On Tuesday, the Department provided the State Board of Education with an update regarding Missouri’s Top 10 by 20 initiative, the state’s academic improvement effort aimed at making Missouri a top 10 state for education by 2020.

The presentation included a new dashboard that provides a graphical look at the academic progress Missouri students are making. The dashboard highlights four key student outcomes that are used to measure progress toward Missouri’s Top 10 by 20 goals. These four measures include National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, four-year graduation rates, college and career readiness measures and average daily attendance figures.

“We continue to make progress toward our Top 10 by 20 goals,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “As a state, we still must work together to ensure every student graduates from high school prepared for success.”

Missouri currently ranks in the Top 10 nationally in four-year graduation rate, and has seen a 9 percent increase in the number of graduates meeting or exceeding college and career readiness standards since 2011. Missouri’s NAEP scores have held steady since 2011, while average daily attendance in Missouri schools has increased by about 2 percent during that time period.

Board members were updated on progress toward specific 2015-16 targets that address each of the four goals:

• All Missouri children will graduate college and career ready
• All Missouri children will enter kindergarten prepared to be successful in school
• Missouri will prepare, develop and support effective educators
• The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary education will improve departmental efficiency and operational effectiveness

Learn more about Top 10 by 20 by visiting the Department website.