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Progress in Colorado

Statewide test results mostly show gradual overall improvement

Berny Morson And Burt Hubbard, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 7, 2005 at midnight

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Public schools showed steady progress in academic achievement on state report cards released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Education.

The number of schools rated "high" or "excellent" increased by 2.6 percentage points, to 42.9 percent.

That progress comes after an increase last year in those categories of just 0.4 percentage points.

For the first time this year schools also were rated as to whether they are getting better or worse based on year-to-year scores of individual students. Those figures show more schools improving than getting worse - 32.8 percent compared with 28.3 percent.

"I do believe that today's children are receiving a better education than they were five years ago, and I believe they are receiving a better education than they were 10 years ago," Gov. Bill Owens said.

The ratings released Tuesday are based on statewide achievement tests administered last spring and ACT tests given to high school students. In addition to academics, the report cards cover issues ranging from school safety to finance to the qualifications of teachers during the 2004-05 school year.

This is the fifth year the state Department of Education has issued the report cards, technically called School Accountability Reports.

More than 25,000 additional students were in schools rated "high" or "excellent" than the previous year, according to the state data.

But one in five Colorado schools - 20.6 percent - continued to languish in the "low" or "unsatisfactory" categories. That's down from 21.1 percent the previous year.

However, the schools rated "low" and "unsatisfactory" had higher overall enrollment during the 2004-05 school year than schools with that rating during the 2003-04 school year. An additional 5,000 students were in the poor-performing schools in the new data.

Owens: Trend is up

Owens said the long-term trend for Colorado schools is up. He noted that 170 more schools are rated "high" or "excellent" than in the 2001-02 school year, when the first report cards were issued. The number of "low" and "unsatisfactory" schools is down by 103.

The number of students in top-performing schools is up by 71,000 since report cards began, he said.

The point of the report cards is to give parents data on which to base demands for improvement.

"These are exactly the types of results that we hoped to see with the implementation of the accountability reports," Owens said of the latest numbers.

Owens said he expects the lowest-performing schools to improve. Schools rated "unsatisfactory" for three years face conversion to charter schools under state law.

Education Commissioner William Moloney called the results "a mosaic across the state."

"Some are moving very impressively; others aren't moving at all," he said. "Cumulatively, when you run these numbers, the state as a whole is showing a significant gain. Knock on wood, may that continue - may that get even better.

"We'd rather see that kind of 2 1/2 percent improvement than, ooh, they got 2 1/2 percent worse."

Schools with large concentrations of economically disadvantaged students continued to languish in the "low" and "unsatisfactory" range.

Only three schools with 75 percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced lunches - a key indicator of poverty - rated at the "high" level.

Of the 168 low-income schools, 120 were rated "low," and they made up eight of the 17 "unsatisfactory" schools.

The report cards do not break out the scores of subgroups within schools, such as ethnic minorities.

Previous state and federal reports have shown large gaps between Anglos and other groups on achievement tests and graduation rates. Those gaps must be closed for schools to meet the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

"These conditions have endured too long," Moloney said of the gap.

"It is something that concerns us greatly," Owens agreed.

'Incremental progress'

Eugene Sheehan, University of Colorado education school dean, said the increase in schools rated "high" and "excellent" is significant.

"It would be great if we really had (dramatic) improvement, but when we're dealing with a very large social system, it's not going to turn around in a few years," Sheehan said. "Gradual incremental progress in line with No Child Left Behind and adequate yearly progress is good - that's a good thing."

Sheehan said the improvement reflects smarter teaching and management strategies.

Teachers use data to identify students who are struggling. The same data pinpoint the most and least effective teachers, Sheehan said. Many districts supplement the state tests with their own exams.

The improved scores also reflect better alignment between the state academic standards adopted in the early 1990s and state achievement tests that began in the late 1990s, Sheehan said.

And teachers coming out of college are better equipped to understand both, he said.

Superintendent Mike Paskewicz credited those sorts of changes for improvement in his Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, where the number of schools rated "high" or "excellent" went from three last year to nine.

"The big thing is . . . we've aligned our curriculum with the state standards," Paskewicz said.

Students who are not at grade level get extra tutoring, Paskewicz said. Struggling teachers get coaching.

"It seems like it should be more complicated than that, but it isn't," he said.

The Fountain school district south of Fort Carson saw significant improvement this year, despite a 34 percent poverty rate and the deployment of family members to Iraq. More than half the students come from families stationed at Fort Carson.

"They would have so many reasons to give an excuse or to say, 'Hey, we just have to not do this or not do that,' and that's just not been the case," said Superintendent Dwight Jones. "I'm really proud of those principals and those teachers."

Four of the district's 10 schools were rated "high," up from two last year. Only one school - an alternative high school - is rated "low."

In Jefferson County, the state's largest school district, 96 schools were rated "high" or "excellent" this year, down from 97 last year. "Low" and "unsatisfactory" schools decreased from 22 last year to 20.

"(The numbers) are not as great as I would like them to be," said Superintendent Cindy Stevenson. "But I always want them to be better."

In Denver, 106 of 155 schools, or 68 percent, were rated "low" or "unsatisfactory," while 21 were rated "high" or "excellent."

Denver's Bruce Randolph Middle School received its third straight "unsatisfactory" rating, making it eligible for mandatory conversion to a charter school under the state's education reform law.

But with a new principal, new staff and new curriculum now in place, district officials will ask state lawmakers early next year to "re-start" the clock on the conversion process.

Key highlights

• The percentage of schools rated "high" now account for almost a third of all public schools in the state.

• The percentage of schools rated "low" fell for the fourth straight year and is now below 20 percent.

• The number of schools rated "unsatisfactory" increased this year by four to 17. Randolph Middle School in northeast Denver was rated unsat- isfactory for the third straight year.

• In terms of academic progress, the percentage of schools showing improvement or significant improvement (32.8 percent) was higher than the percentage of schools posting declines or significant declines (28.3 percent).

• Low-income schools fared poorly this year - 36.5 percent of these schools showed decline, while 31.8 percent showed improvement.

• Only three of the 168 schools with 75 percent or more of their students eligible for free and reduced-priced lunches - a key indicator of poverty - achieved a "high" rating this year. None is rated "excellent."

• The number of fights and assaults reported by school districts this year varied dramatically. Aurora reported two, compared with 685 in Westminster. Jefferson County reported 632 last year and none this year.

How metro-area schools stack up

The school report cards include data on student-teacher ratios, teacher turnover, student mobility, teacher qualification, daily attendance and teacher salaries.

• Highest student/full-time teacher ratios in elementary schools:

School (District) Rating Ratio

Connections Academy (Denver) Low 47.9

Colorado Virtual (Five Star) Average 44

Parr (Jeffco) Average 34.1

Longmont Estates (St. Vrain) High 31.7

Twin Peaks Charter (St. Vrain) High 30.9

Comm. Montessori (Boulder) Excellent 30.8

Dry Creek (Cherry Creek) Excellent 30.3

Stober (Jeffco) High 29.8

Columbine Hills (Jeffco) High 29.1

Niwot (St. Vrain) Excellent 29

• Lowest student/full-time teacher ratios in elementary schools:

School (District) Rating Ratio

East (Littleton) Average 7.3

Carson (Denver) High 11

Barrett (Denver) Low 11.6

Jamestown (Boulder) Excellent 12

Teller (Denver) Average 12.1

Spangler (St. Vrain) Low 12.1

Columbine (St. Vrain) Average 12.2

Horizons Charter (Boulder) Excellent 12.36

Field (Littleton) Average 12.4

Sanchez (Boulder) Average 12.6

• Highest teacher turnover for elementary schools:

School (District) Rating Turnover

Jamestown (Boulder) Excellent 200%

Gold Hill (Boulder) Average 100%

Cherry Valley (Douglas Co.) Average 50%

Comm. Montessori (Boulder) Excellent 33%

Connections Acad. (Denver) Low 29%

Aurora Quest Acad. (Aurora) Excellent 25%

McKinley-Thatcher (Denver) High 25%

Coal Creek Canyon (Jeffco) Average 22%

Free Horizon (Jeffco) Average 22%

Westerly Creek (Denver) Low 22%

Lyons (St. Vrain) High 22%

Parmalee (Jeffco) Excellent 22%

Martensen (Jeffco) Average 22%

• Highest rate of student mobility for elementary schools:

School (District) Rating Mobility

Paris (Aurora) Low 19.2

Whiteman (Denver) Low 19.2

Lansing (Aurora) Low 17.1

Lyn Knoll (Aurora) Low 15.3

Denver Arts & Tech (Denver) Low 15.3

Connections Acad (Denver) Low 14.3

Valdez (Denver) Low 14.3

Russell (Jeffco) Low 13.9

Laredo (Aurora) Low 13.9

Cowell (Denver) Low 13.9

• High schools with the highest percentage of teachers teaching the subject in which they received their degrees:

School (District) Rating Percent

Arapahoe (Littleton) Excellent 97%

Aurora Central (Aurora) Low 97%

Skyline (St. Vrain) Average 95%

Gateway (Aurora) Average 95%

William Smith (Aurora) Low 95%

Rangeview (Aurora) Average 94%

Daniel Oakes (Douglas Co.) Average 94%

Hinkley (Aurora) Low 93%

D'Evelyn (Jeffco) Excellent 92%

Brighton (Brighton) Average 92%

• High schools with highest daily attendance:

School (District) Rating Percent

Online (Denver) Average 100%

Longview (Jeffco) Low 100%

Challenges (Denver) Low 99.6%

Options (Aurora) Average 99.3%

Eagle Acad. (Douglas Co.) Low 99%

Littleton (Littleton) High 98.6%

Daniel Oakes (Douglas Co.) Average 98.4%

Jeffco Open (Jeffco) Average 98.4%

Evergreen (Jeffco) Excellent 98.4%

School of Arts (Denver) Excellent 98.2%

• High schools with the lowest daily attendance:

School (District) Rating Percent

West (Denver) Low 79.2%

Millennium Quest (Denver) Low 80%

Skyland (Denver) Low 80%

Hartenbach (Aurora) Low 81.4%

Adams City (Commerce City) Low 81.5%

Wm. Smith (Aurora) Low 83.8%

South (Denver) Low 85%

Ute Creek (St. Vrain) Average 85.4%

New American (Denver) Unsatisfactory 85.8%

Montbello (Denver) Low 85.9%

• Highest average teacher salaries - elementary schools:

School (District) Rating Salary

Greenwood (Cherry Creek) Excellent $60,986

Gold Hill (Boulder) Average $60,242

Columbine Hills (Jeffco) High $59,615

Coal Creek (Boulder) Excellent $58,292

Cherry Hills Village (Cherry Creek) Excellent $58,231

• Highest average teacher salaries - middle schools: School (District) Rating Salary Broomfield Heights (Boulder) High $55,111

Bell (Jeffco) High $54,905

Campus (Cherry Creek) Excellent $54,700

Centennial (Boulder) Excellent $53,787

Everitt (Jeffco) Average $53,412

• Highest teacher salaries - high schools:

School (District) Rating Salary

Longview (Jeffco) Low $70,814

Boulder (Boulder) Excellent $56,686

Smoky Hill (Cherry Creek) High $55,796

Cherry Creek (Cherry Creek) Excellent $55,060

Fairview (Boulder) Excellent $54,409

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