Performance gains fuel Jefferson City Schools’ progress on annual review

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gains in academic scores helped the Jefferson City School District gain nearly six percentage points on the state's annual review of schools.

JC Schools improved 5.8% overall from 2022 to 2023 in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Annual Performance Report.

The district earned 76.7% of the possible points in this year's report that combines performance and improvement scores from the 2022-2023 school year. Jefferson City received 92.3% of points in the continuous improvement section and 71% of points in performance.

In 2022, Jefferson City earned 70.9% on the report.

JC Schools Spokesperson Ryan Burns said in a statement to ABC 17 News the district is proud of its increase in its total score, and it will strive to increase each year.

"We have had a strategic focus on improving our curriculum and Tier 1 instruction, and it is nice to see those efforts leading to positive improvements in academic achievement," Burns said.

She said performance in math is an area the district can improve.

"We are piloting a new math resource this year and gathering input from teachers," Burns said. "Next year, we will implement the resource at the elementary level and pilot resources at the secondary level."

Jefferson City was designated this year as "approaching" overall math and science scores at 50% of points earned and "on track" for language arts and social studies at 75% of points earned.

It saw above-average growth in social studies and below-average growth in math.

The district also received zero points in attendance, which is scored 0-4. Zero points, according to the scoring guide, is designated as "floor" with an attendance rate below 79%.

Burns said the district is using several strategies at the district and building level to address attendance.

"While we did see a modest improvement in our attendance over the prior year, it was not enough to gain any points according to the APR scoring model," Burns said. "Our current attendance rate for this school year is higher than last year, and that is a trend we hope to see continue."

Burns did not respond to comment when asked what specific strategies the district is implementing or what current attendance rates are.

The district earned full points in its graduation rate, college and career readiness tests such as the ACT and in the advanced credit area. This is up from 2022 when it earned 75% of points in graduation rate and college and career readiness.

This is the second year DESE has scored school districts using the MSIP 6 model, which gives schools a score based on performance and continuous improvement. Seventy percent of the total points come from performance, while 30% of points come from continuous growth.

This is the first year growth scores are available for science and social studies, increasing the total possible points in 2023 compared to 2022.

Because this is only the second year DESE has used this scoring model, districts will not be classified based on performance until the 2023-2024 school year data is reported. Data from the 2023 annual performance report can also only be accurately compared to 2022 data.

When looking at other Mid-Missouri districts, Columbia Public Schools received 70.1% of points in the overall performance report total, up from 70% in 2022. CPS earned 61.9% of points in performance and 92.3% of points in continuous improvement.

Fulton Public Schools received 70.2%, down from 73.3% in 2022. The district earned 59.7% in performance and 98% in continuous improvement.