GreenCity R-1 Earns Distinction in Performance

The 2011-2012 school year is in full swing with September 21st marking mid-term for the first quarter. I want to remind you an updated calendar is just a click away at You can keep up on all school events by checking out the website.

I want to share information on how our students are doing on standardized test scores. Even though we did not improve in some areas on the MAP test, Green City R-1 earned “Distinction in Performance” for the 2010-2011 achievement scores. This is the second time in three years the district has earned this honor.

Based on the final APR scores, a total of 329 school districts out of 521 qualified for the state’s annual “Distinction in Performance” recognition. This recognition is reserved for K-12 school districts that meet at least 13 out of 14 performance standards and K-8 districts that meet at least six out of seven.

The final Annual Progress Report (APR) as well as the Federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports are available on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) data portal at mcds.dese.mo.gov. This is the seventh year in a row the statewide average ACT composite score has been reported at 21.6. The Green City R-1 Schools had 13 students take the ACT with an average composite of 18.1. Our ACT composite score has trended down for the fourth straight year. Meanwhile the national average rose by one-tenth to 21.1.

The ACT consists of curriculum-based tests of educational development in English, Math, Reading, and Science needed for success in first year college coursework. Over the past years, the district has sent teachers to the ACT coach’s workshops to gain insight into improving ACT scores. ACT recommends an action plan with five steps to improve scores. The steps are:

1. Create a Common focus

2. Establish High Expectations for all

3. Require a Rigorous Curriculum

4. Provide Student Counseling

5. Measure and Evaluate Progress

ACT research has shown that it is the rigor of coursework rather than simply the number of core courses that has the greatest impact on ACT performance.

The ACT is scored on a scale of 1-36, with 36 being the highest possible score. In the class of 2011, 26 Missouri students out of 48,565 who took the exam scored a perfect 36.

The Green City R-1 Staff and administration continue to look at data to identify what we as a district can do to continue improvement in student achievement.