South Callaway sees slight decline in total APR, increase in attendance

The South Callaway R-II School District earned just more than 91 percent of possible points on its Annual Performance Report (APR) again this year. The district earned 128 out of 140 possible points total - 91.4 percent - this year, under the second year of MSIP 5 standards. Last year, the district earned a 91.8 percent score.

From last year to this year, South Callaway saw a point increase in the Academic Achievement and Attendance categories on the APR, and it held a steady 100 percent in the Graduation Rate category. The district saw declines in the points it earned in the Subgroup Achievement category as well as the College and Career Ready category.

The district earned 95 percent of possible Attendance points this year compared to 75 percent last year. At the district's August Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Kevin Hillman said the district made attendance a focus last August and it will continue to focus on increasing its attendance rate this school year.

"Kids need to be here before they can learn," Hillman said at the meeting. "We will work hard to have improvements where we can."

The board and members of South Callaway High School staff talked about potential incentives for students to focus more on standardized testing at the board's August meeting. SCHS staff will have more detailed information and proposals for test-score incentives for the school board at its September meeting, which will be 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

In the past, SCHS gave students a grade based on standardized test scores in an effort to encourage students to do their best on the test. SCHS stopped offering that incentive in 2011 and has not seen a drastic drop or rise in test results.

The Academic Achievement category on the APR uses three years of MAP testing data to help determine a score. Teachers and administration at the high school hope offering an incentive for students again will lead to an increase in standardized test scores.

Hillman described the APR score as the district's report card, saying schools want to raise their APR score just like students want to raise their test scores. The district's goal was to get a score of 90 percent or better, which it has the past two years on the new MSIP 5 standards format.

Hillman was not available by press time to comment on individual school's scores within the district.

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Megan Favignano can be reached at (573) 826-2417 or [email protected].