Hello Blue Jay Nation. It is hard to believe we are only days away from the month of December.  I hope you were able to enjoy the beautiful weather and connect with family over this past  Thanksgiving break.  We have many things to be thankful for at the Rock Port R-II School District.  Our students are working hard in the classroom, teachers are going the extra mile to make lessons both informative and impactful, and our community continues to support the development of our students.
Just in the past month, the Department of Elementary and Secondary of Education released the Annual Performance Report for all districts in the state of Missouri.  The Rock Port School District finished the 2016-17 with a 99.6% grade, scoring 139.6 points out of a possible 140.  The district showed an increase in our college and career readiness standards.  This standard calculates the percentage of graduates scoring above the state average on standardized tests like the ACT or ASVAB.  The CCR standard also evaluates the percentage of students earning qualifying grades in dual credit classes, and lastly reviews the percentage of students attending post secondary education or training.  In all three areas our district showed marked improvement.
Academic achievement is measured through MAP and EOC assessments given during the spring semester.  Math and language arts are tested in grades 3-8, and then once again in high school.  Science growth is measured in grades 5, 8 and again during junior year. Social Science is also tested during junior year.  Districts are measured on the percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient on these assessments along with growth over previous years.  Again, this past year our students performed very well on these check points.  This is the 17th year in a row that our district scored above the 90th percentile on the APR which speaks to the quality and consistency of the education we are providing the students of Rock Port R-II.
As always you can follow our students’ celebrations and accomplishments through our Twitter account @RPBlueJays.  From the Rock Port School District we are very thankful for our continued partnership with Blue Jay Nation.  Go Big Blue!!
Mr. Craig Walker