Joplin schools accredited with distinction

(THe following article was printed in the Joplin R-8 School District newsletter, The Eagle Eye.)

The Joplin School District has officially received the coveted “Accredited with
Distinction” designation from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (DESE) for the third consecutive year. Once again, Joplin is among an elite
group of Missouri school districts to earn the state's "Distinction in Performance"
award.
"Receiving this honor for the third year in a row is a reflection on the focused efforts by all of Joplin's staff on being the best," says the Superintendent, Dr. Jim Simpson.
"We are all committed to building on each year's achievement to ensure that our students are prepared for a successful future."
To receive the annual "Distinction in Performance” award, Missouri school districts must meet at least 13 of 14 student performance standards on their Annual Performance Report (APR), which is compiled each year by DESE. An APR is based on the same criteria used in the accreditation process and displays whether or not a school district has met standards related to student academic performance.
These include MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) test scores, ACT college entrance
exam scores, attendance rate, graduation rate, the number of graduates continuing to
college, and other academic performance measures.