On Monday, November 25, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the latest Annual Performance Report (APR) scores for school districts across the state. Before we share the details from our report, we’d like to explain a little more about what these results are and what they mean for our district.
What is the APR?
Missouri’s DESE has an accountability model for school districts called the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP). To score districts on their performance and improvement, DESE uses an Annual Performance Report (APR).
Republic APR Overview
As a district, we received 87% of the points possible within the APR, which is a 2% increase over last year. There were 200 points possible, and we earned 174.
As mentioned above, in this accountability model, school districts are scored on student performance on standardized tests and continuous improvement. We are proud to share that our students tested higher than the state average in every category– English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. Through their hard work and the dedication of our teachers, Republic students are high achieving year after year. It is also important to note that the district is part of the Success Ready Student Network, which examines student learning and growth at a personal level. The district will continue this focus on the whole student, emphasizing the importance of personal skills and dispositions that prepare students for success in the real world. The combination of a strong academic foundation along with strong personal skills and dispositions will help all students make progress toward learning goals and post-secondary success upon graduation.
Each of our K-12 buildings also receive APR scores, which are available for viewing on the DESE website. While building performance factors into the district’s results, the district’s points are not simply an average of building scores.
It’s important to note that the data presented in the APR is from the 2023-2024 school year. While this data has just recently been packaged and released to the public, our school district has been focusing on opportunities for improvement since the start of the school year. Therefore, we’ve already implemented action steps to address the needs of our students and continue to do so on a regular basis. In addition, Republic School District practices Early Release Fridays, which allow teachers and administrators to analyze data and make weekly instructional adjustments in real time to best support our students.
Below, we’d like to share some celebrations and opportunities for improvement we’ve drawn out of our APR score.
Celebrations:
With their scores on MAP and EOC tests from the spring of 2024, students continued to achieve academic success in all areas, solidifying our placement in the upper echelon of public schools across Missouri.
In Math, Republic students scored in the top 5% of the state for all students.
In English Language Arts, Republic students performed in the top 10% of the state for all students.
Opportunities for Improvement:
As a district, we received 75% of the points for Attendance. We know attendance matters for students’ academic success and overall growth, and we are continuing our district-wide focus on attendance. We encourage families to keep students home when they are ill. However, we hope to minimize absences to ensure students don't miss out on important learning experiences. For information and resources related to attendance, visit republicschools.org/everydaycounts.
Related to scores on MAP and EOC tests, student performance in Science is not where we aim for it to be. We're dedicated to improving student outcomes in this area. To achieve this, we are investing in teacher training, curriculum updates, strategic use of Response to Intervention time and more.
The district’s APR can be found here. We intend to recognize these achievements with our staff, while simultaneously developing and implementing strategies to further enhance our school district. As always, we continue to pursue educational excellence for our students. We remain committed to our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, which was created through a collaborative effort with our community, and outlines strategies for meeting the needs of our students and staff, academically and beyond.