ST. LOUIS — Twenty school districts are exempt from using the state's evaluation system for three years, instead the Missouri State Board of Education is allowing them to use alternative assessments. 

The districts, part of the  Success-Ready Students Network (SRSN) Demonstration Project, will implement the plan this fall and continue until the 2025-2026 school year. Some of the local districts include Parkway, Affton, Lindbergh, Mehlville and Pattonville.

What You Need To Know

  • In June, members of SRSN presented their proposal to the state board, which included creating a new measurement system that would ultimately replace the MAP test, mandated by the U.S. Department of Education

  • A state statute allows a school or a group of schools to apply for a School Innovation Waiver that can last up to three years. On Tuesday, the state board unanimously approved the group’s request, but approval is still required from the U.S. Department of Education

  • In the meantime, the Success-Ready Network Demonstration Project will start this fall and continue through the 2025-26 school year. Districts will still take the MAP test until the waiver is approved

“To have that door opened for us by the State Board of Education with that waiver approval is a very exciting time,” said Jenny Ulrich, superintendent of Lonedell R-XIV School District in Franklin County. “It’s just a pivotal moment in time for our state.”

Ulrich is a member of SRSN. It is a group of educators and stakeholders geared toward ensuring students are prepared for high school, college and the workforce. It has been in collaboration with Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). 

“The 20 school districts that are participating in the waiver are going to have an opportunity to use their current interim assessments for purposes of state accountability and they’re also going to engage in rethinking of how we engage students with this notion of being college career and workplace ready,” said Mike Fulton, lead facilitator for SRSN.

A state statute allows a school or a group of schools to apply for a School Innovation Waiver that can last up to three years. On Tuesday, the state board unanimously approved the group’s request to use their new interim assessment for state accountability instead of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP).

For now, the districts will still take the MAP test to comply with federal requirements, but the schools won't be scored at the state level based on the results. DESE and the group are working on a federal waiver so the districts can be exempt.

In June, members of SRSN presented their proposal to the state board, which included creating a new measurement system that would ultimately replace the MAP test.

Some of the key components of a new measurement system would include:

  • Measuring student growth multiple times throughout the school year
  • Immediate, timely feedback for the student, teacher and parents
  • Student awareness of where they are and engagement in setting future goals
  • Active student learning using different pathways and varied pacing
  • Student progress based on evidence of mastery, not seat time
  • Student engagement in real-world learning experiences that support high school, college, career and workplace readiness

Fulton said time also will be spent helping high school students develop skills and knowledge necessary for internships, credentials, starting a business, among other real-world contexts.

“As a result of the waiver, the districts can now fully engage in using a personalized competency-based mindset to this design work in their schools and in their districts,” Fulton said. 

He added that the state will work with SRSN on the qualities for the next generation assessment in Missouri.

“All of this work is really designed from the student up. We want assessments to be meaningful for students. We want market value assets to be meaningful for students,” Fulton said. “Because what we find is if it’s meaningful for students, it’s also meaningful for teachers and it’s meaningful to parents.”

“And we really do believe there are ways that we can engage with assessment and even accountability that is much more student-centered and really meaningful to students, teachers and the parents.”

Ulrich said she too is looking forward to expanding the work of the demonstration project. 

“It’s going to allow more collaboration within our state and among districts,” she said. “I’m super excited about that as a rural district who sometimes lacks resources to be able to partner up with other districts who are like my district so that we can, together, look for opportunities for our kids to a part of this real word learning and expanded competency based education.” 

The other school districts participating in the demonstration project are Branson, Center, Confluence Academy, Fayette, Lebanon, Lee’s Summit, Lewis County, Liberty, Neosho, Ozark, Raymore-Peculiar, Ritenour, Ste. Genevieve and Shell Knob.