While average scores on standardized tests in Colorado didn’t change much in 2019, a few schools showed major gains.
Students take the Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests in grades three through eight. Raw scores and growth both are factored into schools’ ratings with the Colorado Department of Education.
Here are the schools with the most improvement in their average scores on this year’s tests:
1. Merino Elementary School, Merino; Buffalo School District: 28 points improvement in language arts, 17 points in math. Total: 45
2. Ranch View Middle School, Highlands Ranch; Douglas County School District: 21 points in language arts, 18 points in math. Total: 39
3. Peak Expeditionary at Pennington, Wheat Ridge; Jeffco Public Schools: 17 points in language arts, 21 points in math. Total: 38
4. Stove Prairie Elementary School, Bellvue; Poudre School District: 18 points in language arts, 17 points in math. Total: 35
5. Burlington Elementary School, Burlington; Burlington School District: 22 points in language arts, 11 points in math. Total: 33
6. (TIE) Idalia Junior-Senior High School, Idalia; Idalia School District: 21 points in language arts, 9 points in math. Total: 30
6. (TIE) Lincoln Middle School, Fort Collins; Poudre School District: 19 points in language arts, 11 points in math. Total: 30
8. (TIE) Joe Shoemaker School, Denver; Denver Public Schools: 13 points in language arts, 15 points in math. Total: 28
8. (TIE) Cherry Valley Elementary School, Franktown; DCSD: 15 points in language arts, 13 points in math. Total: 28
8. (TIE) Idalia Elementary School, Idalia, Idalia School District: 14 points in language arts, 14 points in math. Total: 28
Some of the most-improved schools are small, which makes their scores more prone to fluctuate then larger communities. It will take multiple years of data to know whether the improvements are part of a trend.
