Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge (Pasadena Hills) was appointed to the State Board of Education today by Missouri Governor Mike Parson. Mrs. Westbrooks-Hodge joins the State Board of Education after serving as a member of the Joint Executive Governing Board at Normandy Schools Collaborative since December 2015.

Information provided by the Milken Family Foundation

Oakland Middle School eighth grade math teacher Melissa Fike was presented the national Milken Educator Award today by Milken Educator Awards Senior Program Director Greg Gallagher and Missouri Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Dr. Margie Vandeven. The recognition comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize for winners. Only one teacher from each participating state is selected to receive the Milken Educator Award each year.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announces Dr. Kari Monsees as the new deputy commissioner of the Division of Financial and Administrative Services. He will assume this position on June 30, 2020, upon retiring as Superintendent of Schools at the Raymore-Peculiar School District. Dr. Roger Dorson, current deputy commissioner of the Division of Financial and Administrative Services, announced his retirement earlier this year. We are grateful that he has agreed to stay on in this position through June to allow for a smooth transition.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week by highlighting a pair of Missouri programs that have placed a key focus on workforce development and preparing Missouri students for success beyond graduation.

Eldon Career Center
At the Eldon Career Center, more than 40 students have participated in the apprenticeship program in just two years, with each having motivating and successful stories. But for Cynthia Walker, the Center’s Registered Apprenticeship Coordinator, one story in particular stood out:

In conjunction with Veteran's Day, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is spotlighting the ways our agency works with and supports veterans across Missouri.

Missouri’s 2019 scores in national math and reading assessments remained statistically steady in math at Grade 4 and Grade 8, as well as at Grade 8 reading, but fell in Grade 4 reading according to data released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The state was in line with national averages in all four test categories during the 2019 testing window. Missouri’s 2019 scores were only statistically different from its 2017 results in one category: Grade 4 reading.

More than 56,000 Missouri students in the graduating class of 2019 took the ACT. Missouri’s score placed the state slightly higher than the class of 2019’s national average. An estimated 82 percent of the 2019 Missouri graduating class completed the ACT with an average composite score of 20.8, while an estimated 52 percent of students nationwide took the exam with an average composite of score of 20.7.

Here are Missouri and national average composite scores as calculated by ACT in every subject:

The State Board of Education approved a request to file a revised version of the proposed rule relating to the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 6. The Department received nearly 1,500 comments during the August 2019 comment period that resulted in multiple revisions. The previous proposed rule will be withdrawn and a new proposed rule will be filed. The major changes to the new proposed rule include:

Four Missouri teachers were among the 2017 and 2018 awardees honored by the White House for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APR) for the 2018-19 school year. Included in the data are academic achievement and subgroup achievement results in both English language arts and mathematics, as well as updated markers on a district or charter school’s college and career readiness, attendance and graduation rates.