CHERRY TWP — The Moniteau School Board on Monday night discussed the district’s School Performance Profile scores for 2013-2014.

Dassa McKinney Elementary School received a score of 78.1 out of 100 and Moniteau Junior Senior High School received a score of 65.7.

The performance profile is an overview of student academic performance. The score is based on state academic test results and other factors that signal student achievement including graduation and attendance rates, the degree of rigorous course offerings at the secondary level and college ready benchmarks.

Compared to 2012-2013 scores, Dassa and the high school had improved scores for reading in 2013-2014 and the graduation rate increased.

However, the overall scores were lower than in 2012-2013 when Dassa received a score of 82.4 and the high school received 70.9.

A score of 70 is considered a cutoff for a successful school by the state. Acting state Education Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq last year called the 70 threshold “the mark of moving toward success.”

“Our goal is to be 100 percent and to work toward that goal,” said Superintendent George Svolos.

Lance Fox, high school principal, said schools accrue points for some items that are harder for smaller schools to achieve such as the number of advanced placement (AP) courses offered, the number of AP students and the number of students that take the Preliminary SAT.

At the high school, he said officials are evaluating where the school scored low. Since the district received the scores, teachers have set goals, defined objectives and prepared action plans for improvement, Fox said.

“The school goal is to improve by five points,” he said.

He is optimistic about achieving the goal.

Svolos said, “We have to identify the areas where we can make the necessary changes to improve.”

In the past three years, Moniteau’s English, math and science curriculums have been updated and the school has new textbooks for these subjects, Svolos said. Teachers also received training to maximize the value of the new textbooks.

He noted other actions that should increase the 2014-2015 scores include weekly staff team meetings by grade level and department to review data and to discuss remediation methods and instruction, training to use the performance data and monitoring academically at-risk students.

Svolos also said discussions are under way with Butler County Community College, Slippery Rock University and Grove City College for dual enrollment. These programs allow enrollment in college courses while a student is completing high school.

He said the district is putting programs in place for growth and success.

“We learn from the data and make realignments,” Svolos said.

Board member Douglas Kimmey said, “I don’t think anyone is satisfied with where we are right now. We need to improve.”

He said the district’s students are capable but they need encouragement.

“We have a great staff and students, and we can make it happen,” he said.

Kimmey wants to see the school excel more in academics than in sports.

“I’d like to see the kids have a pep rally to be number one in KSAC (Keystone-Shortway Athletic Conference) for academics,” he said.

Svolos said information about the district’s performance scores is online at www.paschoolperformance.org.