Message: Information regarding your child's End-of-Course exams

Information regarding your child's End-of-Course exams
FromSamantha McArdleDate  Wednesday, September 6, 2017 8:54 AM
To
Cc
SubjectInformation regarding your child's End-of-Course exams
Good Morning!

Please find attached a letter form Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding your child's End-of-Course exams.

Have a Great Day!

--
Sam McArdle
New Bloomfield High School
307 Redwood Dr.
New Bloomfield MO 65063
(573)491-3700 x 346
(573)491-3696 Fax

September 1, 2017 Dear Parents: A top priority of educators is to help prepare Missouri children for success, not only in school but also for life after graduation. We know you are proud of your children, and we are too. We want to inform you about some developments resulting from the 2017 End-of-Course assessments in Algebra I and English II. The technical advisory committee (TAC) retained by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to review assessment results each year determined that the 2017 Algebra I and English II assessments are not suitable for establishing assessment performance trends. Upon the recommendation of the TAC, DESE will exclude data from these assessments in school district and charter school annual performance reports (APRs). The APRs that we provide to school districts and charter schools look at multiple factors, including state assessments in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies; a host of college and career readiness indicators; attendance rates; and graduation rates. For each of these indicators, multiple years of data are used. Your child’s class grades and any local decisions about A+ eligibility, as it pertains to these two assessments, are not at risk. I appreciate your understanding as we work through this unfortunate event. Thank you for supporting Missouri public education and your local school district. Sincerely, Margie Vandeven Commissioner of Education