Ash Grove, Republic, Willard schools get 2019 DESE grades

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released their 2019 Annual Performance Report (APR) for Missouri school district on Thursday, Oct. 17. This year, several changes have been made to how reports are presented on the website.
The APR contains data rating each districts performance in several formats. The report currently contains ratings on the academic performance of students in English and math. Results for performance in science will be released on Nov. 23. A statement released by DESE stated there will be no report for social studies this year because a field test was given for social studies during the 2018-19 school year; new social studies assessments will be administered during the 2019-20 school year.
The reports also rated the districts’ status and progress expectations as: Floor, Approaching, On Track and Exceeding. Below are summaries of the 2019 MSIP5 District/Charter APR Summary Report for the Ash Grove, Republic and Willard districts

Ash Grove:
In Ash Grove R-IV, the district received a rating of “On Track” in both English and math for students making achievement gains over time, and a rating of “Approaching” for students achieving high levels of performance in both subjects. In English, the district received a score of 340.1, slightly below the state average of 341.2; in math, the district’s score was 315.4; slightly above the state average of 313.6. The district also received a rating of “Exceeding” for making improvements over prior years in achievement for English, and a rating of “On Track” for math.
In College and Career Readiness, the district earned a rating of “On Track” in College and Career Assessments One through Three as 70.5-percent of Ash Grove’s students were college or career ready at graduation in 2019, the state average was 71.2-percent.
About 87.6-percent of students were seeking higher education, in the military or employed within six months of graduation; the state average was 91.2-percent.

The district received a rating of “Exceeding” in attendance; the district’s attendance rate in 2018-19 was 92.2-percent of students attending class at least 90-percent of the time; the state average was 90.7-percent.
In graduation rates, the state received a rating of “On Track” with their four-year graduation rate, and ratings of “Exceeding” for their five, six and seven-year graduation rates. The district’s four-year graduation rate was 91.4-percent; the state average was 91.5-percent.

Republic:
In Republic R-III, the district received a rating of “Exceeding” in both English and math for students making achievement gains over time, and a rating of “Exceeding” for students achieving high levels of performance in both subjects. In English, the district received ratings of “On Track” for students making high scores in both English and math; the district received a score of 363.2 in English, above the state average of 341.2. In math, the district’s score was 340.5; above the state average of 313.6. The district also received a rating of “Exceeding” for making improvements over prior years in achievement for both English and math.
Republic earned ratings of “Exceeding” in all six College and Career Readiness assessments. Among the district’s graduates, 72.3-percent were college or career ready, 73.2-percent had earned vocational or advanced credit, and 98.8-percent of graduates were seeking higher education, in the military or employed within six months after graduation. The district also earned a rating of “Exceeding” for attendance with 93.1-precent of the students attending class 90-percent or more of the time.
Republic also earned ratings of “Exceeding” for their four, five, six and seven-year graduation rates. The graduation rates were: 93.5-percent, 94.3-precent, 95.1-percent and 94.1-percent, respectively.

Willard:
In Willard R-II, the district received a rating of “Floor” in English for students making achievement gains over time, and a rating of “On Track” for math, but received a rating of “On Track” for students achieving high levels of performance in both subjects. In English, the district received a score of 359.0, above the state average of 341.2; in math, the district’s score was 326.2; above the state average of 313.6. The district received a rating of “Floor” for making improvements over prior years in achievement for English and math.
Willard earned ratings of “Exceeding” in all six College and Career Readiness assessments. Among the district’s graduates, 78.4-percent were college or career ready, 84.2-percent had earned vocational or advanced credit, and 98-percent of graduates were seeking higher education, in the military or employed within six months after graduation. The district also earned a rating of “Exceeding” for attendance, with 93.2-percent of the district’s students attending class 90-percent or more of the time.
Finally, Willard earned ratings of “Exceeding” or their four, five, six and seven-year graduation rates.
The graduation rates were: 97.1-percent, 97.6-percent, 97.9-percent and 97.5-percent, respectively.

Learn more:
Reports for individual districts may be viewed at the DESE website at www.dese.mo.gov. At the homepage, click on “Missouri releases 2019 Annual Performance Reports” under the news tab.