The State Board of Education today approved a recommendation from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to classify Calhoun R-VIII as fully accredited based on the past several years of improvement.

Calhoun has scored in the accredited range for two consecutive years in its Annual Performance Report, students in the district have met or exceeded growth targets in English language arts and math for the last three years, and students have made steady gains in college-and-career-readiness measures.

“We are pleased with the progress Calhoun has made,” said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Margie Vandeven. “Their school leaders, teachers and students should be proud of their accomplishments.”

In addition to making improvements in student performance, the district implemented a comprehensive school improvement plan and improved its financial condition. Calhoun was classified as provisionally accredited in 2011, meeting three of eight measures used for accountability that year.