PURPOSE: This rule establishes procedures to improve student performance in lower performing schools.

1. (1) The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall designate priority school districts and priority school buildings.

   1. (A) Identification of priority school districts and priority school buildings is based upon the following:

      1. 1. Academically deficient school build-

ings pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations;

1. 2. Unaccredited or provisionally accred-

ited school districts pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations; and/or

1. 3. School districts and/or buildings

which do not meet any of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) grade span and reading standards as based on the district’s or building’s annual performance report (APR) for two (2) successive years beginning in 2002–2003 school year.

1. (B) At the time the State Board of Education (board) takes official action to designate a school district as unaccredited, provisionally accredited or designating a school building as academically deficient, that school will become a priority school and shall comply with the applicable state laws and regulations.
2. (C) Priority school districts and/or buildings remain priority schools until the status of unaccredited, provisionally accredited or the academically deficient designation is removed pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations.
3. (D) Priority school districts and/or buildings which failed to meet any of the MAP standards for two (2) successive years must meet at least one (1) standard for two (2) successive years to be removed as a priority school.

1. (2) Priority school districts and/or buildings shall submit a comprehensive school improvement plan which includes:

   1. (A) An accountability compliance statement which must:

      1. 1. Identify and analyze student perfor-

mance deficiency areas by school, grade and academic content areas; SECONDARY EDUCATION

1. 2. Provide a comprehensive strategy

addressing student performance deficiency areas which includes:

1. A. Alignment of curriculum with

deficiency areas;

1. B. Development of an individual per-

formance plan (IPP) for a student performing at the lowest achievement level or level not determined (LND) on the MAP and is not under an individualized education plan (IEP) and receiving special education services. The IPP shall:

1. (I) Be developed by the student’s

parent, guardian or other adult responsible for the student’s education, the student’s teacher(s) and building administrator;

1. (II) Outline the responsibilities of

the parties involved including those of the student, parents, teacher(s) and building administrator;

1. (III) Require good faith on all par-

ties in implementing the IPP and require the parents, guardian, or other responsible adult to make reasonable efforts to meet with the teacher when requested or required by the plan; and

1. (IV) Allow additional instruction

time and require a student in grades nine through twelve (9–12) in a priority school district and/or building so designated by January 1 of the school year to retake the MAP during that school year. Students grades nine through twelve (9–12) in a priority school district and/or building so designated after January 1 of the school year must retake the MAP during the following school year, if funding is provided through legislative appropriation for such tests;

1. C. Focusing professional development

funds in the areas of academic need;

1. D. Creation of programs to improve

teacher and administrator effectiveness which includes but is not limited to:

1. (I) Professional development for all

certificated staff which includes one (1) of the following:

1. (a) Participation in a mentoring

program established pursuant to the rules promulgated by the board;

1. (b) Certification as a MAP scor-

er; and/or

1. (c) Enrollment and satisfactorily

progressing towards National Board Certification;

1. (II) Any individual is exempt from

the professional development as listed above if the individual has:

1. (a) Taken or takes the appropri-

ate content knowledge specialty area exit assessment and achieves the qualifying score on that exit assessment as promulgated in the rules by the board;

1. (b) National Board Certification;
2. (c) Been a certified scorer for the

MAP;

1. (d) Designated by DESE as a

regional resource teacher;

1. (e) Served as a mentor teacher

for one (1) year in a program approved by the board; or

1. (f) Completed an appropriate

administrator academy pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations;

1. E. Establishment of school account-

ability councils or aligning existing parent advisory councils pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations;

1. F. Development of a district resource

reallocation plan which includes but is not limited to one (1) of the following:

1. (I) Reduction in class size in the

academically deficient areas;

1. (II) Establishment of:

   1. (a) Full-day kindergarten;
   2. (b) Preschool programs;
   3. (c) Afterschool tutoring and

other programs which extend time for learning;

1. (d) Programs of teacher home

visitation; or

1. (e) “School within a school”

program; or

1. (III) Employment of DESE

approved regional resource teachers or national board certified teachers; and

1. G. Evaluation of the need to imple-

ment strategies in any feeder schools of the priority school;

1. 3. Disclose the student performance

deficiency areas in the school report card pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations; and

1. 4. Review school discipline provisions

pursuant to applicable state laws and regulations; and

1. (B) Any school building within a priority school district that meets all of the MAP standards applicable to the grade level configuration for that building will be exempt from submitting a comprehensive school improvement plan except that the priority school district and/or building must:

   1. 1. Develop an IPP pursuant to this rule

for students performing at the lowest achievement level or LND on the MAP and who are not under an IEP and receiving special education services; and

1. 2. Focus professional development funds

in the areas of academic need.

1. (3) The accountability compliance statement should be submitted to DESE within one hundred twenty (120) days of notice that the school district and/or building is a priority school. In no event shall the accountability compliance statement be submitted later than August 15 of the school year following designation as a priority school.

   1. (A) Within thirty (30) days of receipt of the accountability compliance statement, DESE shall review the statement and identify any plan deficiencies.
   2. (B) The priority school shall forward to DESE within thirty (30) days of receipt of plan deficiencies the appropriate changes to the accountability compliance statement.

AUTHORITY: sections 160.720 and 161.092, RSMo Supp. 2002*. Original rule filed Oct. 29, 2002, effective June 30, 2003.

*Original authority: 160.720, RSMo 2002 and 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002.