PUEBLO, Colo.—Pueblo city schools may be headed toward the lowest state achievement category after a new, preliminary accreditation report, according to district officials.
The school board was told Tuesday that the report from the Colorado Department of Education showed the district dropping from “priority improvement” status to “turnaround plan status,” the Pueblo Chieftain reported () on its website.
If the district does drop to the lowest level, it would have five years to move out of turnaround plan status or face the prospect of state officials restructuring or closing the district, said Brenda Krage, the district’s assistant superintendent of learning services.
The district was the 14th-largest in Colorado in 2010, with about 18,400 students, according to state statistics.
The state measures school district progress on four indicators: academic achievement, academic growth, academic growth gaps and post-secondary and work force readiness.
The preliminary results showed the Pueblo city district met 39.8 percent of the performance markers, down from 43 percent in 2010.
“We were low on priority improvement status last year, we slipped a few points and we are now high on the turnaround plan,” Krage told school board members.
District officials said finalized ratings are expected in October.
Krage said district officials will likely meet soon with Colorado Department of Education officials to review the district’s improvement plan and determine the next step.
District Superintendent Maggie Lopez said improvement will require a unified effort.
“We all have to get on the boat to look at what is happening with instruction and achievement,” Lopez said. “We really have to look at ourselves and see what is happening in the classroom,” she said.
———
Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain,
