Schools with most MAP progress named

Hours of staff development and student preparation paid off for a select group of schools in Southeast Missouri that were recently named to the state's top 10 list of schools for showing the most progress on the 2002 Missouri Assessment Program scores.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education last week released lists of the top 10 elementary, junior high, middle and high schools with the greatest improvements in the percentage of students scoring in the top two levels on the math, communication arts, social studies and science tests administered last spring in all public schools.

Schools in 202 of Missouri's 524 school districts made the list, including the Millersville Attendance Center in the Jackson School District, Scott City High School, Kelso C-7 Elementary, Kelly High School and Oran High School.

Jim Morris, director of public information with DESE, said the list is important because it proves schools can make rapid, substantial progress on the MAP.

"It shows that all kinds of schools, small and big, rich and poor, can show these kinds of positive gains," he said.

The Millersville Attendance Center, with 74 students, had the smallest enrollment of all the schools on the top 10 lists for third-grade communication arts and science.

Millersville principal Andrew Rogers credits third-grade teacher Rhonda Farrow and parental involvement with the school's MAP success.

"We don't have the advantages that come from having a large elementary school where grade-level teachers can work together," Rogers said. "Rhonda is constantly in contact with teachers from other schools, comparing strategies and looking for ways not just to improve what her students are doing, but what she's doing, too."

The MAP, a series of state-mandated tests given at various grade levels every spring, was first administered in 1997. The importance of the assessment skyrocketed in 2002 with the signing of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires that all schools have children performing in the top two score levels of the tests by 2014.

More accurate gauge

DESE's top 10 lists do not compare the current year's data with the previous year, but instead looks at a school's progress from the first year each test was administered to the current year.

"Looking at a total change is a more stable and accurate way to gauge a school's progress," Morris said. "If you only look at one year's change, it's possible to have a one-hit wonder school where scores drop again the next year."

The process makes the top 10 recognition that much more meaningful for schools, which often use the list as an incentive for students and teachers to improve MAP scores.

"It's important to us because it tells us we're doing something right," said Fred Graham, principal at Scott City High School, which ranked seventh on the high school communication arts top 10 list and sixth on the high school science list. "The list tells us we're on the right track, and the congratulations go to the teachers and students for all their hard work."

Oran and Kelly high schools both made the social studies top 10 list, with Kelly ranking third and Oran sixth.

"The students are the ones who have to take this testing seriously," said Tom Hulshof, principal at Kelly High School. "And our teachers have worked especially hard helping students prepare."

Kelso C-7 principal David Newell said his school's size has allowed for progress on MAP scores. Kelso landed the No. 3 ranking in the state on the elementary communication arts test and the No. 4 ranking on the middle school social studies test on this year's top 10 lists.

"We're a very small district and so our students get a lot of individual attention," Newell said. "The recognition is really a reflection of the cooperation between our staff and parents in providing a good base for our students."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128