University City School District MAP Test Results

The School District of University City did not meet the state's proficiency standards in the areas of reading or math in 2011, preliminary data from the Missouri Assessment Program show. 

The district failed to meet proficiency goals last year, too.

Students in third through eighth grade take the Missouri Assessment Program test in math and reading each spring. The tests fulfill requirements laid out under the No Child Left Behind Act, a program that is designed to have 100 percent of students testing at grade level by the year 2014.

This year, in order to meet the goals and make "Adequate Yearly Progress," Missouri schools had to have 72.5 percent of students test at grade level in math and 75.5 percent test at grade level in reading.

While University City students had better scores in reading this year, they were not high enough to meet rising benchmarks.

In reading, the percent of students testing at grade level rose from 43.1 percent in 2010 to 45.6 percent in 2011. 

Among black students, reading proficiency rose for the sixth straight year. It went up from 37.6 percent testing proficient last year to 40.7 percent testing proficient in 2011. Among white students, proficiency dipped slightly from 84.2 percent last year to 84.0 percent in 2011. Proficiency among Hispanic students declined significantly, from 56.5 in 2010 to 38.2 percent in 2011. Proficiency rose for students qualifying for free or reduced-cost lunches, from 33.6 percent last year to 37.4 percent in 2011. 

In math tests, 39.0 percent of students scored proficient, down from 40.9 in 2010. Math proficiency declined overall among black, white and hispanic students in 2011.

In 2011, 33.5 percent of black students were math proficient, down from 34.5 percent in 2010. Among white students, proficiency dipped from 82.3 percent last year to 78.3 percent in 2011. Proficiency among Hispanic students declined from 52.0 in 2010 to 43.2 percent in 2011. Math proficiency dipped marginally for students qualifying for free or reduced-cost lunches, from 30.4 percent last year to 30.3 percent in 2011. 

Both attendance and graduation rates climbed in 2011. Attendance rose from 94.5 percent last year to 94.6 percent in 2011, while graduation rose from 82.5 percent last year to 83.8 percent in 2011. 

In an email to University City Patch, the School District said the MAP data "shows steady improvement," adding "we continue to make gains in many areas."

Click here to see the tests results for yourself.

State officials use the test results to look at how well different groups of students are doing, including white students, black students, students with low socioeconomic status and students with disabilities, among others. If just one group fails to meet the goals, the school does not meet its benchmarks.

Just 92 of the 557 districts in the state met the benchmarks for achievement in math and reading this year, according to the preliminary results released Thursday. Nearly 75 percent of schools across the state failed to meet the mark.

When schools fail to meet the goals, they face sanctions that range from paying for additional tutoring for students to allowing students to switch to another school in the district that met the benchmarks.