DISTRICT GETS MAP SCORES, LOCAL SCHOOLS IN TOP 10

Several area school districts placed among the best in the state for performance on Missouri Assessment Program achievement tests last year.

The Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP, is a performance-based testing system that emphasizes word problems to challenge students to show their work and explain their reasoning behind a particular answer. The format includes small multiple choice and short-answer sections.

In a study of the results from MAP exams taken last year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education determined that some 148 of the state's 524 school districts placed in the top 10 in scores on communication arts, math and science exams.

Schools earned a spot on one or more of the Top 10 lists based on the percentage of their students who scored in the two highest achievement levels, "proficient" and "advanced." Lists were divided into 27 separate categories to represent subject area and school size.

"With this information, we can look at what is being done to put those buildings on top and share that information with other schools," said Commissioner of Education Robert Bartman.

Bartman said the high performance by individual buildings in about one-fourth of the state's school districts indicates the state is not expecting too much of students. In the past, some school officials have criticized the state department for setting unrealistic achievement levels for the three-year old MAP exam. They said low state averages in the first years of the three-year old exam supported their claims the achievement bar had been set too high.

But Bartman disagreed. "These statistics demonstrate that schools can perform well against the high standards of the MAP exams, and they give schools all over the state a target to shoot for," he said.

Leopold School District received the most recognition of area schools. The district was named to five lists in the following areas: Third grade communication arts; seventh grade communication arts; eighth grade math; seventh grade science; and 10th grade math. In each case, the district more than doubled the state average for students scoring in the two top categories.

Only eight school districts in the state posted equal or more appearances than Leopold in the report. Those districts with the highest rates of achievement were: Blue Springs, nine; Columbia, 10; Ladue, eight; Lee's Summit, five; Parkway C-2, 12; Rockwood, 16; Springfield, 15; and St. Louis City, eight.

Gordonville Attendance Center in Jackson was recognized for achievement in two areas. Third-graders at Gordonville placed among the best in the state for their efforts on the communications arts and science exams, the only tests taken by lower elementary students.

Every Gordonville student taking the science exam received a score of proficient or advanced. It was the only perfect score listed in the report.

Among other area schools appearing in the report, Marquand-Zion, New Madrid and Kelso C-7 school districts each were named to two lists, while Nell Holcomb, Portageville, Richland, Risco and Sikeston school districts each were named to one list for high achievement.

"All kinds of schools in all parts of the state earned recognition in one or more of the Top 10 lists," he continued. "We also looked at the percent of students in a school who receive from or reduced-price lunches, in order to gauge the effects of family income on academic performance. We recognize that poverty can be a serious challenge to high academic achievement, but these data help confirm our belief that we can set high academic expectations for all children and schools in Missouri."