Colorado’s School Accountability Reports are in, and results along the Front Range are all over the academic map. School districts from Boulder to Douglas County to Academy 20 in Colorado Springs recorded among the state’s best scores, while a majority of schools in the Denver and Westminster 50 districts continue to struggle. Ratings are based on the Colorado Student Assessment Program, tests given to most students statewide as a way to assess learning at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
Here, and on the next two pages, is a sample of districts in the region, with state Education Department accountability information taken from schools’ academic performance and academic growth categories.
ACADEMY 20
27 of 28 schools “excellent”
Students in 11 of the district’s 28 schools improved test scores, while an additional 14 schools remained stable.
Twenty-seven schools received “excellent” or “high” marks from the state Department of Education, making the district among the state’s best. Only one school, Aspen Valley High School – a nontraditional school in Colorado Springs – scored “average.” In the previous report, Aspen Valley was “low.”
ADAMS 12 FIVE STAR
Nearly one-fourth “low”
Twelve of the district’s 52 schools recorded “low” overall scores, more than the number of “excellent” or “high” schools combined. North Mor Elementary School fell from “average” to “low” when comparing the school to last year’s School Accountability Report.
In total, students in 20 schools saw some improvement on state standardized tests.
AURORA
Increase in “low” rankings
Thirty-five schools in the district ranked “low” in overall academic performance, an increase from last year, when 28 rated “low.” Nine schools were “average.”
Only one school, Aurora Quest Academy, received an “excellent” mark. Aurora Quest is a magnet school for gifted and talented students.
Only one school, Side Creek Elementary, received a “high” rating. And one school, Crawford Elementary, received an “unsatisfactory” rating.
BOULDER VALLEY
Nearly half rate “excellent”
Twenty-eight of the district’s 59 schools received the state’s “excellent” rating, though four received “low” marks and one, Arapahoe Ridge High School – the middle school portion of the specialized school – was unsatisfactory.
While most of the district’s schools saw individual students’ academic growth remain stable or increase slightly, 16 recorded declines in test scores, the data show.
CHERRY CREEK
Most are “high,” “excellent”
Of the 52 schools rated in the district, 36 scored “high” or “excellent” on the state’s School Accountability Report. No school in the district rated below “average.”
Twenty-three schools’ academic growth ratings improved over time, but 11 had a decline. Of the 23 that showed improvement, seven saw significant growth – the highest rating under the state Education Department’s system.
DENVER
Majority get lower marks
A vast majority of the 155 schools and programs in the state’s second-largest district rated “low” or “unsatisfactory.” Only 21 – including Slavens Elementary School and Morey Middle School – scored “excellent” or “high.”
Seven schools were “unsatisfactory,” the state Education Department’s lowest rating. Randolph Middle School, which has recorded several “unsatisfactory” scores, could be in danger of being converted into a charter school if it posts similar scores on next year’s state report.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
Among the best overall
The south-metro district was among the region’s best in overall achievement, seeing 57 of its 66 schools record “excellent” or “high” marks from the state Department of Education. The Eagle Academy alternative school in Highlands Ranch scored “low.”
Nearly half saw at least some student improvement on standardized tests, and 24 others remained stable.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
More than half fare well
The state’s largest school district recorded “excellent” or “high” ratings for 96 of its 163 schools, though three programs – all in the former Center for Discovery Learning charter school – rated “unsatisfactory.”
The school’s elementary, middle and high school programs declined from the previous report. The charter school was shut down and reopened this year as the Kirk Brady Exploration School.
WESTMINSTER 50
Most not above “average”
All but two of the 23 schools in the district scored “low” or “average,” according to this year’s accountability report.
The one bright spot for two schools – Mesa and Tennyson Knolls elementary schools – showed that students reported significant improvements in their test scores. Mesa received an “average” rating this year, while Tennyson was “low.”
