Parkway Schools Meet 14 of 14 Standards in State-Wide Evaluation

Parkway schools are expected to receive the highest level of accreditation from the state, based on preliminary annual performance data released Friday.

The met 14 of the 14 standards on which the state evaluates school districts. 

The state considers 14 academic performance standards ranging from test scores, to attendance to the number of advanced courses to Annual College Test (ACT) scores. Of the 447 K-12 districts in the state, 256 met all 14 standards while 64 met 13 standards.

Margie Vandeven, assistant commissioner in the office of quality schools at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the scores aren't based only one year of data alone, but provide a report on each district's progress.

"We believe Missouri's Annual Performance Review is a much better indicator of student performance than the national Adequate Yearly Progress," she said.

To be fully accredited, a district must have met 9-14 of the standards, to receive provisional accreditation, the district must meet 6-9 standards. Districts who meet 0-5 standards can receive a recommendation to the State Board of Education to be classified as unaccredited.

The vast majority of schools in the state-510 of 520-are expected to receive full accreditation after the final APR results are released in September.

"The system we have in place helps us identify which districts we have that need more time and attention," she said.

The scores this year are relatively consistent with last year's results as each standard is compared, she said. Vandeven said while she is pleased with the progress the state has made, she knows districts can do better.

2011 Preliminary Annual Performance Review

For more information on each school district's score, please visit The Missouri Comprehensive Data System and click on Accountability Reports.