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A day after preliminary test scores showed Missouri students鈥� performance on standardized tests have not bounced back from the pandemic, education advocacy groups and parents urged state lawmakers to take a comprehensive approach at crafting accountability measures for schools.

On Tuesday, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showing that, just like last year, fewer than half of Missouri students statewide passed with proficient and advanced scores across subjects.

There were small improvements , with 39% of students proficient or advanced in math 鈥� an increase in four percentage points, and 38% of students proficient or advanced in science 鈥� an increase of one percentage point. However both scores remained below the 42% of students testing proficient or advanced in both subjects in 2019.

Meanwhile, students鈥� performance slightly declined in English language arts, with a 2 percentage point drop to 43% compared to last year. In social studies, 鈥嬧��40% of students tested proficient or advanced.

鈥淵ou will hear from the school leaders, teachers across the state that in many ways last year was more challenging than even the prior year for them,鈥� Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven told the State Board of Education during its Tuesday meeting.

Across the state, as schools still battled with the coronavirus, and Vandeven said the department aims to drive resources to populations that were most significantly impacted.

However test scores , when the department will make decisions under the sixth iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP-6. The will score districts 70% on performance and 30% on continuous improvement.

The current accountability process creates a high-stakes environment for schools, Otto Fajen, the legislative director for the Missouri National Education Association, told members of the Senate Interim Committee on Education during a hearing on Wednesday.

鈥淭he process we have now, if you think about accreditation, we turn a whole district into one number. And then there are very serious consequences that can attach to that number,鈥� Fajen said, such as district-funded student transfers to accredited districts.

Krystal Barnett, executive director of Bridge 2 Hope, a St. Louis nonprofit that aims for every child to have access to academically excellent schools, said her daughter is entering St. Louis Public Schools and repeating the 4th grade. She said her daughter is two-and-half years behind despite her prior private schooling.

鈥淭hose schools have not served her well,鈥� Barnett said. 鈥淪o I am stuck in a place of looking around to see where my next place should be. And there is nothing that tells me what grade school I should choose for her.鈥�

Barnett said in addition to a school鈥檚 culture and environment, reading proficiency is one of the most important metrics she looks for when choosing a school. While standardized tests are one way to measure how kids are performing, seeing improvement year to year is also promising, she said.

Researchers from the Policy Research in Missouri Education Center, which is housed in the Saint Louis University School of Education, previously found that schools with a low percentage of students reaching proficient and advanced levels on standardized tests are also .

Tashayla Person, vice president of policy for Quality Schools Coalition, a statewide nonprofit education reform organization, said student achievement growth 鈥� which makes up 42% of a school or district鈥檚 score on Missouri鈥檚 annual performance report 鈥� should be increased to at least 80%.

Implementing a simpler grading system to understand school performance would make translating results clearer for parents, Person said.

Steven Carroll, a lobbyist for St. Louis Public Schools who was testifying Wednesday on behalf of the SLPS Board of Education President Matt Davis, urged lawmakers to broaden the scope of factors they take into account, like looking at high student mobility, since 20% of the district鈥檚 students are homeless.

鈥淲e should be dealing with that and looking at those other factors that are affecting educational outcomes instead of one size fits all,鈥� Carroll said, 鈥渂ecause that鈥檚 just not life, reality of what we鈥檙e dealing with.鈥�

Alix Cossette, who testified on behalf of the Missouri Charter Public School Association, said lawmakers should think about how the accountability system applies to charter schools, which can have unique standards to meet and also receive oversight from their sponsors.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a charter school, you could be expected to, but it doesn鈥檛 really work out, to serve two masters,鈥� Cossette said, 鈥渂ecause DESE is asking you to meet these requirements that maybe you鈥檙e not actually required to meet per law or per your charter.鈥�

The committee will hold a third meeting likely when lawmakers return for the annual veto session, said Sen. Karla Eslinger, R-Wasola and chair of the committee.

鈥淲e really and truly want to have the best opportunity for our kids in the state,鈥� Eslinger said, 鈥渨hether you come from public education or charter education or private or homeschooled or whichever way.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected]. Follow Missouri Independent on and .

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