November 2009

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New Study Confirms:  Missouri’s Academic Standards AreAmong the Nation’s Highest

A national report released today (Oct. 29) by the National Center for Education Statistics confirms that Missouri’s academic performance standards in reading and mathematics are among the most rigorous in the nation.  Specifically, Missouri standards rate second-highest of all states in three out of four areas measured.

The findings are based on a new study, “Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto NAEP Scales: 2005-2007.”  The analysis looks at academic proficiency standards set by each state and compares them by using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as the common yardstick.

The new NCES study shows that states vary widely in where they set their student proficiency standards in reading and mathematics in grades 4 and 8.  By “mapping” the state standards onto the common scale used in the NAEP testing program, the study measures the relative difficulty of each state’s expectations.

Based on this study, Missouri’s proficiency standards are:

• Second in rigor only to Massachusetts in grade 4 reading and grade 4 math.

• Second only to South Carolina in grade 8 reading.

• Fourth in the nation in grade 8 mathematics (behind South Carolina, Massachusetts and Hawaii).

Missouri Trailing Other States in Making Afterschool Programs Available To Children and Families, Survey Finds; “Has a Long Way to Go”

Afterschool Alliance Survey of Missouri HouseholdsFinds No Progress Since 2004,
Vast Unmet Demand & Many Children Unsupervised

A new survey finds no progress in participation in afterschool programs by Missouri youth over the last five years, even as statewide demand for afterschool programs has increased. The rate of participation in afterschool held steady at just 12 percent, trailing the national average of 15 percent, and a significant percentage of the state’s children are still unsupervised each afternoon after the school day ends. The data come from the landmark America After 3PM study, conducted for the Afterschool Alliance:
After School Care Arrangements

• 32% (318,282) of Missouri’s K-12 children are responsible for taking care of themselves after school. These children spend an average of 9 hours per week unsupervised after school.

• 12% (120,867) of Missouri’s K-12 children participate in afterschool programs. On average, afterschool participants spend 7 hours per week in afterschool programs. Participation averages 3 days per week.

• 71% of Missouri K-12 children spend some portion of the hours after school in the care of a parent or guardian.

• Other care arrangements include traditional child care centers (12%), sibling care (16%) and non-parental adult care, such as a grandparent or neighbor (33%).

Notes: The maximum amount of time in after school care arrangements is limited to 15 hours per week, which reflects the after school hours of 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Care arrangements add up to greater than 100% due to multiple regular care arrangements for many children.

Satisfaction with and Support for Afterschool Programs

• 84% of Missouri parents are satisfied with the afterschool program their child attends.

• Missouri parents cited convenient location (78%), affordability (67%) and ability to provide a safe haven (61%) as their top three reasons for selecting an afterschool program.

• 89% of adults surveyed in Missouri agree that there should be “some type of organized activity or place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities to learn” and 83% support public funding for afterschool programs.

Need or Demand for Afterschool

• 32% (283,634) of all Missouri children not in afterschool would be likely to participate if an afterschool program were available in the community, regardless of their current care arrangement.

• Parents of non-participants believe that their children would benefit most from afterschool programs in the following ways: by having fun, improving their workforce skills and social skills, taking advantage of opportunities for community service and learning, receiving academic enrichment and staying safe and out of trouble.

“Due to the tremendous support from organizations like the JCPenney Afterschool Fund, many of Missouri’s children and their families have access to afterschool programs,” said Sherry Comer, Director of Project PASS in Camdenton. “This research confirms what we see every day, that afterschool programs are reaching only a fraction of the children and families that need them – and the recession is making matters worse. Afterschool programs make such a difference in children’s lives and futures. We simply must find a way to significantly expand the availability of afterschool programs.

“Despite hard work by the afterschool community, we’re losing ground in the effort to provide afterschool for all Missouri kids and families,” said Harry Kujath, Executive Director, Missouri Afterschool Network. “So we’ve clearly got our work cut out for us. Too many children who need afterschool programs don’t have them, and families are carrying a heavier burden as a result. That’s particularly difficult during these hard economic times. For afterschool programs to meet the huge unmet demand from families, they’re going to need more support from all sectors – from the business and philanthropic communities, as well as from the government at all levels.”

In some respects, the Missouri results from the America After 3PM study reflect national findings:
• The number and percentage of children participating in afterschool programs in the nation has increased significantly in the last five years, with 8.4 million children (15 percent) now participating. That compares with 6.5 million children in 2004 (11 percent).
• But the number of children left alone after the school day ends also has risen, to 15.1 million children (26 percent of school-age children) in 2009. That is an increase of 800,000 children since 2004. Thirty percent of middle schoolers (3.7 million kids) are on their own, as are four percent of elementary school children (1.1 million children).
• The parents of 18.5 million children (38 percent) not currently participating in an afterschool program would enroll their children in a program if one were available to them, a significant increase from the 15.3 million (30 percent) seen in 2004.
• The vast majority of parents of children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the programs their children attend, and overall public support for afterschool programs is similarly strong. Nine in 10 parents (89 percent) are satisfied with the afterschool programs their children attend. Eight in 10 parents support public funding for afterschool programs.
More Missouri info:
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AA3PM_2009/AA3_Factsheet_MO_2009.pdf

Missouri Education Broadens Online Missouri Virtual Instruction Program Joins the National Repository of Online Courses Network

 Any public K-12 school with Internet access in the state of Missouri, regardless of school size or funding, can now utilize a growing repository of educational resources. Access to the repository comes with the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program's (MoVIP, http://www.movip.org) recent membership with the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC). Administrators, teachers, and students can go online to access the materials through the customized MoVIP website hosted by NROC.

MoVIP chose NROC to help broaden content offerings and support a rapidly growing student enrollment. "NROC provides us a unique offering," said Curt Fuchs, Coordinator of Educational Support Services at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "The material can be used for many different purposes, including tutoring and one-on-one instruction, or as individual learning objects for a teacher. NROC will help us serve a broad base of needs."

NROC is a supplier of vetted, high-quality courses and digital media that can be used in both online and traditional face-to-face environments, and come with the customizability and flexibility that teachers require for success in the classroom.

"We are supposed to be everything for everyone." Fuchs said. "We run the gamut for serving students, from full-time to part-time, AP to remediation. We also serve many small school districts that can't find a trigonometry or physics teacher. We are there to provide that."

The University of Missouri's eMINTS National Center (enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies) has partnered with MoVIP to build the capacity of Missouri educators to use NROC materials in both online and face-to-face instructional settings. eMINTS provides a variety of professional development activities to help educators learn about and use NROC materials. For example, the e-Learning for Educators: Missouri program that is part of the eMINTS National Center offers a series of online courses to help districts create online courses for their students. NROC materials will be included in the set of resources provided to districts as they use virtual online courses to expand and enhance their educational offerings.

Aligning content with state standards is also critical to success in end-of-course examinations and other high-stakes assessments used to determine district funding. To help address this, NROC offers correlation tools that map content to subjects and topics within select textbooks to each state's standards.

MoVIP's adoption of the NROC materials will also dramatically improve cost-efficacy. NROC presents membership options based on each member's needs, giving institutions flexibility during this difficult economic situation.

NROC is an open educational resource (OER) project of Monterey Institute of Technology and Education, supported by a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The OER movement is fueled by the belief that everyone is entitled to an education no matter where they live or what their circumstances are. By joining NROC, educational institutions support OER and receive a variety of benefits including customizable content, specialized support and professional development resources. NROC's content is also accessible to individual learners free of charge at http://www.hippocampus.org .

ABOUT THE MONTEREY INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education is a non-profit educational organization committed to helping meet society's need for access to effective, high-quality educational opportunities in an era of rapid economic, social and personal change. The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education was founded in 2003 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Learn more at http://www.montereyinstitute.org/nroc .
 

The Missouri Virtual instruction Program was launched in July of 2007 by state legislation to serve the supplemental educational needs of the entire state of Missouri. This is accomplished by expanding the range of courses offered to students, providing educational opportunities to those who require unique accommodations, and giving additional support to those students who require some form of credit recovery. MoVIP operates in an online model that offers learning at any time and in any place. Learn more at: http://www.movip.org .

$21.8 Billion Distributed to Promote Educational Improvement – Missouri Gets $388 Million

Formula grant programs are noncompetitive awards based on a predetermined formula and provide funding for a variety of programs, including resources to improve teacher quality, career and technical education, and support for children facing the challenges of living in poverty. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B grant program supports children and students with disabilities from ages 3 to 21.

The grants are being distributed through the following programs:

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to help students living in poverty.  $10.8 billion.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B for America's six million students with disabilities. $8.6 billion.
Improving Teacher Quality State Grants. $1.6 billion. And, Career and Technical Education  $773.6 million.

These so-called formula grant programs dispense funds to states on July 1 and Oct. 1 based on congressionally mandated formulas that, depending on the program, take into account such measures as population, poverty rates and enrollment. Formula grants originate from the Education Department's annual appropriation from Congress and are separate from the $100 billion in stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

More information about the department's budget can be found here.

MISSOURI’S Share — Title I: $173.57 million; IDEA-B: $170.20 million; Teacher Quality: $28.72 million; Career-Tech: $15.85 million; TOTAL: $388.35 million.

Kansas City Data Collection Efforts

Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) has selected Certica’s K-12 data certification software to help the district improve the accuracy and completeness of data submitted to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The initial focus of KCMSD’s implementation is on data related to student transfers and withdrawals, which has a direct impact on the calculation of the district’s dropout rate.
In response to changes in Missouri DESE’s requirements for documentation and reporting of students who withdraw from school or transfer from one district to attend another, KCMSD, a district of 16,800 students, has stepped up the rigor with which the district records student data. Two years ago, DESE began requiring districts to record and report more detailed information about student transfers and withdrawals. The change in requirements left many Missouri districts scrambling as they saw their student dropout rates, as calculated by DESE, increase – a result of districts’ inability to quickly and comprehensively supply the information mandated by the state.

Certica Solutions’ software, called Certify™, provides daily, online, personalized Data Certification Scorecards™ to school and district personnel, so they can be alerted when critical data is incomplete or inaccurate. Certify automates the process of data review, validation and monitoring, so districts can more easily report complete and accurate data to state and federal agencies.

Like most large, urban districts across the United States, KCMSD has implemented programs to boost students’ academic growth and encourage students to graduate. Data from the 2007-2008 school year, however, told a different story. “Several Missouri districts saw their dropout rates skyrocket when the state began requiring the location of the inter-district transfers and exact dates of departure and re-enrollment,” said Mark Rankovic, Certica Solutions’ president and chief executive officer. “Certainly high school dropout rates are a concern for many districts, but clearly the calculated rates were inflated for that year. With Certify software, districts can have an automated, pro-active mechanism to help school personnel review errors and omissions in their data. Schools are able to see the impact of the data they enter into their student information systems, and they’re able to take an active role in helping their districts ensure and sustain high quality information.”