Four years ago, Bruce Randolph Middle School was considered the worst in the state — perpetually ranked unsatisfactory and never showing adequate yearly progress as mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind law.
That changed this year.
The northeast Denver school that once faced closure by the state has, for the first time, hit all of its targets in reading and math.
It is one of only 58 school programs in Denver to make adequate yearly progress, or AYP, this year.
“We are making progress, but we still have a long way to go,” said principal Kristin Waters, who has led the transformation of Bruce Randolph.
Throughout the state, 60 percent of Colorado schools met their progress targets this year, a drop from 75 percent in 2007, according to the Colorado Department of Education. State officials on Wednesday attributed the decline to an ongoing schedule of improvement that every three years, raises the AYP targets that schools and districts must reach to be considered on track for 100 percent proficiency by school year 2013-14. Targets were raised this year.
“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 . . . shouldn’t be considered as an indication that school performance has declined. It has not.”
When whole school districts are considered, none of the 14 in the Denver metro area made adequate yearly progress overall this year, according to the education department — including Cherry Creek, Douglas County and Jefferson County.
Schools and districts that do not meet the targets are put on an improvement plan, and if they continue to miss them over time, the state must take corrective action. That can include withholding federal money.
Schools on the improvement list can be removed if they meet the targets two years in a row.
Statewide, three schools were removed from the federal improvement list because of their progress over the past two years: Skoglund Middle School in the Center School District, southwest of Pueblo; Newlon Elementary in Denver; and Edgewater Elementary in Jefferson County.
Bruce Randolph’s middle school program is among the 21 Colorado schools that made their yearly progress goals for the first year since being on the improvement track.
“Having high expectations, systems in place, complex intervention strategies and a better school culture” turned the school around, principal Waters said.
Students also have gained confidence in their abilities.
“It’s a great school because it gives the student a good way to learn, and the teachers help you,” said 13-year-old Tyrone Catholic, who was dissecting a Dylan Thomas poem in his language-arts class.
There still is work ahead as the school expands yearly into a 6-12 school.
The two high school grades at Randolph failed to make adequate yearly progress in math this year, but made it in reading. And on the 2008 CSAP, which tested Randolph students in grades 6-10, just 16 percent of students were proficient in math; 24 percent were proficient in reading; and 12 percent were proficient in writing.
The first year of meeting the goals is still reason to celebrate, Waters said.
“It validates our work and lets us know we are on the right track.”
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
