Overview of education in Missouri, United States
Education in Missouri
is provided by both public and private schools, colleges, and universities, and a variety of public library systems. All public education in the state is governed by the
Missouri State Board of Education
, which is made up of eight citizens appointed by the
Governor of Missouri
and confirmed by the
Missouri Senate
.
[1]
History
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Elementary and secondary education
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Administration of primary and secondary public schools in the state is conducted by the
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
.
[2]
Education is compulsory from ages seven to seventeen in Missouri, commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers:
elementary school
,
middle school
or
junior high school
, and
high school
.
[3]
[4]
The public schools system includes kindergarten to 12th grade. District territories are often complex in structure. In some cases, elementary, middle and junior high schools of a single district feed into high schools in another district. High school athletics and competitions are governed by the
Missouri State High School Activities Association
(MSHAA).
[5]
Missouri education also includes a virtual school program called
Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program
(MOCAP).
[6]
The
Missouri Assessment Program
(MAP) is an annual set of mandatory
standardized tests
taken by students in grades 3 through 8.
[7]
Students also complete exams at the end of completing certain courses, with certain exams required for graduation, including Algebra I (required), Algebra II, American History, Biology (required), English I, English II (required), Geometry, Government (required), and Personal Finance.
[8]
There also is an alternate MAP test designed for students with cognitive disabilities who meet grade level and eligibility criteria, and an assessment of English proficiency for students classified as English Learners.
[9]
Homeschooling
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Homeschooling
in Missouri is not regulated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
[10]
The state does not provide any monetary assistance or curriculum or materials to home schoolers. Parents who decide to home-school must provide 1,000 hours of instruction during the school year pursuant to
Section 167.031
of the Missouri revised statutes. Parents must also keep a daily log and sample of academic work.
[10]
Homeschool students frequently attend their local colleges and universities. According to Missouri State University's Enrollment department, homeschool students had higher than average ACT scores and better end-of-semester GPA than their peers.
[11]
Charter schools
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Charter schools are permitted in metropolitan and urban areas of the state. The state board of education considers them public schools and there are no tuition charges.
[12]
Colleges and universities
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Jesse Hall
and the
Francis Quad
on the
University of Missouri
campus.
Public colleges and universities in Missouri are administered by the
Missouri Department of Higher Education
.
[13]
The state system of higher education includes 13 four-year universities and 20 two-year colleges, which includes the
University of Missouri System
, the state's public university system.
[13]
The flagship institution and largest university in the state is the
University of Missouri
in
Columbia
.
[14]
The others in the system are
University of Missouri?St. Louis
,
University of Missouri?Kansas City
and
Missouri University of Science and Technology
.
[14]
The state also maintains another set of public universities that are not part of the University of Missouri system, which include
Southeast Missouri State University
in
Cape Girardeau
,
Missouri State University
in
Springfield
,
Truman State University
in
Kirksville
,
Northwest Missouri State University
in
Maryville
and the
University of Central Missouri
in
Warrensburg
. The state also funds a $2000, renewable merit-based scholarship known as
Bright Flight
, which is given to Missouri students attending an in-state university who earned a composite score on the
ACT
or
SAT
in the top 3 percent in Missouri, or a score among the top 5% of test takers nationally.
[15]
Private universities in Missouri include
Saint Louis University
,
Washington University in St. Louis
,
Maryville University
and
Rockhurst University
in
Kansas City
. There are numerous junior colleges, trade schools, theological seminaries, and church universities.
See also
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References
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]
- ^
Lainie (December 19, 2013).
"About the State Board"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
Foster, Brent (January 28, 2014).
"Overview"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
Foster, Brent (February 12, 2014).
"Compulsory Attendance Law"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
Strange, Lainie (March 19, 2014).
"School Directory"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
Consulting, LANIT.
"MSHSAA Missouri State High School Activities Association"
.
www.mshsaa.org
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
"Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program (MOCAP)"
.
mocap.mo.gov/
.
- ^
Lainie (January 17, 2014).
"Grade-Level"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
Lainie (January 17, 2014).
"End-of-Course"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
Stiefermann, Diane (April 8, 2014).
"MAP-A"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Foster, Brent (April 3, 2014).
"Home Schooling"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
June 14,
2017
.
- ^
Eutsler, Kathryn.
"How Homeschool Students Are Adjusting in a College Setting"
. Retrieved
June 15,
2017
.
- ^
"Frequently Asked Questions: Charter Schools"
.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Missouri Department of Higher Education - About the Missouri Department of Higher Education"
.
dhe.mo.gov
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"UM System: By the Numbers | Who We Are | University of Missouri System"
.
www.umsystem.edu
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ^
"Missouri Department of Higher Education - Bright Flight Program"
.
dhe.mo.gov
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
Further reading
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