Rockwood's Score Increases in DESE Annual Performance Report for 2024-2025

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2024-2025 school year. APRs demonstrate the progress districts are making toward meeting the Standards and Indicators in the sixth version of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6).

The Rockwood School District scored 90.0 percent in the 2024-2025 APR, which is in the top 12 percent of the 553 Missouri school districts that were evaluated and an improvement of 2 percentage points from the district’s 2023-2024 score. This is the second straight year that Rockwood’s APR mark has improved.

MSIP is the state’s system for reviewing and accrediting Missouri 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.

Rockwood earned 94.8 percent of possible points in the APR “Academic Achievement Status” categories and achieved perfect scores in the categories of “Success-Ready Students” and graduation rate. Rockwood’s 90 percent ranks first out of the four K-12 districts in the state that include more than 18,000 students.

"The APR reflects our intentional, systemwide commitment to continuous improvement," said Dr. Shelley Willott, Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Support Services. "Analyzing the results allows us to celebrate progress and identify specific opportunities to enhance outcomes for every student. This is a powerful example of the collective effort of all Rockwood staff committed to student learning."

Rockwood's mission to ensure all students reach their full potential is guided by the district’s strategic plan,”Forward Together.” This comprehensive district improvement plan – with “The Rockwood Promise” at its core – provides a roadmap as Rockwood continues striving to provide every student with a quality education that prepares them for success after graduation.

Below are specific action steps Rockwood planned for the 2025-2026 school year, prior to the release of APR data, in response to the district’s ongoing review of student achievement data:

• Continued the school improvement planning process:
  • Buildings set two goals in the areas of Safe and Caring Schools, focused on student safety and well-being, and Nurturing Learning, which focuses on academics.
  • District leadership meets with building principals individually once a semester to review goal progress and support with district resources.
• Scheduled systematic data reviews with the following groups (ongoing):
  • Superintendent’s Cabinet
  • Curriculum coordinators and instructional coaches
  • Building principals
  • Program evaluation and curriculum writing teams
• Emphasis on instructional fidelity
  • Teaching and assessing the board-approved curriculum
  • Using district-approved resources that have been thoroughly reviewed by curriculum writing teams
  • Assessing mastery of the course outcomes using proficiency scales
  • Intervening when students have not mastered the learning standards
• School improvement action steps that focus on literacy across grade levels and disciplines
• Aligning instruction and assessment to learning standards
• Increasing student conceptual understanding in math courses
• Regular reviews of student learning data to determine next steps

"These state-level results are only one indicator of our students’ academic progress and represent only a small part of the larger educational picture of our students," Willott added. "Student learning is measured in multiple ways throughout the school year, and Rockwood’s teachers routinely reflect and act on student assessment results to support the growth of all learners."

We encourage parents and guardians to stay connected and informed with Rockwood educators for a comprehensive look at their child’s academic growth.

This is the third APR generated under the newest iteration of MSIP 6 and is now used for accreditation purposes. For more information about APR and MSIP 6, visit the DESE website.