KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Public Schools is one step closer to achieving full accreditation status.
The district scored at full accreditation level on the state-issued report that measures how well districts are doing at meeting state standards.
"It's very significant," said KCPS Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell. "A lot of hard work that has gone into us getting to where we are and we have a lot of work to still do."
KCPS received an 82.9 percent rate on its 2018 annual performance report (APR). A 70 percent rate is the cutoff score for full accreditation.
"It's a sense of pride. It gives everybody this sense that community schools can actually work for kids regardless of zip code, regardless of socioeconomic status," said Bedell.
KCPS' Struggle with Accreditation
For years KCPS has struggled with racking up enough points on APR, which combines standardized test scores with five categories, including academic achievement, subgroup achievement, college and career readiness, attendance, and graduation rates.
In 2012, the state revoked KCPS' accreditation because the district failed to reach state performance standards.
At the time, the district only met three of the 14 standards in the state's annual performance test.
It marked the second time in 11 years the district lost accreditation. Ever since, KCPS has struggled to consistently score high on its annual performance test.
The district achieved provisional accreditation in 2014.
In 2016, the district hit the full accreditation mark for the first time in decades. School leaders called it a "historic moment" but the next year the district's scores dropped.
"Yes it's frustrating," said Bedell. "A one-day snapshot of a student doesn't necessarily tell you the true story of a student."
A Sustainable Score?
The state has said KCPS needs to show at least two years of progress to regain its standing.
Bedell believes the district is on the right track.
"If [the state] tell us, 'hey, we need to see you do this one more year,' I'm very confident," he said. "There is no excuse for us going below 70 percent again, not while I'm here."
Bedell credited the improved score to changes the district has made, which include rewriting its curriculum, redesigning professional development and overhauling principal meetings to focus on teaching them to be strong leaders.
The district has also implemented a uniform system for when students transfer from school to school.
Attendance and a high mobility rate continue to plague the district.
"I get it that our kids show up with a lot, but you don't get to use that as a crutch," said Bedell. "We as adults cannot have low expectations. I tell these students, 'we are not handing out high school diplomas. You're going to have to earn it.'"
The State Board of Education must still determine the accreditation level. It is unclear when that decision will be made.
