there for having our groups align within our district. We just want to keep working in that direction to benefit kids.”
The Crystal City district’s APR score remained the same at 89.7.
The Festus district’s score dropped from 90 to 87; Fox’s score went from 84.4 to 81; De Soto’s score decreased from 85.2 to 80.2; Hillsboro’s score went from 84.7 to 79; Northwest’s score dropped from 76.6 to 72.7; Sunrise’s score went from 79.7 to 72; and Grandview’s score decreased from 66.5 to 66.
Dunklin Assistant Superintendent Joe Willis, a member of the MSIP 6 committee, said even though the majority of Jefferson County school district’s APR scores slipped, students in the county are receiving a quality education.
“(APR) is one piece of the puzzle,” he said. “I think the most important thing is what opportunities you are providing for the kids you are serving. You see in every district they are pushing to do great things for kids.”
Crystal City
The Crystal City district’s 88.6 APR composite score put it in the top 10 percent in the state, and the percentage of the district’s students who scored proficient or advanced in English, math and science exceeded the state average in each of the subjects.
The district saw 53.5 percent of its students score proficient or advanced in English, 45 percent in math and 45.8 percent in science.
Superintendent Crystal Reiter said the district’s strong performance shows that the four-day school week works for its community. According to DESE, there are 143 school districts in the state that have a four-day schedule.
“I think this is a testament that for the last two years our data has been strong, and we have been a four-day week,” she said. “It is not about being five days, it is the amount of instruction that is happening.”
Gov. Mike Parson signed an omnibus school bill on May 7, and part of the bill requires districts in charter counties or cities with more than 30,000 residents to seek voter approval before moving to a four-day week.
The bill also says districts that have five-day school weeks will receive 1 percent additional state funding in 2026 and 2027, and starting in 2028, districts will receive an additional 2 percent of state funding. However, the additional money must be used to increase teachers’ salaries.
“There is a lot of talk about a four-day school week and if it is appropriate for kids, and there are incentives at the state level to go five days,” Reiter said. “I feel this (APR and MAP scores) is an indicator that the four-day week for Crystal City is on the right track and is working.”
De Soto
Shawn Brown, the De Soto district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment, said the district is ecstatic with its APR composite score of 83.7. He also said the district will push that number higher.
“We are excited to be at that number,” he said. “It is because we have an incredible instructional staff. Our teachers work tirelessly to pour over data that is available to them to make amazing instructional decisions for our kids.
“We are looking for subtle changes that can get us from good to great.”
The percentage of De Soto students scoring as proficient or advanced in science on the MAP tests increased for a third year in a row, with 49.9 percent scoring in the top two levels, after 45 percent hit that mark in 2023 and 37.8 percent in 2022.
In English, 46.5 percent of the district’s students scored proficient or advanced in English, a decline from 49 percent the year before. In math, 52.8 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in math, down from 54.6.
“We are doing a huge emphasis on rewriting (the English) curriculum and making sure our assessments are sound,” he said. “Math is one folks are always constantly working on.”
Dunklin
The Dunklin district earned a 77 APR composite score this year, after its scores increased each of the last three years. The district scored 83.7 this year, 73.2 in 2023 and 67.9 in 2022.
“That is a reflection on things we did three years ago to start making changes for all of our kids,” Willis said. “I am proud of our staff and all of the hard work they have put in.”
Dunklin also saw student performance on the English and math MAP tests improve, with 43 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in English, up from 40.6 percent, and 35.8 percent scoring proficient or advanced in math, and increase from 34.
“I am proud of the growth, and I think it will continue to happen,” Willis said.
Students performance on the science test slid to 43.1 from 44.4 scoring as proficient or advanced. Willis said student performance varied between the three grade levels who take the tests.
“The kids who took it in eighth grade scored 6 percent less than they did in fifth grade,” he said. “The kids who took the biology test in high school went up 10 percent from eighth grade. We are looking for growth for our kids and how we can make our kids better every single day.”
Festus
While the Festus district’s APR composite score of 88.7 was the highest among the county’s schools, the 2024 APR score was down from the previous year. The district’s score went from 90 in 2023 to 87 this year.
Festus Superintendent Nicki Ruess said that drop, however, does not mean students are not performing at a high level.
In the APR’s current iteration, districts receive points for academic growth, as well as for academic status. Previously, growth and status were combined in one score.
Status points are based on student scores on state tests, and growth points are awarded based on what the state determines a student should score according to the student’s previous year’s score.
Festus earned 23.5 of the available 48 growth points and 47.5 of the 48 status points.
“That is frustrating for me,” Ruess said. “We are performing as we always have, at a very high level, even though the score appears there is a decline. That is not a true indicator of what is happening.”
Festus students earned the best MAP scores in the county.
In English, 60.9 percent of students scored as proficient or advanced, 62.9 percent hit that mark in math and 55.7 percent in science.
“I continue to be really happy with our scores,” Ruess said. “The students are performing at proficiency levels, and those numbers are indicative of the work that is happening inside the classrooms.”
Fox
Fox Superintendent Paul Fregeau said he believes the district can improve on its APR composite score of 83.6 by focusing on growth points and attendance. Fox’s APR score fell from 84.4 in 2023 to 81 this year.
The Fox district earned 25 of the available 48 growth points, according to DESE.
“We didn’t grow as much as the model expected us to grow,” Fregeau said. “We will get it figured out.”
The district saw 82.1 percent of its students attend school 85 percent of the time last school year The goal the state has set for districts is to have 90 percent of students attend class 90 percent of the time, Fregeau said.
“It is a great standard for the state to set, and it is quite a goal for us to strive for,” he said.
The Fox district saw 50 percent of its students score proficient or advanced in English, up from 49.6 the previous year. In math, 50.7 percent of students scored proficient or advanced, up from 49.1 the year before, and in science 48.2 percent scored proficient or advanced, an increase from 45.1 the year before.
Since more than 10,000 students are enrolled in the district, there’s a smaller chance scores will drastically rise or fall year to year, Fregeau said, adding that he does expect the district’s test scores to continue improving.
“The key is we are making strides in getting curriculum and resources in our teachers’ hands that are aligned to the state standards,” he said. “We have the internal testing that allows our teachers to adjust on the run, and it is a great predictor for how our kids will do on the MAP tests. I am confident we will still see incremental increases.”
Grandview
Among the county’s school districts, the Grandview district earned the lowest APR score for 2024 (66) and the lowest APR composite score (70.6).
However, Grandview has a unique student population, with approximately 625 students attending class in its building and about 3,200 students enrolled in the district’s Missouri Virtual Academy (MOVA) last year, Superintendent Matt Zoph said.
“I don’t know how MOVA is going to improve unless DESE allows us to start virtual testing,” he said. “Having these kids come and take all of the MAP tests in one day is not going to give us a true picture of what those kids can do or are doing.”
Grandview also produced the lowest MAP scores in the county, with 31 percent of students scoring as proficient or advanced in English, 18.9 percent scoring proficient or advanced in math and 19.3 percent scoring proficient or advanced in science.
Those scores are higher for students who attend class in person.
Grandview Elementary had 31.9 percent of its students score proficient in English and 67.5 percent as proficient or advanced in math. DESE did not list the percentage of Grandview Elementary students scoring as advanced in English or performance on the fifth grade science test because students could possibly be identified due to the numbers being so low.
Grandview Middle saw 39.6 percent of its in-school students score proficient or advanced in English, 35.3 percent as proficient or advanced in math and 26.3 percent as proficient or advanced in science. The high school saw 41.8 percent of its students score proficient in English, 33.8 percent as proficient or advanced in math and 32.2 percent as proficient or advanced in science. DESE didn’t list the percentage of Grandview High students who scored advanced in English.
“We try to get it out to everybody that our on-campus kids are doing pretty good,” Zoph said.
Hillsboro
Melissa Hildebrand, the Hillsboro R-3’s associate superintendent of curriculum and assessments, said the district is proud of its APR composite score of 82.3, and she believes the district will improve its year-to-year APR performance after slipping this year to 79 from 84.7.
“This year’s (APR) score serves as a reminder to focus on our mission of continuous improvement and innovation,” she said. “By addressing challenges head-on and building on our successes, we are well positioned to see gains in the future while maintaining our commitment to providing every student with a well-rounded and high quality education.”
On the MAP test, 49.6 percent of Hillsboro students scored proficient or advanced in English, up from 48.8 percent. In math, the percentage dropped to 41.9 from 42.4; and in science, it declined to 42.8 from 44.9.
“This positive trend (in English scores) is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff and families,” Hildebrand said. “With the dedication of our teachers and staff, we are confident the math scores will rise in the future as we continue to enhance our instructional practices and support every student’s learning journey. This slight dip in science scores is part of the natural ebb and flow of performance, and it provides valuable insights that will inform our efforts moving forward.”
Jefferson R-7
The R-7 district’s 2024 APR score of 92.6 was the best among the county’s schools, and its composite score of 86.1 was the third highest.
The superintendent credited the good scores to better aligning resources and curriculum throughout the district.
“What I am seeing is more professional development across the district where our buildings are sharing with each other what they are seeing instead of different programs going on in each building,” he said.
R-7 saw 51.4 percent of its students score proficient or advanced in English, compared to 52 percent the previous school year.
The district had big increases in math and science. This year, 52.2 percent scored as proficient or advanced in math after 46.5 percent scored at that level in 2023, and in science, 51.3 percent scored as proficient or advanced after 44.2 percent hit that mark last year.
While Jefferson R-7’s scores are strong, Haug said the district is not defined by those results.
“We believe the picture is a lot bigger than defining kids through a test score,” he said. “We believe there is a much higher ceiling for each and every one of our kids. We believe the skills to be successful in life are more about the soft skills of being hardworking, having perseverance, problem-solving and empathy. Those are the four keys words we focus on with our kids.”
Northwest
Northwest School District Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor said she expects the district to improve on its 75.8 APR composite score and feels this year’s drop to 72.7 from 76.6 in 2023 in the yearly APR is not a true reflection on how students are performing.
“Relying on state data is not the most reliable source of data to guide our decision-making or instruction, as there are regularly moving targets that change from year to year.,” she said. “For example, this past year the growth calculation method and scoring method changed from the previous year. This growth measure change does not represent that our students are staying stagnant, but rather that the calculation for APR changed in the past year.
“Any time a change occurs in the calculation for APR, the score cannot be compared from one year to another. Our district was adversely affected by this change in calculation.”
Northwest saw 42.8 percent of its students score proficient or advanced in English, after 43.4 percent scored at those levels the previous year.
The district’s students improved their performance in math, with 43.2 percent scoring as proficient or advanced, up from 41.4 percent.
In science, Northwest students scoring as proficient or advanced went from 37.3 percent in 2023 to 33.3 this year.
Hecktor said Northwest, like most districts, relies more on its internal testing to judge student performance.
“The MAP testing provides us information about alignment to standards, but we use internal benchmarking assessments to provide real-time data about student growth and achievement,” she said. “This type of internal testing is much more applicable and useful to students, staff, and parents as we partner together through a student’s academic career.”
Sunrise
Armand Spurgin, the superintendent for the Sunrise district, said he was not pleased with the district’s APR composite score of 71.7 or its 2024 APR score of 72, which fell from 79.7 in 2023.
“It is not where we want to be,” he said. “We are looking at all of our evaluation tools, textbooks and everything we have to make sure we are aligned correctly. We feel like somewhere something is not lining up right.”
Before the start of this year, the district made a switch to having one principal oversee students and teachers in kindergarten through third grade and another overseeing fourth through eighth grade, instead of one principal overseeing all grade levels, Spurgin said, adding that he believes that should contribute to improved student performance.
The district does not have a high school.
“The idea is that those principals can focus more on classroom evaluation and instruction on a daily basis,” Spurgin said. “We were not happy with how testing went last year. We revamped our administrative team to increase teacher evaluation and deal with curriculum evaluation.”
The administrative change also should help the district improve its MAP scores, Spurgin said.
Sunrise saw 40.7 percent of its students score proficient or advanced in English, 34.4 in math and 39.9 in science.
Windsor
The Windsor district has seen its APR score climb each year since 2022 when it scored a 73.7. The 2023 APR score was 77.2, and it’s 78.2 this year.
Its composite score is 77.2.
“We are encouraged that our APR has gone up each of the last three years,” Assistant Superintendent Michael Rickermann said. “Our teachers have worked hard to put our students in a position to be successful on state assessments.”
Windsor students also had improved performances on the MAP English and math tests. In English, the percentage of students scoring as proficient or advanced increased to 43.8 from 41.3 and in math the percentage rose to 40.6 from 37.9.
The district’s science score remained relatively the same with 42 percent of the students scoring as proficient or advanced this year after 42.4 hit that mark last year.
“We would like to see the same continued growth in science that we have seen in English and math,” Rickermann said. “We will analyze data from internal assessments to make necessary adjustments to the curriculum, ensuring targeted support for student success.”