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October 26, 2026

Celebrating PRiME 'Beating the Odds' Growth awards at 3 Joplin Schools

A graphic displays This PRiME Center Growth Award is presented to Jefferson Elementary for exceptional student growth in Mathematics from 2022-23 through 2024-25.

Joplin Schools is proud to announce that our staff and students at Jefferson Elementary, Cecil Floyd Elementary, and East Middle School have achieved MAP score growth that puts them among the top three-year growth scores in the state. These achievements were recently noted in annual reports from researchers at Saint Louis University's PRiME Center.

The “Beating the Odds” Report highlights schools across the state who are moving the needle on student growth in MAP scores while serving high concentrations of low-income students. For the 2024-25 academic year, 249 elementary schools and 123 middle schools with high populations (in the 4th quartile of direct certifications) of free/reduced meal students in Missouri were assessed using PRiME Growth Scores. 

The following Joplin Schools were among the state’s top three-year PRiME Growth “Beating the Odds” scorers:

  • Jefferson Elementary: #5 in the state for ELA Growth 
  • Jefferson Elementary: #22 in the state for Mathematics Growth
  • Cecil Floyd Elementary: #10 in the state for ELA Growth
  • East Middle School: #10 in the state for ELA Growth

“These scores are a great example of what happens every day across Joplin Schools,” said superintendent Dr. Kerry Sachetta. “Student growth is why we’re here. No matter where a student starts from, their teachers and principals are working to ensure they can grow and learn every day. We’re excited to continue setting big goals and reaching new levels of growth each year, and our students deserve nothing less.”

PRiME Center Executive Director Collin Hitt said, “We must recognize, reward, and replicate the schools and programs producing the strongest student growth. That is how we improve reading and math achievement across Missouri. When we identify schools that are helping students make exceptional progress—especially in low-income communities—we create an opportunity to learn from it and extend it to more students.”

SLU’s PRiME Growth Score indicates which schools are moving students toward or beyond proficiency even if some students at these schools start the year behind their peers when examining proficiency rates. The scores are a translation of DESE’S Missouri Growth Model score, which reflects average annual student growth from year to year