Rockwood's Score Increases in DESE Annual Performance Report for 2023-2024

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2023-2024 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 88.0 percent in the 2023-2024 APR, which is in the top 15.3 percent of the 552 Missouri school districts that were evaluated and an improvement of 3 percentage points from the district’s 2022-2023 score.

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 91.7 percent of possible points in the APR “Academic Achievement Status” categories and is exceeding DESE’s target in the categories of success-ready, graduation rate and post-high school preparation. Rockwood’s 88 percent ranks first out of the four K-12 districts in the state that include more than 18,000 students.

“The report includes data points that Rockwood routinely monitors and observes as part of our continuous improvement plan and further confirms what we have learned in our own internal data analysis,” said Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Support Services Dr. Shelley WIllott. “The APR acknowledges our areas of strength and progress while also highlighting opportunities for improvement to enhance outcomes for students. Through our school improvement plans, we continuously work to identify areas for growth and, through our assessment and evaluation process, we identify students who need additional interventions and support.”

Rockwood's mission to ensure all students reach their full potential has been guided by the district’s strategic plan, “The Way Forward.” As we transition into a new five-year strategic plan for 2025-2030, we will continue striving to provide every Rockwood student with a quality education that prepares them for success after graduation.

Below are specific action steps Rockwood planned for the 2024-2025 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 three goals in the areas of academic achievement, universal equity, opportunity and access with an academic focus and a character and well-being goal.
  • 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 plan goals that focused 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. "Our outstanding educators have a thorough understanding of each child’s academic progress."

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.