Beating The Odds: Special edition

By: Courtney Vahle, Andrew Camp, and Collin Hitt

Missouri has the strongest “Growth Model” of any state. When looking at reading and math test scores, growth is far superior to status measures (such as “proficiency”) when it comes to the work that schools are doing and the impacts that they are having on student learning over time. Different students start out each year in different positions. The Missouri Growth Model estimates how much each student grows each year, and how growth differs across schools. Since 2019 the PRiME Center has issued reports that feature the highest growth schools in Missouri, translating state growth data into a scale that parents, educators and policymakers can use. This Special Edition of the PRiME Growth Report Series examines the average PRiME Growth Scores of schools since COVID, over the three periods where we have full data: the 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24 school years. The PRiME Center’s recent report highlights the Missouri schools serving students from low income households that are producing large gains in reading and math.