Steelville R-3 Board of Education revisited concerns on Jan. 15 over a drop in the district’s Annual Performance Report (APR). 

Last month, Assistant Superintendent Matt Hammonds reported to the board that there’s been a 7.1 percent drop in the district’s APR, which measures student performance, growth and attendance. 

“In a way, performance is linked with growth,” Hammonds said. “If all of your kids scored poorly, you know, if we have a year like we did last year, growth will be decreased for those kids because they’re not reaching that predicted amount according to everybody in the state.”

The board linked the drop in APR to the fall flooding and inclement weather that caused the district to miss 18 days in the 2024-25 school year.

“It was a constant, incredible break in routine,” Superintendent Steven Vetter said. “Not just a distraction, but just a complete curveball out of our routine. When you add up three or four weeks of missed school, that kind of unfortunately hurts.” 

Members also discussed low ACT scores. The average score for Steelville High School (SHS) students was 19, ranking third lowest among 11 surrounding schools. The district does not offer ACT prep for its students, aside from a practice series built into the math program. 

Hammonds pointed out that not every student takes the ACT; in fact, he said an exam called the Accuplacer is becoming more popular for determining college readiness. Students planning to enter the military are encouraged to instead take an aptitude test called the ASVAB. 

This year, the district will be offering the ACT for 30 students over the course of two school days.

“I think that’s one of the most important things, like having a consistent counselor as well, so that they know the students at the high school, that’s those relationships and building that will increase that score,” Hammonds said.

Low attendance was another point of concern. Hammonds and Vetter both agreed the state should steer away from using it as a measure of academic growth. 

“I see a lot of schools all over that work really hard on that one, and it’s just a tough one, it’s a tough one to win,” Vetter said. 

Despite concerns over the drop, Vetter said he’s feeling confident about the district’s future growth.

“I go through the halls and see teachers doing lots of great work and spending lots of hours outside of school trying to catch up with these trainings, so you just have to be hopeful, confident, whatever, faithful to that work you’re putting in that it’ll pay off,” Vetter said.

In other business, the board approved the 2026-27 academic calendar, as well as a resolution calling for an election on a proposed bond issue. Routine policy updates from the Missouri School Boards’ Association were also approved.

The board’s next meeting will take place Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. in Central Hall.