The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Tuesday that the State Board of Education approved the formal publication of the rule for MSIP 5 at its Aug. 16 meeting.

“I applaud the State Board of Education for taking action on this critically important issue,” Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro stated in a news release. “MSIP 5 will allow us to raise the bar for academic performance across Missouri.”

The Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP, has been revised several times over the years, each time raising the bar to keep Missouri’s standards among the highest in the country, the release stated. The MSIP 5 standards currently under consideration continue this tradition.

Moving ahead with new MSIP standards is a part of Top 10 by 20 – aimed at making education in Missouri among the top 10 states in the country. The MSIP 5 standards will play a key role in reaching this goal, Nicastro stated.

“Other states – and countries around the world – are improving education and building stronger workforces,” she stated. “Higher standards will help us compete now and into the future.”

Top 10 by 20 has generated support from across the state, according to the release. Feedback received through this effort has been considered part of the development of the MSIP 5 standards.

“Educators, business people and other community leaders across Missouri have told us how important it is that we have higher expectations for education,” Nicastro said. “The high-skilled, high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future will demand an educated, well-trained workforce. We need to be sure that our state can compete for these jobs.”

The rule will be published by the secretary of state’s office for formal comment. It is anticipated that the State Board will vote on final approval of the MSIP 5 standards in December.