Charter schools on state A list

Ridgeview Classical takes top honors second year in row

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Saturday, December 16, 2006

A Fort Collins Charter School grabbed top honors for the second year in a row on the Colorado Education Department's list of top-performing schools.

Ridgeview Classical Charter School edged out Jefferson County's D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School for first place on the high school list. Ridgeview was No. 1 last year.

The rankings primarily reflect scores on tests administered last spring under the Colorado Student Assessment Program, as well as scores on the ACT college entrance exam, which is mandatory for all Colorado 11th-graders.

Ridgeview Principal Terrence Moore said that his students don't prepare for the annual tests, which are given in the spring.

"We don't study even one moment for the CSAPs," Moore said.

Ridgeview students follow a "great books" curriculum. After reading Herman Melville and John Milton, he said, the CSAPs are a snap.

Like Ridgeview, most of the highest-performing schools this year are either charters or district-run schools with special programs for students.

Some of the lowest-performing schools this year are also non-traditional schools. In many cases, they were established specifically to serve troubled students who were expected to perform poorly on tests.

Exactly why charters and choice schools are doing well is not entirely clear, said Alex Medler of the Colorado Children's Campaign. He is also on the board of the Colorado Charter School Institute, a state agency that authorizes charter schools.

Medler said measurements of student growth from year to year are still rough. But, he said, studies show that charters do well compared to traditional schools, even among children of similar backgrounds - for example, all-Anglo charters compared to other all-Anglo schools.

"Do they have something going on that motivates kids?" he said.

Jim Griffin of the Colorado League of Charter schools discounted the theory that charter schools succeed because they represent a sample of families that are motivated to seek out better education.

It's the other way around, Griffin said. The availability of school choice creates the motivation among parents to seize the options.

Van Schoales, who follows education issues for the Piton Foundation, said it's difficult to draw conclusions from the rankings.

For example, he said, some of the lowest-performing charter schools may be more successful, given the failing students they chose to serve.

Denver schools are heavily represented at the bottom of the list. Seven of the 10 lowest-performing elementary schools are in Denver, as are four of the bottom 10 high schools and five of the bottom 10 middle schools.

Hope Online Learning Academy Co-op, under fire from state officials for numerous infractions, is in the bottom 10 list for high, middle and elementary schools.

Making the grade

Highest-performing schools and their districts, according to the Colorado Department of Education.

ELEMENTARY

1. Challenge School, Cherry Creek

2. Dennison, Jefferson County

3. Greenwood, Cherry Creek

4. Cheyenne Mountain, Cheyenne Mountain

5. Aurora Quest Academy, Aurora

6. Bear Creek Elementary, Boulder Valley

7. Livermore, Fort Collins

8. Polaris at Ebert, Denver

9. Traut Core Knowledge, Fort Collins

10. Homestead, Cherry Creek

MIDDLE

1. Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, Cheyenne Mountain

2. Challenge School, Cherry Creek

3. Summit Middle Charter, Boulder Valley

4. Littleton Academy, Littleton

5. Stargate Charter, Five Star (Adams County 12)

6. Connect Charter, Pueblo Rural

7. Liberty Common Charter, Fort Collins

8. Hulstrom Elementary School, Five Star (Adams 12)

9. Bear Creek, Jefferson County

10. Cardinal Community Academy Charter, Keenesburg

HIGH

1. Ridgeview Classical Charter, Fort Collins

2. D'Evelyn, Fort Collins

3. Crestone Charter, Moffat

4. Fairview, Boulder Valley

5. Peak to Peak Charter, Boulder Valley

6. Cherry Creek, Cherry Creek

7. Telluride, Telluride

8. Denver School of the Arts, Denver

9. Peetz, Plateau

10. Classical Academy Charter, Academy