The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the results of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests for the 2007-08 school year.

The Kirkwood School District is pleased to report that our students’ 2008 MAP scores are in the top ten for St. Louis County in every grade level an content area. Several scores were in the top five and our seventh grade students scored #1 in St. Louis County in communication arts.

In addition to the MAP scores, DESE also released the “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP) reports for school districts throughout the state. AYP reports are part of the Federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which was signed into law in 2002. The goal of NCLB is for all children to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Each district and each individual school is assessed to determine if it has achieved adequate yearly progress toward that goal on an annual basis.

In Missouri, the results of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests are used to determine if a school has achieved AYP as well as other performance standards established by the state. Although the 2008 MAP scores for KSD students exceed the state’s accreditation benchmarks at every grade level and in every content area on the MAP, the district is reported as having not met AYP for the 2007-08 school year.

It is important to know that the AYP goal must be achieved by all subgroups of students in a school, not just the total number of students in a school or the district. These subgroups are classified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, American Indian, White, Other/Non-Response, Free/Reduced Lunch, IEP (special education) and LEP (students with limited English proficiency). If there are 30 or fewer students in a subgroup, AYP is not measured for that subgroup.

A high achieving school and school district may be labeled as not meeting AYP if just one subgroup does not meet one of the criteria needed to meet AYP goal. This includes school districts that consistently receive the Missouri Distinction in Performance Award for academic progress. KSD has received this prestigious award each year since the award’s inception.

DESE has also released the 2008 MAP scores and AYP reports to the media. You may see stories about MAP as early as this weekend.

For more information about the district’s MAP scores, please click here to view the e-Report. For information on AYP results, please go to www.dese.mo.govTo learn more about the Missouri School Improvement Plan and No Child Left Behind, go to http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/

View the Map Scores for 2008 Here.