The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2021-22 school year. The Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP) Annual Performance Review is the state’s current system for reviewing and accrediting/classifying school districts. It outlines expectations for school practices and student outcomes, with the goal of each student graduating ready for success in college, career, and life. This year’s MSIP 6 APR is a new version, and is in the pilot year stage with a new scoring system. It is inaccurate to compare a district’s 2022 APR score to previous years.

“For the release of this pilot year data, we encourage stakeholders, including community partners and families, to focus less on the APR score and more on the underlying data to learn how they may better support student learning,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven.

Key changes in MSIP 6 Annual Performance Review include:

• Providing accessible and actionable information about schools and the districts.
• Empowering local boards of education to improve and innovate by adding a Continuous Improvement component.
• Focusing on the preparation and well-being of each student at all levels.

When Liberty Public Schools APR data for the 2021-2022 school year was received from DESE in March 2023, Liberty Public schools observed the following highlights:

• LPS continues to be a high performing school district in many areas. 
• LPS Strategic Plan, Vivid Vision, and Graduate Profile are clearly aligned to MSIP 6 Performance and Continuous Improvement Standards.  
• English Language Arts Achievement Status for All Students received 100% of points earned.
• Social Studies Academic Achievement Status for All Students received 100% of points earned.
• Success-Ready Students Advanced Credit received 100% of points earned.
• LPS Four Year Graduation Rate received 100% of points earned.
• LPS District Improvement Plan received 100% of points earned.
• LPS Climate and Culture Surveys received 100% of points earned.
• LPS Success-Ready Students Kindergarten Entry Assessment received 100% of points earned. 
• LPS District Audit received 100% of points earned. 
• LPS District Annual Secretary of the Board Report received 100% of points earned. 
• LPS District Timely Submission of Core Data received 100% of points earned.
• LPS Assessment Participation in MAP testing is above 98.7%, which is above the threshold. 
• LPS District received a “YES” status for LEA Compliant with Federal and State Law.
• LPS received a “YES” status for board members participating in required orientation and training.
• LPS received a “YES” status for meeting the minimum threshold for fund balances.

“Understanding that this is a pilot year for the MSIP 6 APR, our team will use this data to not only address opportunities for improvement within our system, but also celebrate the great things  happening everyday in Liberty Public Schools,” said LPS Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Tucker.  “We also must acknowledge that some of our best, and most important work, has focused in recent years to provide real world learning experiences for all students, which is not reflected within this review.”

The Annual Performance Report is one measure of multiple measures that LPS reviews as we reflect on performance and continuous improvement throughout the District. Unlike the APR, which is shared once a year, Liberty Public Schools uses our District Scorecard to continue to drive academic, social-emotional, and real world learning experiences on a more consistent basis.

Dr. Tucker and Liberty Public Schools have recently joined nearly fifty school districts in the state to form the Success-Ready Student Network (SRSN) that is working to design a better way to measure student growth, personalize learning,and ultimately replace MSIP.  Additional information will be shared with staff and families in the coming months regarding this work. Some of the key components of the SRSN work includes:

• Measuring student growth multiple times throughout the school year
• Immediate, timely feedback for the student, teacher, and parents
• Students are aware of where they are and engaged in setting future goals
• Students learn actively using different pathways and varied pacing
• Students progress based on evidence of mastery, not seat time
• Students engage in real-world learning experiences that support high school, college, career, and workplace readiness.

In a message shared with LPS staff Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Dr. Tucker emphasized that there are many other measurements that reflect the fact that LPS is an incredibly high-performing District. One example is the recent Cognia accreditation process in which LPS was announced as a System of Distinction following a comprehensive review last year. 

Our team works tirelessly every day to meet the academic and developmental needs of students both in and out of the classroom," Tucker shared in his message to staff.  "We also must acknowledge that this work has taken place under extremely challenging conditions in recent years as we have navigated through the pandemic. Our team will be spending the coming weeks unpacking the data we have received from the state, while also continuing to provide the incredible learning experiences for our nearly 13,000 students." 

To access the complete district report card, visit the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website at www.dese.mo.gov