Lindbergh School District administrators told the Board of Education during a special meeting last week they expected the school district to receive the state’s Distinction in Performance Award for the sixth consecutive year.

The district’s Learning Report was presented during the Nov. 28 special Board of Education meeting by the district’s Curriculum and Instruction Division. The report is a comprehensive review of assessment results that provide information to evaluate the effectiveness of the district’s instructional programs. All seven building principals also presented building assessment data at the meeting.

The Learning Report contained achievement information such as the District’s Annual Performance Review, or APR. Issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the APR covers performance indicators, including Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP, scores, attendance, honors courses, dropout rates and more.

“The 2006 preliminary APR shows that the District met or exceeded the criteria for all applicable indicators and should receive a perfect score. This should earn the district a Distinction in Performance award for the sixth consecutive year. It’s a pleasure to celebrate the success and progress of our students each year,” Chuck Triplett, director of curriculum and student programs, stated in a news release.

Lindbergh’s final APR, issued last Friday, showed the district met 14 of 14 areas.

The high school honors program, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, was also summarized in the Learning Report. The total number of AP examinations increased again in 2006 from 526 to 557, the seventh consecutive year of growth. IB Diplomas were awarded to seven Lindbergh High School seniors.

“In 2006, 345 Lindbergh students took the ACT exam compared to 311 the previous year. Seventy-nine percent of Lindbergh students sat for the exam, which is the most ever. It was almost double that of the national percentage of 40 percent. Furthermore, the average Lindbergh High School ACT composite score increased to 22.9, an increase of four-tenths of a point,” Triplett stated.

Lindbergh’s 2006 MAP Performance Index scores were higher than the state scores in all tested subject areas and at all tested grade levels. The district continues to outperform the state, with a communication arts index score averaging 37 points higher and a math index score averaging 44.8 points higher.

“Not only has our entire district scored well this year, but most of our buildings are being recognized for receiving some of the highest scores in the state. Several of our buildings were selected for the Post-Dispatch’s top ten list for high achievement,” Nancy Rathjen, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, stated in the release.

Superintendent Jim Sandfort added, “Every year the bar is raised. Every year our students, supported by a highly trained group of teachers, clear the hurdle. I am so proud of what our students, teaching staff and administration have been able to accomplish. In comparison with other districts, Lindbergh is in the middle in terms of cost per pupil, but we are at the very top in student achievement. Being one of only six county school districts to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act is especially gratifying.”