Statistics released by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) show Springfield Public Schools scored 85.4 percent overall on the state’s annual performance report. KSMU’s Theresa Bettmann breaks down the district’s various category rankings.
The Annual Performance Report combines MAP scores with five performance standards: academic achievement, attendance, college and career readiness, graduation rates and subgroup achievement. The scores are what DESE uses to determine accreditation of public school systems around the state.
For SPS, this year’s overall mark is 3.5 percentage points fewer than last year.
Superintendent Dr. John Jungmann says the report shows positives and areas that need improvement.
“Some of the exciting bright spots include the graduation rate going up for the fourth consecutive year and almost hitting the 90 percent level. And also seeing that graduation rate not only went up for all kids, but also went up very well, almost six percent, for our free and reduced student population,” Jungmann says.
Other highlights for SPS include improvements in student attendance achieving 90 percent or better, and average or above average scores in the college and career readiness category, says Jungmann.
As for overall academic achievement, Jungmann notes that many scores have “flat-lined” in English language arts, math and science, showing no change or in some cases slight decreases.
“It’s a starting point not an ending point. You shouldn’t look at this like a grade report at the end, this is a progress report. There is no beginning or ending in the educational system—it’s just a status check,” says Jungmann.
Jungmann says the report provides the opportunity to celebrate the hard work and successes while opening the door towards re-evaluating areas for improvement.
