AV#125-Summary and Highlights from Report on K-12 Education in Colorado 01/20/2015

Another View #125                                                                                                  Peter Huidekoper, Jr.

Jan. 20, 2015

Summary and Highlights from Report on K-12 Education in Colorado

In his inaugural address last week, Gov. John Hickenlooper stated: “We will continue to build … a Colorado where all of our children have access to a first-rate education regardless of zip code…”

Here are two pages on Colorado—a summary from Education Week’s annual State of the States 12-page report.* We know policymakers have little time to read such reports.  My hope is that this one piece of paper—front and back ––might be useful to see where we are—and where we need to be—in order to achieve the Governor’s excellent goal.  

Some data here is dated—going back to 2012, or even earlier.  No attempt to capture facts and figures for all 50 states can get it all right, and many will ask fair questions about the way Education Week determines its scores. For that reason, my introduction to this handout would be something like this:

Yes, I know full well that these are not necessarily THE FACTS.  But they offer a helpful

       overview from a generally well-respected nonpartisan source. 

Or: Here are some numbers and rankings that offer a few meaningful comparisons. 

Or: I have no idea if these rankings are perfect, but they tell us something useful –and they deserve a

       closer look.

Or: If you have five minutes, take a peek:  what jumps out at you?

(There is evidence here, I believe, of both good and bad news. I’ve put in red a few places where our low scores jump out at me. Most disturbing—confirmation that we have one of the nation’s largest achievement gaps. Feel free to copy this and fix it so it offers no colors--and no hints!)

Two days after his inaugural, the Governor added these specifics in his state of the state address:

“Beyond questions of funding, we need to confront the truth about whether Colorado's kids are getting the education they need to compete and succeed in the job market.”

“Our goal should be to ensure that every Colorado child has equal access to a great education. That means taking a hard look at funding equity, strategies to turn around struggling schools, promoting innovation and supporting charter schools.”

Here is one source indicating overall, as a state, we’re just average.  We don’t like to hear it, but it may be one of the truths “we need to confront.”  A reminder that today we fall short. Perhaps this can help us measure progress—towards a day when “every Colorado child has equal access to a great education.”

**

*Education Week: QUALITY COUNTS 2015-Colorado Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 21st in Nation - http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2015/state-highlights/2015/01/08/colorado-education-ranking.html.  The full 12-page report is available at http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2015/shr/16shr.co.h34.pdf, with explanations (page 11) on how the states are graded, performance indicators, etc.

Another View, a newsletter by Peter Huidekoper, represents his own opinion and is not intended to represent the

view of any organization he is associated with.  Comments are welcome. 303-757-1225 / peterhdkpr@gmail.com

QUALITY COUNTS 2015 – Education Week Research Center  -  State Highlights

COLORADO     -    OVERALL GRADE*:  C     TOTAL SCORE: 75.5      RANK: 21

	Colorado			Average state grade	Average state score
	grade	score	rank
Chance for success (2015)	B	83.4	12	C+	77.5
School finance (2015)	D+	68.8	38	C	75.3
K-12 achievement (2014)	C	74.2	11	C-	70.2

Grading Curve A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59)

*The average of the scores for the three graded categories.  10 states scored a B overall, 31 (includes D.C.) a C, the other 10 received a D.

Noticeable differences between Colorado and U.S. average on major subcategories

	Colorado	U.S. Average
Chance for success  –  Early foundations	88.3	81.3
School finance analysis  -  Spending	51.1	65.4
K-12 achievement  -  Status	77.3	65.6

Elementary and Secondary Performance

K-12 Achievement Index*	Colorado		National Average
State Achievement Indicators	State Average	Rank
Achievement Levels – Percent proficient on NAEP  (2013)
-4th grade math	49.9%	6	41.3%
-8th grade math	41.9%	6	34.4%
-4th grade reading	40.6%	9	34.0%
-8th grade reading	39.8%	11	34.3%
Achievement Gains – Scale-score change on NAEP (2003-2013)
-4th grade math	+11.8	6	+7.2
-8th grade math	+6.3	30	+7.5
-4th grade reading	+3.0	28	+4.2
-8th grade reading	+3.4	29	+4.7
Poverty Gap -National School Lunch program, noneligible minus eligible
-Reading gap - 4th grade NAEP	29.5	41	28.6
-Math gap -  8th grade NAEP	30.4	45	27.2
-Reading gap change - 4th grade NAEP	+4.8	40	+0.7
-Math gap change -  8th grade NAEP	+0.4	24	-1.2
Achieving excellence
-Math excellence - Percent advanced on 8th grade NAEP (2013)	12.1%	6	8.3%
-Change in math excellence – Percent advanced on NAEP (2003-2013)	+4.6%	13	+3.4%
High school graduation
-Graduation rate – Public schools (class of 2010)	75.6%	25	74.7%
-Change in graduation rate – Public schools (2000-2010)	5.5%	26	7.9%

*“The Education Week Research Center’s K-12 Achievement Index - points based on three distinct aspects of student achievement: current levels of performance (status), improvements over time (change), and achievement gaps between poor and nonpoor students (equity). The nation as a whole earns 70.2 points, on a 100-point scale, for a grade of C minus.” Massachusetts (B) first: 83.7 points; Mississippi last: 57.1. Colorado (C) 74.2 (page 9). 

Early Education Index	Colorado		National Average
	State Average	Rank
Preschool
Preschool enrollment (3 & 4 yr. olds enrolled - 2013)	48.8%	16	47.3%
Preschool enrollment gains (2008-2013)	+3.0	10	-0.3
Preschool poverty gap (enrollment rate for non-poor children minus                    poor children)	19.4	47	15.8
Preschool poverty gap change (change in enrollment gap – 2008-2013)	+0.5	28	+0.7
Full-day preschool (students attending full-day program – 2013)	31.2	45	49.0
Head Start enrollment (as a% of 3 & 4 yr. olds in poverty – 2013)	34.2	35	35.9
Kindergarten
Kindergarten enrollment (eligible children enrolled in programs - 2013)	76.8	29	77.7
Full-day kindergarten (2013)*	59.7	47	75.0
GRADE	D	44	D+

*24 states average 80% or above. The four states below Colorado are California, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Idaho.

Equity and Spending Indicators	Colorado		National Average
	State Average	Rank
Equity (2012)
-Wealth-Neutrality Score – Relationship between district funding and local property wealth	0.187	37	0.139
-McLoone Index – Actual spending as percent of amount needed to bring all students to median level	90.0%	34	90.8%
-Coefficient of Variation – Amount of disparity in spending across districts within a state	0.150	22	0.167
-Restricted Range – Difference in per-pupil spending levels at the 95th and 5th percentiles	$2,908	11	$4,559
Spending (2012)
-Adjusted per-pupil expenditures (PPE) – Analysis accounts for regional cost differences	$9,020	43	$11,735
- Students funded at or above national average – Percent of students in districts with PPE at or above U.S. average	12.0%	36	43.4%
- Spending Index – Per-pupil spending levels weighted by the degree to which districts meet or approach the national average for expenditures	89.1	29	89.4
- Spending on education – State expenditures on K-12 schooling as a percent of state taxable resources	2.8%	38	3.4

SOURCE: Education Week: Colorado Earns a  C  on State Report Card, Ranks 21st in Nation - http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2015/state-highlights/2015/01/08/colorado-education-ranking.html.  The full 12-page report is available at http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2015/shr/16shr.co.h34.pdf, with explanations (p. 11) on how the states are graded, performance indicators, etc.