This page contains the text of a regulation adopted by the Missouri State Board of Education.  An official copy of the full text of this regulation is contained in the Code of State Regulations, published by the Office of Secretary of State.

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Title 5 - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Division 50 - Division of School Improvement
Chapter 340 - School Improvement and Accreditation

5 CSR 50-340.150 Priority Schools

PURPOSE: This rule establishes procedures to improve student performance in lower performing schools.

(1)  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall designate priority school buildings or attendance centers (priority school(s)).

(A)  During the first year of implementation, all schools previously designated academically deficient will be designated priority schools.

(B) Designation of priority schools is based upon the following criteria:

1.  Beginning September 1, 2006, Title I schools in school improvement which meet any of the following:

A. Have assessment performance index scores for state required subject areas in the bottom five percent (5%) of the state population for two (2) successive years;

B. Have a school attendance rate of less than ninety percent (90%) for two (2) successive years;

C. Have a graduation rate and placement rate below seventy percent (70%) for two (2) successive years; or

D. Are identified persistently dangerous pursuant to state regulation.

(C) Priority schools must exceed the designation criteria for two (2) successive years to have the priority school designation removed.

(2)  The board of education of any district that contains a priority school(s) shall submit a school improvement plan for each priority school that provides for the following:

(A) Identification of the areas of academic deficiency in student performance on the required statewide assessments established pursuant to state law by disaggregating scores based upon school, grade, academic content area and student demographic subgroups;

(B) Implementation of research-based strategies to assist the priority school in addressing the areas of deficiency;

(C) Alignment of the priority school’s curriculum to address deficiencies in student achievement; and

(D) Reallocation of district resources to address the areas of deficiency, which shall include focusing available funding on high quality professional development in the areas of deficiency.

(3) For priority schools designated as a result of low student achievement, the school improvement plan must include the components outlined above. Priority schools identified for other reasons must submit a school improvement plan which includes the components outlined above with the exception of identification of the areas of academic deficiency in student performance on the required statewide assessment and alignment of the priority school’s curriculum to address deficiencies in student achievement.

(4) The State Board of Education (board) may appoint a team to provide an educational audit of any priority school.

(A) Priority schools may request services for an educational audit upon designation to assist in identification of factors contributing to the designation and make recommendation to address those factors. Any school maintaining priority school status more than two (2) years will be identified for a required educational audit.

(B) The educational audit may coincide with the scheduled Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) review for the district in which the building is located. If the priority school is located within a district which has been waived from an on-site MSIP review, the priority school is not waived from the educational audit.

(C) The educational audit team shall report its findings to the board and the local board of education. The board may require all or part of the team’s findings to be addressed in the comprehensive school improvement plan.

(5) Local boards of education in districts with priority schools must submit the school improvement plan(s) to DESE on or before August 15 following the school year of designation. In the case where an educational audit has occurred, the findings of the audit must be addressed in that plan.

(A) DESE shall review and identify areas of concern in the school improvement plan within sixty (60) days of receipt of the plan.

(B) Changes to the school improvement plan shall be forwarded to DESE within sixty (60) days of notice to the district of the areas of concern.

(C) DESE shall withhold funds pursuant to state law from any school district that fails to submit a school improvement plan based upon the standards and timelines.

(6) All school buildings and attendance centers declared to be priority schools must be listed in the district’s annual school accountability report distributed pursuant to state law.

AUTHORITY:  sections 160.720 and 161.092, RSMo Supp. 2004.*  Original rule filed Sept. 25, 1987, effective Jan. 29, 1988.  Amended:  Filed Sept. 27, 1995, effective March 30, 1996.  Rescinded and readopted:  Filed Oct. 12, 2004, effective May 30, 2005.

*Original authority:  160.720, RSMo 2002, amended 2004 and 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003.

For more information regarding this rule, please contact the
School Improvement and Accreditation Section at (573) 751-4426.