Student Achievement

Jackson County Community Partnership

 

Core Result: Children Succeeding in School
Benchmark: MAP Test Achievement

 

February 2002

Objective
Increase the percentage of students scoring in the top two levels on the MAP 4th Grade Math and 3rd Grade Communication Arts at the following schools in the Independence School District by 2004 as follows:

	Math		Comm. Arts
	2000	2004	2000	2004
Bryant	46.8%	60.0%	36.4%	50.0%
Proctor	26.1%	40.0%	20.0%	40.0%
Randell	26.5%	40.0%	21.4%	40.0%
Sante Fe Trail	37.3%	55.0%	30.7%	40.0%

Strategies

What Worked?

• Community Collaboration – LINC believes that families and neighborhood residents are crucial to school success and that all children can learn. LINC works with the families, the School District and community-based organizations to promote academic achievement.
• Integration and Planning: Emphasis in the Independence District has been placed on bringing Caring Communities support services and governance structures together with other school improvement efforts. Planning for Title 1 spending, Caring Communities planning, Early Childhood programming, Entrepreneurial Schools, and other efforts are fully integrated.
• Focus on Reading Skills: The Independence District has adopted a curriculum that emphasizes reading as the primary tool to further learning.
• LINC utilizes many strategies to promote academic achievement:

1. Coordination of services – Collaboration among families, caring communities, the school district, and community organizations facilitates setting priorities for and delivering services to students.
2. Attendance Initiatives – Utilizing parent liaisons, Winter Bus programs, and incentives to promote attendance because students who aren’t in school don’t learn.
3. Expanding support services –developing services to meet specific student needs to improve learning such as conflict resolution, health services and tutoring programs.

Results
Elementary Schools which were also caring community schools showed dramatic improvement in 3rd grade Communication Arts and 4th Grade Math scores in the Independence School District over the past three years.

These Schools outpaced the district as a whole and the State of Missouri.

MAP Scores 1998-2001

3rd Grade	1999		2000		2001
Comm Arts	Step 1/Prog.	Prof/Adv	Step 1/Prog.	Prof/Adv	Step 1/Prog.	Prof/Adv
Randall	35.8%	18.9%	26.2%	21.4%	13.5%	50.0%
Bryant	32.6%	17.4%	31.8%	36.4%	12.2%	56.1%
Procter	18.8%	35.4%	30.0%	20.0%	17.1%	37.1%
Santa Fe	23.2%	24.6%	21.3%	30.7%	12.7%	50.7%
Independence	33.1%	28.4%	33.2%	28.8%	20.4%	39.5%
Missouri	32.0%	28.8%	30.1%	31.7%	28.6%	31.6%

4th Grade	1999		2000		2001
Math	Step 1/Prog.	Prof/Adv	Step 1/Prog.	Prof/Adv	Step 1/Prog.	Prof/Adv
Randall	22.0%	40.0%	28.6%	26.5%	17.4%	39.1%
Bryant	14.6%	36.6%	8.5%	46.8%	2.3%	55.8%
Procter	26.8%	24.4%	19.6%	26.1%	6.1%	54.5%
Santa Fe	31.8%	15.2%	18.7%	37.3%	19.1%	50.0%
Independence	20.8%	33.6%	22.3%	33.7%	17.8%	38.7%
Missouri	22.1%	35.3%	22.3%	36.7%	20.4%	37.7%

Source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Red indicates better than both State and District as a whole.
Orange indicates better than State only
Italics indicates better than District only.

Funding
Funding for children succeeding in school is blended from multiple sources within the community. LINC receives direct funding from the Missouri Department of Social Services and uses this to leverage funds and services with community partners.