By Janine DavisRecord Staff WriterIn late August, Wright City R-II District administrators, teachers and staff convened in the cafeteria for a meeting that every one of them is likely to remember for a long time.With confetti raining down, the group let loose for a celebration of the district’s just-released state report card showing student achievement scores at 91.1 percent, putting Wright City among the best performing districts in the region.The scores measure the percentage of students scoring at levels deemed proficient or advanced in subject matter, such as math and language arts, and are used in determining state accreditation. The scores are based on end-of-school-year data for 2012-2013.This is the second year in a row R-II achievement numbers have been above 90 percent, and the district’s second year in a row to earn “Distinction in Performance” (scores above 90 percent). “We’re looking at every aspect of our performance so that kids can have the foundation for pursuing whatever they want to do with their lives,” said R-II District Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines.Based on student test scores and other data, the Missouri School Improvement Program assigns a point level maximum for five areas, allowing schools to earn points by how well they performed in each: academic achievement (maximum 56 points), at-risk populations or subgroup achievement (maximum 14 points), college and career readiness (maximum 30 points), attendance (maximum 10 points) and graduation (possible 30 points). Total points that can be achieved are 140.Wright City R-II earned 91.1 percent of points under the evaluation, taking all 56 possible points under academic achievement, 13.5 out of 14 possible points for subgroup achievement, 22 out of 30 points for college and career readiness, six out of 10 points for attendance and all 30 points for graduation. The scores are among the highest in the surrounding area.Warren County R-III’s scores were comparatively lower, earning an overall 76.8 percent of possible points.Issued by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MSIP 5 is the new edition of the state’s scoring system used for accreditation. It is also a diagnostic tool for helping schools improve in key areas and for comparing their performance to other districts.While chart after chart shows the gains R-II has made in student test scores, especially in the last four years, one chart in particular comparing 2013 data to 2010 scores is particularly instructive.Among Most Improved Schools in StateThe chart shows the district has gone from having above-state-average scores in one of 22 tested areas in 2010, to 17 out of 22 in 2013. In elementary grades, students have gone from having zero above-state-average scores in seven tested areas in 2010, to seven out of seven areas above state average in 2013. Middle school scores also have risen from 0 areas above state average to four of seven areas that scored above state average. High school scores similarly jumped from just one area above state average in 2010, to six out of eight areas in which test scores were above the state norm in 2013.Wright City R-II is one of the most improved school districts in Missouri. Out of 522 districts in the state, R-II has gone from a 499 test score ranking in 2010 to 156 in 2013. Its variance from state averages has jumped from -16.4 points to +3.1 points in that time span.Three-Part ActionPlan WorkingThe marked improvement in scores is rooted in a major planning effort the district began four years ago, referred to as PAWS (Positive Action for Wildcat Success). The plan was formed collaboratively with district staff and with input from the district’s 40-person community advisory team.“We looked at massive amounts of data not only on scores, but observational data, and brought in outside folks to help us sort through the trends and how we could proceed on a new path,” said Assistant Superintendent David Buck.District leaders knew there was an abundance of action plans that they could pursue, but decided to focus on doing things they believed would leverage learning the best.“Our plan focused on three things: student engagement, increasing learning rigor and data-to-action,” said Gaines.The first of these “three rocks,” as Buck calls them, is student engagement.“We spent a lot of time, effort and resources training our teachers how to more actively engage students in classroom learning versus just listening to a teacher talk,” said Gaines.“Engagement is a way to make learning more authentic to the student; they get to personalize it,” said Buck, noting that R-II now is aligned with the highest performing schools in the nation in student engagement.The second part of the plan has been increasing rigor in curriculum, instruction and assessment. One example, Gaines said, is writing more rigorous multiple choice questions so kids can be more familiar with the types of questions posed on college ACT tests.Gaines said that part of the task has been to examine whether the schools’ tests are “hard” versus “rigorous and challenging.” Gaines explained that “hard” is being able to recall a fact, where “rigorous” challenges students to go deeper toward true understanding of a topic, issue or problem.An example, said Gaines, comes from the history lesson on Christopher Columbus.“We have that little song that reminds students of the date when Columbus sailed, but more important is to teach kids why he was sailing in the first place, what happened as a result, and what our modern-day exploration equivalent might be,” said Gaines.Buck refers to this as getting kids to “wrestle” with learning.Gaines said the third part of the improvement plan has been “data to action.” That means regularly monitoring student achievement data – three times a year – and zeroing in on specific problems that students exhibit on the tests,  then making sure they get prompt and precise help in overcoming these obstacles through separate teaching sessions during the school day.Officials note that state tests aren’t available until the fall of each year, which means by that time, third-graders are in fourth grade and the opportunity for immediate intervention is lost.“Our local tests allow us to see where kids are today and react to that tomorrow with specific intervention programs,” said Buck, who said the tests also show areas where each student is doing very well, and could benefit from “enrichment” learning, or going further than what is expected.“This monitoring allows you to tailor to what each student needs,” said Buck.Teachers Fully EngagedGaines and Buck both said the district’s achievements and path to improvement have been embraced and celebrated by teachers and staff.“Our teachers are learning together, which is motivating,” said Buck. “If your district is doing well, you tend to want to stay.”To Gaines’ earlier point about looking at every angle to help kids prepare for their future, R-II also has recently embarked on the well known Baldrige model for continuous improvement. As part of the improvement model, school leaders are constantly reviewing course offerings to make sure R-II is providing the right programs for college and career readiness.“We’re not producing widgets as some other organizations who work with the Baldrige model do, but we can create systems within the district, buildings and classrooms that can be generated for replicable success,” said Gaines. “Ultimately, we’ll be applying the criteria of Baldrige at the classroom level so you have goals for each child and can track their success in achieving those goals,” said Gaines.Gaines said he, Buck and other school leaders sum up the district’s focus in three words: Rock, paper, scissors.“Our rocks are our three areas of emphasis, we’ve cut things that weren’t working away, and we’re tracking and reporting everything on paper,” said Gaines standing in front of charts posted on the wall. All of them seem to be going in an upward direction.

Janine Davis Photo SCHOOL SUCCESS STORY — Wright City R-II Superintendent Chris Gaines (left) and Assistant Superintendent David Buck hold a copy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from August 23, announcing highly anticipated student achievement scores by district issued by the state. Wright City's score - 91.1 percent - put the district in the running with the state's top-performing schools, continuing a highly positive trend that the school has managed over the last several years. In the background are charts school leaders use to track student achievement in specific areas.