Success-Ready Students Network

The Raymore-Peculiar School District has joined more than 70 school districts, five universities and 17 state and regional education organizations to create a better way for each student to engage in meaningful learning, demonstrate individual growth, and prepare for future success.

Working in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Success-Ready Students Network seeks to design a new state assessment system that is focused on learning. 

  • This assessment will be meaningful for students and families, actionable for teachers, and personalized for each child. 

  • We will also create a better state accountability system to support student learning, school improvement, and transparency with our communities.

The Success-Ready Students Network, in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will engage stakeholders in:

  • Supporting, redesigning, and building reimagined assessment and accreditation systems;

  • Convening Innovation Zones where public school educators, partners and stakeholders can engage in high-quality professional learning

  • Engaging the business community to support business-to-education partnerships that create real-world learning opportunities for students; and

  • Establishing a Steering Committee to develop and recommend policy changes based on statewide study and research

Members of the Success-Ready Students Network

  • Ray-Pec is participating in Cohort 1 of the System Design Zone.

  • 70+ Missouri public and charter school member districts

  • Geographically and demographically diverse

  • Of the participating districts:

    • 20 are in Cohort 1 of the System Design Zone (SDZ)

    • 17 are in Cohort 2 of the System Design Zone (SDZ)

    • 55 are in the Innovative Learning Design Zone (ILDZ)

    • Additionally, there are 5 universities and 17 state and regional education organizations, working in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

System Design Zone graphic

Map of Missouri with push pins indicating participant sites

List of Cohorts 1 and 2

Expanded map of the KC metro area with locations of SRSN Districts marked

Raymore-Peculiar SRSN Updates

School Board Hears Update on SRSN Work

(Oct. 10, 2024) During a Board of Education work session on Oct. 10, 2024, Chief of Staff Dr. Al Voelker shared an overview of SRSN work. He walked the board through the website and pointed out the various measures that the district (and other System Design Zone participants) are using to demonstrate student growth and success. The dashboards go beyond a single APR number and allow us to incorporate the nuance and uniqueness of what we do and how it aligns with our community’s specific values, priorities and needs. 

State Board approves waiver request

(Aug. 15, 2023) On Aug. 15, 2023, the State Board of Education approved the Demonstration Project Waiver requested by a group of 20 school districts, including Ray-Pec. The group of districts is known as the System Design Zone. This group is part of the larger Success-Ready Students Network. Today’s approval allows districts in the System Design Zone to pilot an alternative, growth-based student assessment that could eventually replace the MAP test, pending federal Department of Education approval. The three-year waiver supports the creation of more meaningful ways to measure learning.

20 Missouri school districts request pilot for meaningful assessments, accountability in Missouri public education

(June 6, 2023) School district leaders in the Success-Ready Students Network made a presentation to the Missouri State Board of Education on June 6, requesting board approval for a three-year waiver that will support the creation of a more meaningful way to measure learning, demonstrate individual student growth and influence future success for Missouri students. Read more

Board approves resolution to participate in demonstration project

(April 27, 2023) The School Board on April 27 approved a resolution to participate in the Success Ready Students Network System Design Zone Demonstration Project with federal waiver request.

Missouri network focuses on meaningful learning

(Feb. 9, 2023) Ray-Pec is joining school districts from across the state of Missouri to design a better way for each student to engage in meaningful learning, demonstrate individual growth, and prepare for future success. During the February Board of Education work session, Dr. Al Voelker, Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services, explained how Ray-Pec is engaging in this important work. View the presentation

Ray-Pec accepted into Success-Ready Students Network

(Sept. 22, 2022) During the School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Mike Slagle reported on the approval of the District's application to join the Success-Ready Students Network (SRSN). Earlier in the month, Dr. Al Voelker informed the Board about the opportunity to join the group.

The SRSN is a consortium of school districts that are engaged in work around better learning opportunities for students through the creation and implementation of competency-based learning approaches. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is supportive of the SRSN. Dr. Slagle said, "We are eager to begin our work with the SRSN and see where this initiative takes us."

The SRSN work is in alignment with the District's Strategic Plan under Focus Area #1: We will develop a culture that empowers continuous student success, and Strategy 3: Research and implement new programs and opportunities to enhance the overall learning experience of students. One of the plan's metrics states: By Spring 2027, the District will increase alternative educational opportunities such as competency-based learning models and other non-traditional choice based educational programming.

Group focuses on personalized, strengths-based approaches to learning

(Sept. 8, 2022) During a School Board work session, Dr. Al Voelker, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services, presented about the Success-Ready Students Work Group.

The SRSWG designed a student-centered, future-focused framework for competency-based learning (CBL) that supports educators and communities to create personalized, strengths-based approaches to learning. Competency-based learning is where students progress based on evidence of mastery, not seat time. The work group has a vision of a new design for assessment and accreditation. Review the presentation.