Missouri’s Public School Accountability System

All public schools in Missouri are evaluated through an accountability system. However, the accountability system for school districts differs from the system for charter schools. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) calculates an annual performance report (APR) for both school districts and charter schools. For school districts, the APR is the primary factor in accreditation classifications under the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) that are made by the State Board of Education; for charter schools, the APR is used in renewals and identification as “high quality” per state law. Charter school sponsors have the responsibility for holding charter schools accountable to performance standards in their performance contract. The differences in how the APR is used spotlights the problems for an APR for charter schools with limited grade ranges. DESE will soon be launching a revision to MSIP which will bring with it a revision to the APR.