Improvements to be made

I want to say first that I am truly thankful for the opportunity to work for the Houston R-1 School District. This is a great community with so many people, both in and out of the school district, working to help the area grow and prosper. Recently, several questions have arose regarding the Houston R-1 School District APR and end-of-year test scores. First, let me assure everyone that your children are getting a good education at the Houston R-1 School District. The school continues to be fully accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). We have some outstanding teachers and staff who work very hard to provide excellent learning environments for our students. However, as recent reports show, there are several areas that need improvement. Testing data received in October is the result of testing performed in the spring of 2016 and also shows the accumulation of performance from 2014 and 2015.