PERRYVILLE FINDS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN REPORT CARD (RATING OUR SCHOOLS, TENTH IN A 13-PART SERIES)

PERRYVILLE -- Although Perryville schools Superintendent Stephen Doerr saw much to be proud of in his district's annual report card, he also saw some challenges.

The report card, an annual report prepared by school administrators profiling specific information about their school district, was released Dec. 1. Booklets were prepared for distribution throughout the community. The report also can be accessed at the school district's Web site.

"I think from a parent's perspective the report card provides them with a wealth of information about our programs and services," Doerr said.

Among the strong points included in the report was local performance on the ACT exam. Perryville graduates taking the college assessment had a composite score of 22.8, just above state and national averages.

Perryville students also posted a better-than-average attendance rate.

Several items on report indicated a need for improvement. The district's dropout rate of 7.1 percent has increased in recent years and offsets the district's strong attendance rate, Doerr said.

"That's important to us in terms of if the kids aren't in school, how can we expect them to be learning," he said.

The district's curriculum is another area that is under revision, Doerr said. Like most administrators, Doerr said he saw room for improvement in student performance on the Missouri Assessment Program scores. Only one test has been given in multiple years, which leaves little room to judge whether students are progressing, he said.

Even so, administrators and teachers are meeting to determine in which areas students showed achievement gaps so curriculum could be revamped.

"We do see those as a challenge, and that's something our staff is working on," he said.

Educators also want to increase the number of Perryville students who continue their education after high school. As technology advances, students will need more skills when they enter the job force, Doerr said. While Perryville teachers are doing a good job of educating students, he said he wants to see more students enter college and job-training schools.

"Our goal is to have as many students as possible enter into post-secondary institutions so they're better prepared, better trained, for the world of work," Doerr said.

A committee is studying three areas included in the report card. The Board of Education charged a committee of district patrons and staff to study retention and recruitment of quality staff; maintenance and upkeep of existing facilities; and what will be needed to provide adequate district facilities.

The committee will make recommendations to the school board during a meeting Dec. 29.

"It will probably result in an election coming in April to address these three issues," said Doerr.

WEDNESDAY: Meadow Heights