BLAND — Bland Middle School students made measurable academic gains during the 2025-26 school year while educators continued working to improve performance in reading, math and Missouri Learning Standards, according to a June 30 end-of-year report presented to the Maries County R-2 Board of Education.

The report showed students made gains in both reading and mathematics on the i-Ready assessment.

By the end of the school year, 50 percent of students in grades 5-8 were reading at or above grade level, with 90 of the school’s 181 students meeting that benchmark.

Reading proficiency varied by grade level. Fifth grade finished with 44 percent of students reading on or above grade level, followed by 52 percent in sixth grade, 51 percent in seventh grade and 50 percent in eighth grade.

Mathematics proficiency also improved, with 45 percent of middle school students, or 82 of 181 students, performing on or above grade level by year’s end.

Among individual grade levels, 39 percent of fifth graders were on grade level in math, compared with 63 percent of sixth graders, 43 percent of seventh graders and 36 percent of eighth graders.

The report also highlighted intervention efforts designed to help struggling students improve throughout the year. Teachers provided one-on-one instruction, small-group intervention and Tier 1 classroom support. Title 1 staff also delivered tier two interventions through pull-out and push-in instructional models that targeted specific academic skill deficiencies. Students receiving services through the district’s RSP program also received additional interventions tailored to meet their individual goals.

School officials identified writing standards and vocabulary as the greatest academic weaknesses in English language arts, while algebraic problem solving and linear equations remained the biggest challenges in mathematics.

Despite those challenges, administrators noted that one of the school’s strengths was aligning instruction across grade levels, allowing students to revisit many Missouri Learning Standards multiple times as they progressed through middle school.

Attendance remained high throughout the school year. Six students achieved perfect attendance, and only three students fell into the 70 percent to 80 percent attendance range. School officials said plans will be developed next year to improve attendance for those students.

The report also summarized student discipline during the year. Administrators recorded 179 disciplinary write-ups involving 59 students, including 45 boys and 14 girls. Thirty of those referrals stemmed from excessive tardiness.

Sixth grade accounted for the most disciplinary referrals with 22, followed by eighth grade with 12, seventh grade with nine and fifth grade with seven.

The most common behavioral issue was disrespectful speech or conduct, which accounted for 69 referrals. Other categories included insubordination and technology violations with 13 each, lack of effort and bus referrals with 10 each and fighting with nine.

The report also noted that 52 students received at least one D letter grade a semester during the school year, while 36 students earned at least one semester F. Five students were required to attend summer school due to grades or attendance.

On a positive note, 27 students earned straight A’s in every subject throughout all four quarters and were recognized during a school assembly.

Looking ahead to the 2026-27 school year, Bland Middle School will welcome six new teachers. They include Kayla Harwin, Morgan Mertens and Camryn Lacy in fifth grade, Maggie Jackson for seventh- and eighth-grade math, Lisa Loos for seventh- and eighth-grade English language arts and Andrew Maddux as the district’s band and choir instructor.