The guidelines that help Denver Public Schools decide when to restart or close a school are getting more defined and transparent, according to the district.
The decision process is divided into three steps that the district believes best weed out consistently under-performing schools. Those that meet all three criteria will be recommended for restart or closure by DPS staff, and the Denver Board of Education will make the final call.
The policy excludes alternative education campuses and schools that are not yet serving tested grades in the 2015-2016 school year. It also provides special consideration — typically extra time to improve — for schools that have undergone a prior intervention like a redesign, transformation or new operator since the 2010-2011 school year.
The guidelines, which will go into effect in fall 2016, are as follows:
• Identify the schools that, historically, have been consistently low performing
Schools that fall within the bottom 5 percent based on an average of overall school performance framework — that takes into consideration categories like academic growth, enrollment rates, parent satisfaction and college and career readiness — from the most recent three years are flagged as proposed indicators of a problem.
• Identify the schools that aren’t showing strong academic growth in the most recent year
If a school meets the first criterion and also receives 50 percent or fewer growth points based on the school performance framework in the most recent year, then it moves on to the third guideline.
• Use a school quality review to point out schools that are not on trajectory toward improved student achievement
A school quality review places a team of educators from a third-party education consulting organization in a school for just over two days to collect and analyze school performance data. This last step would identify a quantified point that, if not met, would lead to a staff recommendation for school restart or closure. That quantified point has not yet been determined, but board members agreed that it should allow some wiggle room for “professional judgment” on a case-by-case basis.
Community and board members grappled with the idea of school closure being best for students’ needs during the meeting.
Newly appointed board member Rachele Espiritu said it was important to consider what kinds of checks and balances were in place to ensure this policy didn’t close too many schools in one area, putting “stress on the community.”
Others argued that making sure students were no longer stuck in low-performing schools was in their best interest.
The community will have opportunities to speak up about the process through conversations the district will be holding at select schools in late August.
Schools that meet the first and second criteria will be informed of their status in September, and DPS and the Board of Education will decide which schools undergo restart or closure in November through December, according to the board’s plan.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or @ehernandez
