School board hears plans for measuring academic success

Plans to foster continuous improvement in the Columbia Public School District through new measures of accountability and long-term building improvements were presented to the school board at its meeting Monday night.

Sally Beth Lyon, director of research, assessment and accountability, outlined the goals the district hopes to achieve by creating a “second-generation” accountability model for measuring academic success.

“Accountability is really synonymous with responsibility,” Lyon said.

The district’s Great Expectations! Committee, which meets monthly with principals, teachers, administration and community members, said it hopes to move beyond teaching to Missouri Assessment Program tests, and instead focus on using varied standardized tests and evaluating every child’s progress year round.

“This is more of a bottom-up approach,” said Donald Ludwig, school board vice president. “You can start at the individual child and roll up to the school level.”

A report outlining a long-term plan for building improvements, with estimates reaching about $61.9 million in immediate repairs, including the installation of air-conditioning systems, was also presented to the board. The district’s Long Range Facilities Planning Committee report summarized studies and observation conducted last winter and spring.

“Our buildings were in good shape,” said Jacque Cowherd, deputy superintendent for administration. “But, overcrowding is an issue.”

Cowherd also discussed concerns about K-12 transitions that came out of the district’s online survey and forums.

Superintendent Phyllis Chase addressed enrollment, which as of Sept. 27, is 17,237. This is almost a 2 percent increase from last school year or 286 additional students.

“Schools in Columbia are on a growth incline,” Chase said.

The board also approved student transportation routes, which are reviewed twice annually. School board members expressed concern, however, that some students are on the bus too long, with some routes lasting as long as 60 minutes. Ludwig said he worried that this much time spent on a bus in the morning could decrease student performance. But it was recognized that transportation is as efficient as it can be without adding additional buses and drivers.