Statewide Assessments

The district will implement the components of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) in order to monitor the progress of all students in meeting the challenging academic standards set forth by the Missouri State Board of Education. The assessments will be the same for all students in the district, including those students identified as migratory or homeless, students in foster care and students with a parent/guardian who is an active duty member of the armed forces or who serves on full-time National Guard duty.

End-of-course (EOC) assessments will be administered in accordance with law and the rules of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). In courses where EOC assessments are given, the superintendent or designee will determine what percent of the course grade will be decided by performance on EOC assessments.

If a student is taking a course that requires an EOC assessment and is failing the course or for some other reason may be required to retake the course, the district may choose to delay administration of the EOC assessment until the student has completed the course the second time. A team consisting of the course instructor, the principal and a counselor will determine when delayed administration of an EOC assessment is appropriate. In the case of a student with an individualized education program (IEP), the IEP team will make the determination.

EOC examinations may be waived for:

1. Students receiving special education services whose IEP teams have determined that the MAP-A alternative is the appropriate assessment;
2. English learner students who have been in the United States 12 or fewer months at the time of administration, in some circumstances; and
3. Foreign exchange students.

The School Board authorizes the superintendent to establish a process designed to encourage the students of this district to give their best efforts on each portion of any statewide assessment, which may include, but is not limited to, incentives or supplementary work as a consequence of performance.

National Assessment of Educational Progress

If chosen, the district will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress as required by law.

Assessments in Preparation for Postsecondary Education and Work Opportunities

The district encourages students to prepare for postsecondary education or work opportunities prior to graduating from the district. District staff will encourage students to take assessments necessary for pursuing postsecondary education, career training and employment. Such assessments may include, but are not limited to, the ACT, the ACT Plus Writing Assessment, the ACT WorkKeys assessments (WorkKeys) and the SAT. When the district determines it is economically feasible, the district may provide access to assessments at the district's expense. The superintendent or designee will work with testing companies to provide eligible students access to fee waivers and other resources so that all district students may access these assessments.

ACT/WorkKeys at State Expense

DESE may require school districts to administer the ACT as part of statewide testing requirements. When that occurs and the state funds the test, any student who would be allowed or required to participate in the ACT will have the opportunity, on any date within three months before the ACT administration, to participate in the WorkKeys at the state's expense in lieu of taking the ACT. Any student who participated in a state-funded administration of the WorkKeys shall not participate in any state-funded administration of the ACT.

ACT/WorkKeys at District Expense

Students who are required or allowed to participate in the ACT at district expense will have the opportunity, on any date within three months before the ACT administration, to participate in the WorkKeys at district expense. The district may also require the student to take the ACT.

High School Equivalency Examination

The District participates in the Missouri Option Program, a competency-based program that allows eligible students to earn a district diploma if the student passes the state high school equivalency examination.

Parental Notice

At the beginning of each school year, the district shall notify the parents/guardians of each student that the district will provide, upon request and in a timely manner, information regarding any state or district policy regarding student participation in any assessments. Such notice shall include information about state or local policies that would allow students to opt out of assessments. Missouri has no such policy, and the district expects all students to participate in all district or statewide assessments.

The district shall post on the district's website and, where practicable, on the website of each school in the district for each grade level in the district, information on any assessments required by state or federal law, including any assessments required by the district. The information shall include the subject matter being assessed, the purpose for the assessment, the source of the requirement for the assessment, and where the information on the assessment is available. The information shall also include the amount of time students will spend taking the assessments, the schedule for the assessments, and the time and format for disseminating the results, when available.

If the district does not operate a website, the district shall determine how to make the information widely available, including dissemination through the media, public agencies or directly to the parents/guardians.

The district will provide parents/guardians information, if available, on the level of achievement and academic growth of the student on each of the statewide assessments in which the student participates. The district will provide the information in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent possible, the information will be written in a language the parent/guardian can understand. If it is not practical to provide written translations to parents/guardians, the information shall be orally translated for them. Upon request by a parent/guardian with a disability, the district will provide the information in an alternate format that is accessible to the parent/guardian.

Access to Assessments by Students Not Enrolled in the District

In order to foster positive community relationships and to promote the academic progress of all students located within the district, the district may, at its discretion, allow private and home-schooled students who reside within district boundaries but who are not enrolled in the district to participate in grade-level, end-of-course or other assessments if the assessments are funded by the state. These student scores shall not affect district accountability.