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Chris Small was not only excited but surprised when he saw the list of 2008 Highest Performing Schools in Missouri.
The reason – Stony Point Elementary, in only its first year, was named among the top schools in the state.
“We are pleased because we think this shows that our curriculum and teachers are paying off,” he said. “We are proud of these kids. But now the bar is set, and it is time to get more schools on the list.”
The Blue Springs, Grain Valley and Lee’s Summit school districts were among the 157 school districts in Missouri to be recognized. There are 524 districts in the state. The list is produced annually by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, recognizing schools that showed high performance on the Missouri Assessment Program exam. Schools are chosen based on the number of students scoring in the advanced and proficient levels in communication arts, mathematics and science.
The Blue Springs School District, led by Cordill Mason Elementary with four mentions, appeared on the lists 15 times, which is among the top five in the state. These schools include:
- Voy Spears Elementary, 64.9 percent in third grade communication arts; 76.3 percent in third grade mathematics and 73.5 percent in fifth grade mathematics.
- Lucy Franklin Elementary, 72.8 percent in third grade mathematics and 73.8 percent in fifth grade communication arts.
- Sunny Pointe Elementary – 71.3 percent in third grade mathematics.
- Cordill-Mason Elementary – 85.1 percent in fourth grade mathematics; 75.5 percent in fifth grade communication arts; 82.7 percent in fifth grade mathematics and 80.6 percent in fifth grade science.
- Chapel Lakes Elementary – 75.3 in fifth grade communication arts; 83.6 percent in fifth grade mathematics and 83.6 percent in fifth grade science.
- Delta Woods Middle School – 73.2 percent in seventh grade communication arts and 70.6 percent in eighth grade communication arts.
Annette Seago, deputy superintendent for the Blue Springs School District, said she is proud of how many schools were featured on the list. She said it shows how hard the students and staff are working every day.
“Teachers, students and parents take great pride in their academics and that pride is demonstrated daily in their quality of work,” she said. “The high frequency on the top 10 list is reflective of the entire community’s commitment to student performance.”
Small said Stony Point’s recognition is only one example of the focus on MAP preparation that is prevalent in not only the Grain Valley School District, but other districts throughout the state. Stony Point was recognized in fourth grade mathematics with an 80.4 percent.
Chris Small was not only excited but surprised when he saw the list of 2008 Highest Performing Schools in Missouri.
The reason – Stony Point Elementary, in only its first year, was named among the top schools in the state.
“We are pleased because we think this shows that our curriculum and teachers are paying off,” he said. “We are proud of these kids. But now the bar is set, and it is time to get more schools on the list.”
The Blue Springs, Grain Valley and Lee’s Summit school districts were among the 157 school districts in Missouri to be recognized. There are 524 districts in the state. The list is produced annually by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, recognizing schools that showed high performance on the Missouri Assessment Program exam. Schools are chosen based on the number of students scoring in the advanced and proficient levels in communication arts, mathematics and science.
The Blue Springs School District, led by Cordill Mason Elementary with four mentions, appeared on the lists 15 times, which is among the top five in the state. These schools include:
- Voy Spears Elementary, 64.9 percent in third grade communication arts; 76.3 percent in third grade mathematics and 73.5 percent in fifth grade mathematics.
- Lucy Franklin Elementary, 72.8 percent in third grade mathematics and 73.8 percent in fifth grade communication arts.
- Sunny Pointe Elementary – 71.3 percent in third grade mathematics.
- Cordill-Mason Elementary – 85.1 percent in fourth grade mathematics; 75.5 percent in fifth grade communication arts; 82.7 percent in fifth grade mathematics and 80.6 percent in fifth grade science.
- Chapel Lakes Elementary – 75.3 in fifth grade communication arts; 83.6 percent in fifth grade mathematics and 83.6 percent in fifth grade science.
- Delta Woods Middle School – 73.2 percent in seventh grade communication arts and 70.6 percent in eighth grade communication arts.
Annette Seago, deputy superintendent for the Blue Springs School District, said she is proud of how many schools were featured on the list. She said it shows how hard the students and staff are working every day.
“Teachers, students and parents take great pride in their academics and that pride is demonstrated daily in their quality of work,” she said. “The high frequency on the top 10 list is reflective of the entire community’s commitment to student performance.”
Small said Stony Point’s recognition is only one example of the focus on MAP preparation that is prevalent in not only the Grain Valley School District, but other districts throughout the state. Stony Point was recognized in fourth grade mathematics with an 80.4 percent.
“Our focus from the beginning of the year is on the state’s Grade Level Expectations,” he said. “The curriculum focuses on the GLEs as well as those power standards we know will be assessed on the MAP. This means we must make sure our kids can think, analyze and use those higher order thinking skills.”
Schools in the Lee’s Summit School District were recognized 21 times, only second to the Rockwood School District in Columbia, Mo., which had schools appear 49 times on the lists. Schools included were:
- Cedar Creek Elementary – 78.4 percent in fourth grade communication arts; 83.3 percent in fourth grade mathematics; 74.1 percent in sixth grade communication arts and 75.3 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Underwod Elementary – 84.3 percent in fourth grade communications arts; 72.3 percent in fourth grade mathematics; 78.9 percent in sixth grade communication arts and 77.1 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Woodland Elementary – 75.0 percent in sixth grade communication arts and 76.0 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Hazel Grove Elementary – 80.3 percent in sixth grade communication arts and 80.3 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Longview Farm Elementary – 83.6 percent in sixth grade communication arts and 83.6 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Summit Pointe Elementary – 71.0 percent in sixth grade communication arts; 79.0 percent in sixth grade mathematics and 79.0 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Hawthorn Hill Elementary – 75.3 percent in sixth grade mathematics.
- Lee’s Summit North – 67.4 percent in 10th grade mathematics.
- Lee’s Summit High School – 67.4 percent in 10th grade mathematics.
The Top 10 Highest Performing Schools lists can be viewed at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Web site at www.dese.mo.gov. Only schools recognized on the top 10 lists are included. However, MAP data on every Missouri school can be found on the DESE Web site, by selecting the “School Statistics tab” on the left side of the page, then selecting “School Data and Statistics.” The specific school district can then be chosen.
