Aurora – It’s year two of a five-year plan for Aurora Public Schools Superintendent John Barry to get students to excel.
Students like Torrance Green, a freshman at Hinkley High School, are counting on him.
Green was among the students who attended Barry’s speech at Hinkley on the first day of classes Tuesday for the 32,000-student school district.
“I expect him to expect us to do better,” Green said.
Barry, a former 2-star Air Force general, has some work to do.
Students scored well below the state average in many areas in the latest CSAP test results.
The number of poor students in the district has jumped by 35 percent in the past six years, while the percentage of students who don’t speak English has more than doubled – from 16 percent to almost 40 percent.
Barry’s plan, called VISTA 2010, sets goals for more training in English-language teaching; a more structured curriculum; standards-based grading; full-day kindergarten; and incentives to keep kids in school all day.
“As we move forward with VISTA 2010, we will build a culture of trust and teamwork in (Aurora Public Schools) that is always focused on student success,” Barry said.
On Tuesday, Barry issued challenges to students, teachers, community members and others to do what it takes to improve student achievement. He encouraged students to read more books; elected officials to visit more classrooms; and principals to increase the percentage of proficient students in all Colorado Student Assessment Program categories.
Mickel Javis, also an incoming freshman at Hinkley, is counting on Barry, too.
“I expect harder classes, more responsibility,” Jarvis said. “He’s been through hard times and seeing how things work. He can help us to understand.”
Staff writer Carlos Illescas can be reached at 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com.
