Five districts move from provisional accreditation to fully accredited

The Missouri State Board of Education voted to raise the classifications of five school districts during Tuesday’s State Board Meeting in Jefferson City. These districts were classified as fully accredited effective immediately:

• Caruthersville 18
• Gilliam C-4
• Jennings
• Malta Bend R-V
• Spickard R-II

Each district showed significant progress in the last three years to warrant the change. All five were previously provisionally accredited.

Classifications are based on three years of Annual Performance Reports (APR) under the state’s accountability system, the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 5. MSIP 5 promotes continuous improvement and innovation within each district through high expectations and a clear vision for encouraging improvement efforts.

This year marked the third set of performance reports released under MSIP 5. Three years of data are used when making classification decisions to ensure there are sustainable trends in school district performance. It is also important to note that state statute says a district’s accreditation may not be lowered based on data from a new assessment. 2015 marked the first year for new Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests in English language arts and math.

At the Department’s recommendation, 502 school districts retained their previous classification of accredited. With five more districts gaining full accreditation, more than 98 percent of Missouri’s school districts are fully accredited.

“Missouri has high standards for its schools that will help our children achieve greater academic success,” Vandeven said. “We are pleased to see more districts meet and exceed these standards. We will continue to provide supports and interventions to those districts that are ultimately working toward full accreditation.”

Five districts remain classified as provisionally accredited and two are unaccredited.

The Normandy Schools Collaborative and Riverview Gardens School District remain unaccredited. Riverview Garden’s classification may be revisited by July 1, 2016. All classifications are final until acted upon by the State Board.