The latest round of student test scores show fewer Missouri public school districts and charter schools in jeopardy of losing accreditation, though this year’s data won’t immediately affect how schools are graded.

Based on annual performance report scores released Monday for the sixth iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP6, there were 343 districts and charters that improved when compared to an average of their scores over the previous two years.

A total of 64 districts and charters scored in the provisionally accredited range, and three school districts and seven charter schools scored below 60%, which is the unaccredited range.

“It’s something that we’ve been waiting for. Ever since the pandemic, we have looked at scores (and seen declines),” Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger told reporters in a press conference. “Finally… we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor. We’re starting to see where we are making progress.”

MSIP6, which launched in 2022, has been lauded as “more rigorous” and descriptive than prior versions of the program. Previously, many districts scored above 90%, whereas now their scores are more evenly distributed along a bell curve.

The score is a snapshot of student performance in end-of-course exams and statewide standardized tests along with an assessment of district continuous improvement plans.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education originally planned to base classification decisions on scores this year but will instead make decisions from three-year composite scores. Districts’ accreditation cannot be lowered from MSIP6 scores until 2026.

Based on composite scores for the three years of MSIP6 data, nine charter schools and two school districts are in the unaccredited range. The State Board of Education will determine accreditation status based on other factors, like superintendent qualifications and financial health.

Lisa Sireno, assistant commissioner of the Office of Quality Schools, told reporters the department switched to composite scores for classification this spring.

“They’re more stable measures as they contain more data,” she said. “They are less susceptible to extreme changes from year to year.”

For smaller districts, a composite can protect them from volatility while the individual score gives a look at the last school year’s work.

Craig Carson, assistant superintendent of learning of the Ozark School District, said it is “autopsy data.”

“This is data that tells you about where you’ve been,” he told The Independent. “The data we really use are the day-to-day data inside our classrooms.”

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