State Board Classifies Nine School Districts; Normandy Classified as Unaccredited
At its September meeting, the State Board of Education determined accreditation classifications for nine school districts that needed classification or reclassification for the 4th Cycle of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP).
The State Board unanimously voted 7-0 to reclassify the Normandy School District in St. Louis as unaccredited effective Jan. 1, 2013, citing years of underperformance. A comparison of Normandy's data shows its students' 2012 MAP test scores in the bottom of the state, below Kansas City and St. Louis school districts, which are already unaccredited. Read more
State Board Gives Preliminary Approval to Updated Standards for Schools
The State Board of Education gave preliminary approval to updated standards for public schools at its September meeting in Jefferson City. The standards will be open for a 30-day public comment period once they are published by the Missouri Secretary of State. The revised resource and process standards will be included in the latest version of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) and will go into effect two years from the date they are adopted. Read more
More Missouri Students Earning College Credit
The number of Missouri students in public schools who scored a three or higher on advanced placement (AP) exams during the 2011-2012 school year increased by 12.2 percent over the previous year, according to The College Board's Student Achievement Report released last month. Over the past five years, this number has dramatically increased by 43.8 percent. Read more
Three Missouri Students Receive AP Scholar Award
Three Missouri teens are among 108 students nationwide to receive the College Board State AP Scholar Award for outstanding performance on 2012 Advanced Placement (AP) exams. The Missouri award recipients are: Ravali Gummi, Marquette High School, Chesterfield; Richard J. Lu, Lafayette High School, Wildwood; and Ge Song, Rockbridge High School, Columbia. The AP scholar award recognizes students in every state and the District of Columbia who have scored a 3 or higher on the greatest number of AP exams and who have earned the highest average score of at least a 3.5 on all AP exams taken. Read more
Model Curriculum Units Made Available to Educators
The model curriculum units created for Missouri educators and based on the new core standards are now accessible through an open link on the Department's website. Units in English language arts, mathematics and social studies are currently available. Career and technical education units will be added soon. Educators are encouraged to provide feedback on the structure and content of the units, and to make suggestions for additions or revisions.
Four Public Schools Earn National "Blue Ribbon" Honors
Four public high schools in Missouri have been selected as 2012 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education including: Lawson High School, Lindbergh Sr. High School, Park Hill South High School and Valley Park Sr. High School. A total of 269 schools earned national honors this year - 219 public and 50 private - according to the announcement made in September by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Read more
New Chinese Language Program Supports International Education
Columbia Public Schools (CPS) and the University of Missouri's (MU) Office of the Vice Provost for International Programs/Confucius Institute signed a memorandum of understanding last month to develop a new Chinese language program beginning fall 2013. Three Chinese teachers from Shanghai Normal University and Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, located in China, will be paired with educators at CPS to co-teach Chinese. Read more
Missouri Students Participate in First National Computer-Based Test
About 700 students from 25 public schools in Missouri were among more than 50,000 students participating in the country's first national computer-based writing test. According to The Nation's Report Card from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), just over one quarter of students earned a "proficient" or "advanced" score on the test. Read more
Communities Asked to Support "Lights on Afterschool"
Communities nationwide will observe Oct. 18 as "Lights on Afterschool" Day. Front porch and schoolhouse lights will be turned on Thursday afternoon from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. to recognize the importance of afterschool programs for students, families and communities. Events will be held throughout Missouri to commemorate the 13th annual observance. Learn more
