MSIP 6 is Missouri’s statewide system for reviewing and supporting public schools. It provides a framework that the state uses to understand how well districts are serving students and how effectively they are planning for long-term improvement. While the APR is the annual scorecard, MSIP 6 is the broader system that guides what the state looks for and how districts are evaluated over time.

MSIP 6 focuses on three main areas:

• Continuous improvement — how districts plan, monitor and adjust their work to better serve students. This includes setting goals, using data to evaluate progress and making changes when needed.

• Student growth and achievement — how well students are learning and improving in core subjects such as English language arts, math, science and social studies.

• Success beyond high school — how ready students are for college, career, military or other pathways after graduation.

Unlike previous versions of the program, MSIP 6 places a stronger emphasis on student growth, readiness for life after high school and the systems that support strong teaching and learning. It looks beyond test scores to understand whether districts are creating the conditions that help all students succeed.

MSIP 6 also guides several pieces of the accountability process, including district planning, use of data, climate and culture feedback, and how schools support attendance, early learning and career and academic planning. These components work together to give the state a more complete picture of district performance.

Taken together, MSIP 6 establishes the structure, goals and expectations that shape how school districts are evaluated and supported — and the APR reports the results each year.

The APR is the scorecard that goes with MSIP 6. Every year, DESE releases an APR for each district and for most individual school buildings. The APR brings together many kinds of information, including:

• State assessment results (Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP)
• Student growth from year to year
• Graduation rates
• What students do after high school (college, career, military and other pathways)
• Attendance and “success-ready” indicators
• District planning, climate and culture survey data, and required state reporting

The APR is divided into two major sections: the Performance Score and the Continuous Improvement Score. Together, these sections add up to a total score out of 100%.

The Performance Score, which makes up 70% of the APR, focuses on student outcomes. This includes how well students are achieving and growing in core subjects like English language arts, math, science and social studies. It also looks at key measures such as graduation rates and “success-ready” indicators — for example, participation in advanced coursework, college and career assessments, and other signs that students are prepared for life after high school.

The Continuous Improvement Score, which makes up the remaining 30%, reflects the strength of a district’s systems and day-to-day practices. This section reviews how well the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) is being implemented, along with climate and culture survey results, attendance data, kindergarten readiness information and individual career and academic planning. It also includes required state reporting and data submissions.

Together, these two pieces give a balanced view of both how students are performing and how well the district is supporting ongoing improvement. Collectively, the measures in the APR show how well schools are preparing students today while building the supportive systems needed for success in the future.