Ozark County schools receive annual performance reports

Just as students across Ozark County receive report cards, the school districts are also graded on their performance and continuous improvement through the Missouri state-issued Annual Performance Reports. The APRs are “kind of like a grade card for how the school districts are doing,” Bakersfield Superintendent Amy Padgett explained to the Times last week. 

The reports, prepared and issued by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rate the school district’s progress toward meeting the standards in the sixth version of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6).

“The data shows that Missouri schools are meeting the more rigorous requirements and higher expectations set forth in MSIP 6,” said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger. “MSIP 6 takes a closer look at what districts are doing to implement effective practices and sustain improvements while increasing the focus on individual student outcomes. We are seeing positive movement because of hard work at the local level.”

The APRs are used to determine a school district’s accreditation status. 

The  APRs are publicly available through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website (visit dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/how-access-2024-apr for instructions on how to access the documents yourself); however, they aren’t easy to decipher to the casual viewer. 

With help from school administrators across Ozark County, the Times has attempted to break down the scores to help readers put some context with the numbers. The results shared here are for the school districts as a whole. There are also individual breakdowns for elementary and high schools at each district available on the DESE website for those who are interested in viewing the school-specific data.

For clarification reasons, in this article, the scores for the 2023-24 school year will be referred to as 2024, and scores for the 2022-23 school year will be referred to as 2023. 

Bakersfield School District

Total score in 2023-24: 82.0% 

3-year rolling average: 79.1%

Bakersfield School improved its overall score by more than 5% for the 2024 year, earning an overall score of 82%. Much of that growth is thanks to a better attendance score and students’ higher scores in both the math and social studies subjects. 

Test scores: In the performance category, which is based on students’ scores on state-wide standardized tests, Bakersfield students did better in both math and social studies, raising their scores from 50% to 75% in both categories. Students scored 75%, the same score as the prior year in English/language arts and science. “That is good,” Padgett told the Times. “Of course, we always want to do better.”

Success-ready students: The school earned a 50% on the “success ready students” category, which is calculated based on Bakersfield students’ scores on college and career-ready assessments including the ACT, SAT, ASVAB and other similar testing. 

Padgett said the school is working to improve this score, and what they’ve found is that many students were not trying on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), a standardized test that measures a person’s aptitude for military service, because they have no interest in going into the military. 

“This year we offered a $25 and $50 gift cards based on how much they improved, and we had a 100% improvement,” she said. “So part of the equation is just getting kids to try on these tests so that the data is accurate.”

Another portion of the success-ready student score is based on advanced credit or dual credit enrollment offered at the schools. Padgett says that Bakersfield does offer dual credit enrollment with Missouri State University-West Plains, allowing students to earn college credits while they complete work at the high school level. They do not offer advanced placement (a different program than dual credit) at this time. They received 50% in that category.

Graduates: Bakersfield received a 100% in both the graduation rate and graduate follow-up. The score for graduate follow-up is based on how many graduating seniors are working in their field of study six months after high school graduation. “Since we are a small school, employees have an easier time reporting this data because we typically know what kids are doing after they graduate,” Padgett said.  “When we don’t, it isn’t hard to find out in a small community.”

Continuous improvement totals: Bakersfield earned 100% and all points for the categories that are listed in the “continuous improvement” category.

Improvement plan: The first element of the continuous improvement category is making a “continuous school improvement plan,” which the school does in coordination with various stakeholders. The plan is a lengthy document that lays out the school district’s goals, academics, professional development, facility goals, parental and community involvement and governance of the school board. They received 100%.

Response to standards: The second element is how the school district responds to the state’s standards. The school is required to develop a narrative each year that explains how the district is specifically working to meet the state standards including its testing programs, internal assessments from teachers gauging students’ growth in subject areas, taking opportunities to reach out to parents and other elements to align with the standards.

Climate and culture survey: The third element is a climate and culture survey, a mandatory survey that each school district must distribute to all staff, students and parents every other year asking for feedback about the school. Bakersfield received full points for sending the survey out. “We send those via email, and we love getting that feedback,” Padgett said. 

Continuous improvement of success-ready students: the third category is continuous improvement of its success-ready students, which incorporates kindergarten entry assessment (KEA), individual career and academic plan (ICAP) and attendance. 

Full points were given for the district for conducting its kindergarten entry assessment (or kindergarten screening), which is given to incoming students within the first two weeks of kindergarten to see how ready the children are to enter kindergarten. 

They also received a 100% grade for ICAP, which is an individual career and academic plan. “This starts in eighth grade and continues all throughout high school. We ask students what do they want to do in the future and make a plan based on it. Then if they change their mind as they go through school, we can change it to fit their new interests. It helps keep them on track with what courses they want or need to take,” Padgett said. All students at Bakersfield have an ICAP, so the school received all points.

Attendance: Attendance is also considered part of the continuous improvement of success-ready students. Padgett says that the school really worked hard last year on shoring up its attendance policies, which has paid off in its attendance score. The school increased its score for attendance from 75% on last year’s report to 100% on this year’s report.  The score does not mean that the school district had 100% attendance, instead it simply means that they got all points for improving their attendance rate. “Ever since covid, attendance has been a struggle. We’ve really been working hard these last couple years on improving our attendance rates. While we don’t want to spread germs, we do have to get back to a sense of normal attendance, and our kids need to have consistent attendance at school,” she said. 

CTE expansion: The school got full points for its “career and technical education” expansion because it has offered more courses in those areas. Padgett said that although the Bakersfield district is happy to still get full points for this category, they know that sometime in the future it won’t be feasible to continue to expand the CTE offerings, as a small school population can only offer and sustain so many career and technical education courses. 

Required documentation: Bakersfield got 100% on its required documentation, which includes submitting its audit, the annual secretary of the board report and timely submission of Missouri Student Information System (MOSIS) and Core Data. 

Assessment preparation rates: Bakersfield got full points in the “assessment participation rates,” category, which basically means that all students in the school took the state-required assessments as ordered. 

Other accreditation considerations: The district received “yes” in all categories of the other accreditation considerations, which includes maintaining its minimum threshold for fund balances, meaning it is financially healthy and “living within our means,” Padgett said; having an appropriately certified superintendent; having all board members participate in the state-required 18.5 hours of training in their first year on the board; and the school being in compliance with all federal and state laws. 

Dora School District

Total score in 2023-24: 86.7%

3-year rolling average: 81.6%

Dora School increased its score by more than 10%, earning 86.7% in 2024 compared with 76.2% in 2023. 

The increase can be attributed to better test scores in English/language arts, 

“This increase is a testament to the highly dedicated and caring group of educators here at Dora. We are incredibly proud of our teachers and students for all the hard work they have put in over the last year to strengthen our learning community. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our shared mission,” Dora School Superintendent Brett Mitchell said. 

(For a more detailed breakdown of what these categories mean, see the Bakersfield School section of this article.)

Test scores: Dora earned 100% for students’ scores on standardized testing in English language arts, up from 75% in 2023. Students’ scores in math, science and social studies remained at 75% for 2024 like 2023.

Success-ready students: Dora earned a 50% for college and career ready assessments and a 100% for advanced credit. 

Graduates: Full 100% scores were awarded for Dora graduation rate and graduate follow up.

Continuous improvement totals: Dora earned 100% for its improvement plan, response to standards, climate/culture survey, audit, kindergarten entrance assessment and individual career and academic planning.

Attendance: Dora earned a 75% for its attendance. The score is the same as the prior year.

CTE expansion: Dora earned a 100% for its career and technical education expansion.

Required documentation: Dora submitted all required documentation, and got 100% in that category.

Assessment participation rates: Dora earned a 100% for its students’ participation in the required standardized testing for science and social studies and 99.2% for English/language arts and mathematics. 

Gainesville School District

Total score in 2023-24: 81.3%

3-year rolling average: 86%

Gainesville scored 81.3% in the 2023-24 APR, a 4.9% drop over the previous year’s score of 86.2%, which can be attributed in part to lower scores in English/language arts in 2024 compared with 2023. Despite the dip in this year’s score, the school still maintains the highest composite score, or three year average, of the K-12 schools in Ozark County.

“The Gainesville R-V District scored 81.3% on the 2024 Annual Performance Report (APR), marking a successful year under this new measurement system introduced by MSIP 6. This performance measure reflects the dedication and hard work of students, educators and administrative staff in meeting the state’s educational standards,” said Gainesville High School Principal Richard Wylie.  

Wylie pointed out areas where Gainesville exceeded state-wide performance:

• Gainesville held a  81.3% on the APR with an overall academic composite [this is a 3-year rolling average score of the school’s APRs] of 86%. The district turned in the highest performance in the summit conference for science, and second highest in the conference for math. 

• At the high school level, where students take the end of course (EOC) exams, Gainesville exceeded state performance in all areas and led the summit conference on the areas of English II and Algebra I.

“[It] also highlighted areas for development. Those include the areas of upper elementary math, middle school English, elementary and high school social studies and college career readiness (CCR), with CCR being divided into two categories-- assessments and advanced credit,” Wylie said. “…Proactive moves to enhance CCR have already been implemented at GHS, including adding advanced placement courses and expanding vocational aptitude testing through the application of preparatory classes for ACT and ASVAB and incorporating expanded testing with students taking the WORKKEYS and ACCUPLACER.”

(For a more detailed breakdown of what these categories mean, see the Bakersfield School section of this article.)

Test scores: Gainesville earned a 100% for students’ scores on standardized testing in science. It earned a 75% English language arts, math and social studies. Last year, as a district, Gainesville earned 100% in English/language arts and science, and a 75% in math and social studies. 

Success-ready students: Gainesville earned a 50% for college and career-ready assessments and a 50% for advanced credit. Those scores were the same in 2023.

Graduates: Full 100% scores were awarded for Gainesville graduation rate and graduate follow up.

Continuous improvement totals: Gainesville earned 100% for its improvement plan, response to standards, climate/culture survey, kindergarten entrance assessment, individual career and academic planning, submission of audit, annual secretary of the board report and timely submission of MOSIS/Core data. The scores are the same as the prior year.

Attendance: Gainesville earned a 100% for its attendance. The score is the same as 2023.

Assessment participation rates: Gainesville earned a 100% for its students’ participation in the required standardized testing for science, English/language arts and social studies and 99.4% for math.

Lutie School District

Total score in 2023-24: 90.4%

3-year rolling average: 83.6%

Lutie School District had a significant improvement, which was reflected across nearly all academic and performance categories, said Superintendent Kathalee Cole. The district’s overall score was 90.4%, an 18.4% increase from last year’s 72%. 

“This marks a turning point for the district, reflecting the hard work of educators, students and the broader Lutie community,” Cole said. “This year’s APR showcases our commitment to academic excellence and student success. Our team’s dedication and our students’ hard work have made this possible.”

(For a more detailed breakdown of what these categories mean, see the Bakersfield School section of this article.)

Test scores: Lutie earned a 100% for students’ scores on standardized testing in science and English/language arts. It earned a 50% in math and social studies. Last year, as a district, Lutie earned 50% in English/language arts, math and science, and earned a 75% in social studies. 

“The district’s MPI score for English/language arts jumped from 363.8 in 2023 to 401.6 in 2024 for all students and from 339.9 to 403.0 for student groups. These improvements reflect targeted interventions and a focus on literacy. Math performance also grew, with the MPI rising from 338.7 to 364.5 for all students and 323.7 to 367.0 for student groups,” Cole said. “The most notable improvement came in science, where the MPI score surged by 49.5 points to an impressive 404.8.”

Despite the district’s achievements, the APR also highlighted areas for improvement. Social studies saw a decline in MPI, dropping from 356.0 to 337.4. Cole acknowledged the challenge: “While we are thrilled with our overall progress, we know there’s more work to be done. We will focus on social studies in the coming year.”

Success-ready students: Lutie earned a 100% for college and career ready assessments and a 50% for advanced credit. The scores match its 2023 scores. “These milestones underscore the district’s dedication to preparing students for life beyond high school,” Cole said.

Graduates: Lutie’s  4-year graduation rate earned 100% this year, up from 75% the previous year. It took 100% in graduate follow up in both 2024 and 2023. 

Continuous improvement totals: Lutie earned 100% for its improvement plan, response to standards, climate/culture survey, kindergarten entrance exam, individual career and academic plan, audit, annual secretary of the board report and timely submission of MOSIS/Core data. The scores are the same as the prior year.

Attendance: Lutie earned a 100% for its attendance. It did not earn 0% last year for attendance.

CTE expansion: Lutie earned 100% for its career and technical education expansion. It was not graded on that in 2023.

Assessment participation rates: Lutie earned a 100% for its students’ participation in the required standardized testing for English/language arts, mathematics, science and a 88.8% for social studies. 

Cole credited much of the district’s success in this year’s APR to the strong support from parents, local organizations and the wider community: “Our achievements are a collective effort. The Lutie community plays a vital role in fostering a positive environment for our students to thrive.”

Cole says the district plans to build on the momentum of this year’s high APR score by focusing on personalized learning strategies, teacher professional development and strengthening areas like social studies and advanced credit opportunities, which remained stagnant at 50%.

Thornfield School District

Total score in 2023-24: 92.6%

3-year rolling average: 95.8%

After earning the highest score in the state in 2023 of 96.1%, Thornfield School District dipped a slight bit this year to 92.6%. 

“We were down in some grades with our MAP scores. With a small number of students, just a few points lower makes a difference,” Superintendent Melissa Campbell told the Times. “However, we are still in the top 20 of all 553 districts and charters. In the three-year composite (rolling average), we are second. We are blessed with supportive staff, board of education, parents/families and community members that care about our students.”

Unlike the other Ozark County schools, which are kindergarten through 12th grade, Thornfield School only serves kindergarten through eighth grades. Students then get their choice of which nearby high school to attend. Because it is not a full 13-grade district, some of the categories that other districts have, such as graduation rates and career and technical education, do not apply. 

Test scores: Thornfield earned a 75% for students’ scores on standardized testing in science and English/language arts, mathematics and science. Last year, it earned 100% in all three categories.

Success-ready students: Thornfield earned full points for success-ready students, which focuses on kindergarten through eighth grade school readiness.

Continuous improvement totals: Thornfield earned 100% for its improvement plan, response to standards, climate/culture survey, audit, annual secretary of the board report and timely submission of MOSIS/Core data. The scores are the same as the prior year.

Attendance: Thornfield earned a 100% for its attendance. The score is the same as the prior year.

Assessment participation rates: Thornfield earned a 100% for its students’ participation in the required standardized testing for science, English/language arts and math. The district does not have social studies as an applicable subject.

Accessing the APRs

To look at the online reports, follow these steps:

1. Visit the DESE homepage: www.dese.mo.gov.

2. Click “DESE Application.”

3. Select “Missouri Comprehensive Data System (MCDS)” under “Public Applications.”

4. Select the school district from the dropdown menu.

5. Select “Reports and Resources.”

6. Select “School Performance and Accountability” under “Districts, Charters * Schools” from the menu on the left. 

7. Select “2024 MSIP6 District/Charter APR Summary Report” - Public or 2024 MSIP6 School APR Summary.

8. Navigate to other reports in that listing including “school” results, which breaks the numbers down by elementary and high schools, or visit past year’s annual performance reports.