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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education believes that lowering a GPA requirement for teachers will improve teacher recruitment and retention without reducing educator quality

Missouri educators will no longer need a 3.0 grade-point average in their subject area to teach in public schools beginning in July, the State Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday.

The threshold to be qualified to teach in the state is now a 2.5 grade-point average in the teacher’s content area. The only exception will be special-education teachers, who will still be required to meet the 3.0 mark.

Officials with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations say the change is intended to increase the number of certificated teachers coming into public schools. Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said in a statement that the change would remove “unnecessary barriers to the teaching profession.”

“There is no evidence tying a particular GPA in the content area to more effective teaching,” Daryl Fridley, the department’s education preparation coordinator, told the board on Tuesday. “Most of the non-teaching professional options in sciences, math and history do not require such a high GPA.”

Another symptom of Missouri teacher shortage: Growing number of 4-day school weeks

A 3.0 GPA requirement most impacts teachers in STEM subjects, he said. When the department looked at teacher candidates who met other requirements but didn’t meet the GPA standard, nearly a quarter of those disqualified were in STEM.

Teacher candidates still must pass a performance assessment, with a test of subject knowledge, to be certified. Of those who didn’t meet the GPA requirements, 90% passed the performance assessment, Fridley said.

The department hopes the new requirements will bring more teachers into the profession. Currently, almost 44% of first-year teachers are certified in Missouri. Over a quarter are serving as a substitute teacher, 6% have no certification and the rest have alternative certifications.

“Discussions about this issue often include the question, ‘Isn’t this a case of lowering standards?’” Fridley said. “We maintain that with a third of the state’s first year teachers having no more than a substitute teacher certificate and some with even less, any action that leads to a higher proportion of first-year teachers completing the preparation program is actually a net gain for the overall quality of teachers.”

In the midst of low teacher retention rates and poor recruitment, the change is welcome, the department reiterated.

“Both quantity and quality of teachers are really important to the learning of students,” Paul Katnik, assistant commissioner of educator quality, said during Tuesday’s meeting.

The department reiterated that it doesn’t believe the lower GPA threshold will affect teacher quality.

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A 2019 study out of Texas showed that there was no improvement in achievement outcomes between a 2.5 GPA and 2.75 GPA requirement. Increasing the threshold to 3.0 excluded 44% of education students and brought a small increase on teachers’ evaluations. The study concludes a “higher GPA criteria would also have minimal impact on the quality of our nation’s teachers.”

Carol Hallquist, vice president of the State Board of Education, said she was initially wary of lowering the GPA standard but is now “totally supportive.”

“When I reached out to principals and people who are in teacher preparation programs, they said there was no correlation and were very supportive,” she said. “They also said that you have to pass licensing tests, and that is really what we want to look at.”

Doug Hayter, executive director of the Missouri Association of School Administrators, told The Independent he has been speaking to the department about the GPA requirements and is optimistic.

“There is a balance where we need to have requirements that mean something, but the research that they have seems to indicate that this change would not have a substantial impact on teacher effectiveness,” he said. “As long as that’s the case, we want to give educators as many options as possible in a world where there’s still a lot of open positions in regard to public education.”

Further helping open doors for new teachers is the reinstatement of a general science certification for high school educators. The department has required science teachers to specialize in an area, like chemistry or biology, but now will bring back a certification for generalists with a broader knowledge base.

“The reinstatement of this general science certificate will create opportunities for more students to choose to be science teachers, not by lowering standards, but instead by creating a path in which the standards are more aligned with the needs of schools,” Fridley said.

Hayter expects the change to impact districts statewide, saying that “every little bit helps” to recruit teachers.

“This is one small part of a bigger picture of making sure that we have very effective educators in our classrooms moving forward,” he said.

The “bigger picture,” Hayter said, includes boosting teacher pay and making schools welcoming for educators.

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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV) - After nearly 60 decades, the Twin Drive-In Theater in Independence is officially closed for good.

Families and friends piled into their cars Sunday evening for a chance to be part of the historic moment.

Canaan Sams was there with his mom and her boyfriend where they watched the classics, “The Goonies,” and “Jurassic Park.”

“This is such a great place to be right now. I wish more people knew what was ending,” he said. “The outdoors, the stars, and everything – it’s just a totally different experience.”

Logan Kirkland was there with friends and family too, enjoying some popcorn before the movie started.

“It’s kind of sad because I’ve been going here for a while,” he said.

Trish Gillette was there with her two daughters and were the first in line, getting there at 3:30 p.m. after seeing the large line of cars Saturday night.

“We got here at 3:30 to make sure that we got in and we got a great spot,” she said.

READ MORE: Independence’s iconic Twin Drive-In Theatre closing after nearly 6 decades

Grace Shoupes was joined by her friends in their comfortable pajamas getting ready to see Elf and Christmas Vacation.

“My first time here was with my whole family and we went to see ”Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" and it was very cool," she said.

Gloriana Smith shared her experience as well alongside Shoupes and the gang.

“I remember riding the top of the roof of a friend’s suburban from this side to that side. I was like 15 or 16.”

Generations of family members were also parked on that side of the parking lot as Lyric King was all ready to see the movies.

“We can have them at our own house but it won’t be the same,” she said.

Since 1933, drive-in theaters in the United States have changed the movie viewing experience. People pile in the car, safely, and pay by the car to park and watch. People bring their food, blankets, chairs, and even tents.

One person came in from Arizona to watch a movie at the Twin on Sunday night.

It’s a tradition unlike anything else and now that is gone in Independence.

“It’s a treat for all of us to go and to be able to pay by car, you can’t beat that. It’s going to be few and far between that I can take everybody to the movies,” said Gillette. “It is sad.

Jeremy Walker went on a first date 16 years ago at the Twin and that date led to a marriage. He was joined by his daughter McKenzie at the finale Sunday event.

“It’s emotional because I’ve been coming here ever since I was little with my family,” said McKenzie. “No matter what happens to the twin, we’re all still going to be family.”

More than 1,500 cars piled into the lot off Missouri Highway 291 over the weekend 1,027 of them being on Saturday alone.

According to B&B Theaters that operate it, they were unable to reach a feasible agreement with the property’s landlord.

Boulevard Drive-In Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas, is set to reopen for its 75th season in April 2025.

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What is the best internet provider in Independence, Missouri?

AT&T Fiber is the best internet provider in Independence. It offers the fastest (and most symmetrical) speeds, free equipment and unlimited data. Its upload speeds are just as fast as download speeds -- perfect for online gamers and remote workers.

If you’re in the half of the city that can’t get AT&T Fiber, Xfinity is the cheapest internet provider in Independence. Plans start at just $20 per month, practically unheard of in the internet world. But there is a catch: Xfinity’s rates increase significantly after a year or two.

There are several other internet providers in Independence worth considering, and Verizon 5G Home Internet is our pick for the best fixed wireless internet. It’s not quite as reliable as AT&T Fiber or Xfinity, but it’s reasonably priced, and you can get great discounts by bundling with a Verizon cellphone plan.

Best internet in Independence, Missouri

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Independence

The best internet deals and the top promotions in Independence depend on what discounts are available then. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Independence internet providers, such as Xfinity and T-Mobile Home Internet, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including AT&T Fiber, Verizon 5G Home Internet and Wisper Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines -- and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Independence

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Independence FAQs