Missouri School Improvement Plan 6 moving forward
This week members of the Missouri State Board of Education heard updates and received a draft version of the new Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP) 6 which will be used as a guideline for school performance and accreditation for all public schools in Missouri.
The new plan is being crafted by six development teams, largely filled with traditional district school administrators, with a focus on five major factors:
- Academic Achievement
- Climate and Culture
- Effective Practices
- Leadership and Governance
- Success Ready Graduates
The first draft of the proposed new standards which was presented to the state BOE this week does not detail how the standards will be ranked or weighted when determining accreditation for schools.
How the final formula for accreditation is important because under the current MSIP 5 plan, a number of school districts like Riverview Gardens and St. Louis Public Schools have been able to achieve full or provisional accreditation status by increasing their attendance and graduation rates while not actually improving student performance on state tests.
State officials told the board the MSIP 6 is focused on creating a balance between process and performance as well as focusing on individualized learning and innovation in schools.
During the meeting, presenters highlighted the fact that both school climate/culture an educator effectiveness/instructional processes would be key factors for success in schools.
The draft MSIP 6 plan includes a variety of changes from MSIP 5:
- Reporting on gifted and English learners as additional subgroups
- Examining “readiness” at each level of schooling
- A greater focus on collaboration with local communities
- More focus on creating safe environments
- More focus on comprehensive school counseling
The draft also includes guidelines, similar to those in the MSIP 5, which recommend administrative staffing levels for school districts throughout the state based on student population.
Assistant Commissioner Chris Neale said those ratios were needed for superintendents to justify the number of administrators needed in each district.
The first draft proposal, as well as comparisons to MSIP 5 can be downloaded here.
The final proposed rules, standards and indicators will be presented to the Missouri State Board of Education in October, with a plan to finalize MSIP 6 by January 2018.