At its March meeting, the State Board of Education approved a Department plan for supporting and, if necessary, intervening in school districts in Missouri.

State education officials will hold a public hearing regarding the Department’s State Support and Intervention Plan on Monday, Feb. 24, in Kansas City.

The hearing will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley Campus, Physical Education Building, Room 101, 3201 Southwest Trafficway, Kansas City. It will be an opportunity to gather feedback regarding the Department’s draft plan for classification, support and intervention in unaccredited school districts.

Action Provides Financial Oversight and Transition Task Force for Unaccredited District

The Department presented the first draft of the Annual Performance Report for Educator Preparation Programs (APR-EPP) to the State Board of Education on Tuesday.

The report is part of the Missouri Standards for the Preparation of Educators (MoSPE), which features higher standards for Missouri’s educator preparation programs.

“Effective educators are vital to improving instruction around the state,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. “Higher standards for educators play a big role in making sure Missouri students receive the best possible education.”

At the February Board of Education meeting, Department staff presented a first draft of recommendations for accrediting, supporting and, if necessary, intervening in school districts in Missouri. In a work session last week, the State Board members urged the Department to find ways to immediately support districts before they become provisionally accredited or unaccredited. The Department’s recommendations include additional supports as districts begin to decline in performance and execute performance contracts when districts become provisionally accredited.

A bus carrying six students to B.W. Sheperd State School in Kansas City was involved in an auto accident Thursday morning. No one was injured.

The two-vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of 18^th and Benton. Reports indicate the driver of the other vehicle may have run a stop sign and sideswiped the bus. Students remained on the bus following the accident before being transferred to another bus to continue on to school.

The State Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to uphold a decision by the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) to withdraw sponsorship from charter school Hope Academy.

UMKC notified the Hope Academy Board on Dec. 2, 2013, of its decision to withdraw sponsorship at the end of the current school year. The decision was based on a review of Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) results over the last four years. Members of the State Board of Education questioned how they could authorize continued operation of a charter not recommended by its sponsor.

A new report from the College Board shows that more than twice as many Missouri students took Advanced Placement (AP®) exams in 2013 than in 2003. The number of low-income students taking the exams increased tenfold, jumping from 129 in 2003 to 1,575 in 2013.

The State Board of Education met in a special work session Monday to discuss the ideas submitted during the past several months to address the needs of children in unaccredited districts. Staff members from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guided the discussion, which focused on the major areas of governance and policy.

The State Board of Education will hold a special work session at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10. The purpose of this meeting is to secure Board policy guidance for the Department’s development of a statewide plan for supporting and, if necessary, intervening in unaccredited districts.

Several plans have been submitted for consideration, and the Department has held four public hearings in Kansas City, St. Louis, Sikeston and Springfield.