Student Achievement
Jefferson County Community Partnership
Core Result: Children succeeding in school
Benchmark: MAP Test Scores for Communication Arts
(3rd & 7th Grade)
February 2002
Objectives
To increase the MAP Communication Arts scores for third graders in the De Soto School District from 26% scoring proficient or advanced in 2001 to 29% in 2003.
To increase the MAP Communication Arts scores for seventh graders in the De Soto School District from 27% in 2000 to 30% in 2003.
Strategies
The De Soto community has implemented the following strategies addressing some vital components of school success - attendance, reading success and parental involvement:
Head Lice Initiative – (Implemented in Spring 2000)
Through this initiative a Community Support Worker assists in head checks at the elementary schools in De Soto and provides resources to families with chronic head lice. In addition, home visits are made to educate families about methods necessary to rid homes of head lice.
As a result of this strategy, school absences due to head lice has decreased from 793 in 1999 to 259 in 2001. This increased attendance increases the opportunity for learning to take place.
Tutoring Initiative – (Implemented in 1999)
Two tutoring approaches have been implemented at the two elementary schools in De Soto. One of the programs targets those children who are not performing well, but do not test low enough to qualify for special services. The other program is a peer-tutoring program, in which 5th and 6th grade students tutor the younger children. Post tests results and surveys completed by tutors, classroom teachers and parents indicate improvement in grades for participants.
Practical Parenting Partnership – (Implemented in 1999)
Practical Parenting Partnership (PPP) workshops are conducted at the elementary schools in De Soto, and involve families of children ages pre-kindergarten through 6th grade. The monthly workshops consist of activities that foster positive interactions between parents, child and school staff. Parents and children are given resources that aimed at increasing school success for the students. Data from the schools have shown participating students displaying good grades and school attendance.
Summer Enrichment Program (Transportation) – (Implemented in 1998)
Through seed money from Caring Communities, transportation is provided for students in Kdg. through grade 6 for the Summer Enrichment Program. With the increased attendance that has resulted from providing this service, the school district has increased their funding for transportation each year and will sustain the service beginning in the summer of 2003.
Last year, reading program participants began taking pre- and post-tests to monitor the effectiveness of the class, and about 90% of the first group tested displayed marked improvement. In addition to contributing to academic success, the Summer Enrichment Program provides children in De Soto with constructive activities at a time when they often remain unsupervised.
The positive effects of the program have been supported through the results of the parent surveys that are completed after each program. The parents have also emphasized the importance of the transportation component to the program.
Results
In the past several years, school performance among children in the De Soto School District has been less than ideal. The De Soto Caring Communities Team examined the benchmarks for children succeeding in school. Below are current trends for student scores for MAP Test for Communication Arts (3rd & 7th grades).
Sources: DESE Annual Report
De Soto School District
While the percentage of Missouri’s 3rd grade students scoring proficient or advanced on MAP tests for Communication Arts increased from 28.82% to 31.71%, De Soto's students’ scores have decreased from 28.7% to 26%.
Source: DESE Annual Report
The percentage of 7th grade students in De Soto scoring proficient or advanced on the MAP Communication Arts tests has increased from 23.14% to 27.27% between 1998-99 and 1999-00 school year. *Note: data for 2000-2001 unavailable at time of report. While this is a large increase, these scores still remain lower than Missouri’s average (which increased from 30.48% to 32.28% during this period).
Funding/ Return on Investment
Funding for these strategies has been provided by the De Soto School District, Catholic Services, Jefferson County Health Dept. Jefferson Memorial Hospital, De Soto Schools Parent Organizations, local businesses, Americorps*Vista, and Caring Communities. All of these strategies will be sustained within the community in Fall 2002.
Noteworthy
The learning opportunities provided due to increased attendance that have resulted through the head lice initiative.
