More Colorado schools failed to achieve federally mandated performance goals this year compared to 2007, according to Colorado Department of Education.
State officials today attributed the drop to an ongoing schedule of improvement that every three years raises the targets with the goal of reaching 100 percent statewide proficiency by 2014.
Sixty percent of Colorado schools this year made Adequate Yearly Progress targets mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind law, a drop from 75 percent that hit their targets in 2007.
Federal law requires states make such progress — known as AYP — toward the goal of having all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.
Schools and districts that repeatedly do not reach the goals could lose federal funding.
“It’s important to recognize that statewide student performance was stable between 2007 and 2008 based on results from the Colorado Student Assessment Program,” said Patrick Chapman, director of consolidated federal programs for the Colorado Department of Education in a news release. “The percentage drop in schools making Adequate Yearly Progress is due to factors external to the classroom and shouldn’t be considered as an indication that school performance has declined. It has not.”
Despite the raised targets and a change in the way AYP is calculated, many schools on improvement status made gains.
Three schools were removed from a federal improvement list due to their progress over the past two years: Skoglund Middle School in the Center School District, Newlon Elementary in Denver and Edgewater Elementary in Jefferson County.
Twenty-one schools in Colorado made AYP goals for the first year, including seven in Denver: Ashley Elementary, Bruce Randolph Middle, Cheltenham Elementary, College View Elementary, Force Elementary, Ford Elementary and Goldrick Elementary.
If these schools make their AYP targets next year,they will be removed from the school improvement status.
AYP determinations are used to identify schools for improvement and prioritize the school improvement grant funds to the schools with the highest needs.
In order to meet the targets, schools must have 95 percent participation in the CSAP; meet math and reading performance targets or decrease the percent of students scoring non-proficient by 10 percent from the prior year; meet other indicator requirements.
In the 2008 AYP report for Colorado:
30 schools missed AYP targets for two consecutive years and are required to have improvement plans.
29 schools have missed AYP targets for three years and must provide supplemental tutoring services.
16 schools have missed AYP for four years and are on corrective action and must provide transportation to other public school choices.
18 schools have missed AYP for five years and must develop plans to restructure their schools.
34 schools have missed AYP for six or more years and must implement their restructuring plans.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
