Schools

Lots of Good MAP Testing Results in the Ladue School District

District students outperformed their peers substantially throughout Missouri.

Just about the exact time that buses and car pools were arriving at Ladue’s schools and parking lots were filling with teachers and students on August 14, the district got some very good news.

The news broke that moment the Ladue School District led the St. Louis area in MAP testing results. MAP is the Missouri Assessment Program to measure progress made primarily in communication arts and mathematics.

“We are very proud of where we are, and we have a lot to do,” said Donna Jahnke, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the district.

Ladue scored first in the area in communications arts and second in math.

In communication arts, Ladue students performed 23 percent better than other students in the state. In math, Ladue students out performed their peers by 20 percent.

“All of our ethnic groups made progress,” said Dr. Jahnke.

African American students in the district have closed the overall gap by one-third over the past six years.

Dr. Pablo Flinn, director of education services for the district led the presentation at the regular Ladue School Board meeting Monday night.

“We have used a lot of intervention techniques to work with improving our results,” said Dr. Flinn. The establishment of the African American Achievement Gap committee has born fruit.

Some 62 teachers and administrators at all levels of the district have volunteered their time and talents to work on behalf of this effort. Some of the volunteers are first-year teachers.

“We’ve launched substantial math instruction through Title I funding,” said Dr. Flinn.

Ladue does have work in other categories. For the group comprised of students who receive free and reduced lunch or are in special education programs, the results have stagnated.

Earlier in the meeting, Dr. Jason Buckner, assistant superintendent for business and finance affirmed the intentions to accept Title I funding from the U.S. Government this year.

“This is all a continuation of our involvement with the ‘No Child Left Behind’ program which we are in,’” said Dr. Buckner,

Ladue will receive some $431,431.00 for this program with the funds going to extra duty pay for involved teachers and for plan writing which will have to occur at night or during weekends.

In other business, SM Wilson General Contracting Co. issued its final of 22 reports concerning the wrap up of the new Ladue Early Childhood Center (LECC) at the Ladue West Campus. All construction projects are completed including a new drive to greatly improve traffic circulation on the campus


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