The Success-Ready Students Network (SRSN) is a group of school districts from across the state of Missouri that formed in 2022-23 and is collaborating to design a better way for each student to engage in meaningful learning, demonstrate individual growth, and prepare for future success. This group is leading a statewide effort to support a long-term transition to competency-based learning in public schools, including the design and implementation of new state assessment and accreditation systems. 

The SRSN was formed as a culmination of many years of research conducted by practitioners in the field in collaboration with representatives from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

• SRSN Research Timeline

As of March 1, 2023, 56 Missouri public and charter districts are participating in the SRSN System Design and Innovation Learning Design zones. A complete, up-to-date list of participating school districts is available on the Success-Ready Students Network website.

These 56 public and charter districts represent 34% (300,670) of all students (897,864) in Missouri.  Participating districts are geographically and demographically diverse and represent approximately 10% of the 559 Missouri public and charter school districts in the state. District composition includes rural, urban and suburban. Of the 56 participating districts, 25 are in the System Design Zone (SDZ).  

• Success-Ready Students Network System Design Zone Map

In January 2022, the State Board of Education tasked the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with exploring alternatives to replace the state’s traditional time-based educational system with a competency-based system.

In response,  Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Margie Vandeven formed the Success-Ready Students Work Group (SRSWG), and challenged this group to “reimagine and reshape [Missouri’s] education system in ways that provide better access to educational opportunities for all children.”

The creation of the work group was supported by the Missouri School Board Association, Missouri Association of School Administrators, Education Plus, Greater Ozark Cooperating School Districts, and Greater Kansas City Cooperating School Districts. These organizations, along with other statewide entities, helped recruit members from various stakeholder groups, including: students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, business persons and higher education. Care was taken to ensure that work group membership represented all eight DESE supervisory regions.

The Success-Ready Students Network is being supported by an experienced team of facilitators who collaboratively work with participants to coordinate and support statewide professional learning, communication of work progress, research including data collection and analysis, and selection of participating school districts.

This cost-free experience will be instrumental in helping Missouri educators determine best instructional and assessment practices while reimagining the current state assessment and accountability system.

Thanks to generous support from the Kauffman Foundation, there is no cost for districts to join the SRSN Innovation Zones.

• Click here to learn more about the SRSN facilitators

This work began with a directive from the Missouri State Board of Education, and a charge by Missouri Education Commissioner Margie VanDeven to “reimagine and reshape [Missouri’s] education system in ways that provide better access to educational opportunities for all children.” 

It is supported by the Missouri School Board Association, Missouri Association of School Administrators, Education Plus, Greater Ozark Cooperating School Districts, and Greater Kansas City Cooperating School Districts.

This work also aligns with Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s Top Priorities for 2023, which include Workforce and Education, and has bipartisan legislative support. Missouri is following the lead of several states nationwide who have successfully reimagined state assessments and accountability systems.

The Success-Ready Students Network and the Innovation Zones began work in 2022-23. During this school year, System Design Zone districts will share information with their local communities about the work of the SRSN, and ask their local Board of Education to approve participation in an innovation waiver request, by which these districts will seek to use a student assessment other than the Missouri Assessment Program to measure student growth and achievement. 

Looking ahead through the 2026-27 school year, these districts will work together to help design a new state assessment to replace the MAP test, and to create a better accountability system that supports student learning and school improvement statewide.