Sikeston R-6 encourages its students to further their education and training after they graduate from the district. For that reason, the district will participate in the state A+ Scholarship Program to provide students an opportunity to pursue postsecondary education at a low cost or earn college credit while in high school. The district will follow the requirements as established by state law and regulation for the implementation and administration of its A+ Schools Program. The district shall employ an A+ Schools Program coordinator, as required by law.

Program Goals

Sikeston R-6 has established the following goals and performance standards:

1. All students graduate from high school.
   • Maintain a drop-out rate at a level below 3 percent with the goal of attaining a reduction in the rate until it becomes 0 percent.
   • Increase the daily average attendance by .5 percent during the regular school term with a goal of 96 percent or higher and by 0.2 percent during summer school each year with a goal of 80 percent or higher.
   • Continue to develop strategies to intervene with at-risk students.
2. All students complete a challenging selection of high school studies with identified learning expectations.
   • Maintain the percent of Tech Prep students making the honor rolls at a level above 20 percent.
   • Maintain the percent of Tech Prep student failures at a level below 10 percent.
   • Maintain the percent of Tech Prep/Applied classes.
3. All students will proceed from high school graduation to a college, postsecondary career-technical school or high-wage job with workplace skill development opportunities.
   • Maintain the number of students attending community college or career-technical schools at or above 10 percent.

Citizenship Component

An important component of the A+ Schools Program is the fostering of good citizenship in our district's students. A student demonstrates good citizenship by showing respect for self, law, property and the rights of others. Students have not demonstrated good citizenship if, while in grades nine through twelve, they have:

1. Pled guilty or nolo contendere (no contest) to, received a suspended imposition of sentence or suspended execution of sentence for, agreed to a deferred prosecution for, or been convicted or found guilty of a misdemeanor or felony.
2. Unlawfully used or possessed drugs, drug paraphernalia or alcohol on or off school property.
3. Had an out-of-school suspension.
4. Violated the district's rules governing academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating, etc.).

Participation Agreement, Discipline and Appeal

All students wishing to participate in the A+ Schools Program must submit a completed A+ Participation Agreement. If the coordinator determines that a student who has submitted a participation agreement has violated the terms of that agreement or district policies or procedures regarding A+ participation, the coordinator will notify the student in writing and may put the student on probation or expel the student from the program. The student or the student's parents/guardians may appeal expulsions from this program, in accordance with written district procedures, to the Board of Education or to a committee of Board members appointed by the president of the Board and given the authority to act for the Board. The Board or the Board's committee will hear the student's appeal in closed session and will notify the student of its decision.