Administrators at the Kansas City Public School District are celebrating a major improvement in state assessment scores that could help pave the way toward full accreditation.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released its report card Friday, showing KCPS scored 82.9 percent, a 31 percent improvement from the 2017 score of 63.0. Districts must score at least 70 percent for full accreditation, which could come next year with another good report.
The Missouri Board of Education withdrew full accreditation status in 2012.
The state's assessment takes into account multiple factors, including test scores, attendance and graduation rates, college entrance exam scores and performance in advanced courses.
Superintendent Mark Bedell said the district hired an outside agency to conduct a full audit of operations.
Auditors found that the district's curriculum was not closely aligned to state assessment requirements, so adjustments were made. Teachers underwent more professional development training, and principals were even required to take the same assessment tests students take, Bedell said.
The district called a news conference for Friday morning to discuss the results.