I sometimes wonder why school
boards do not ask their superintendent and district staff to focus on three
central questions about their low-performing high schools. Such as: (1) Based
on how our students performed on the state assessments, how many meet the
Colorado Academic Standards? (2) How many students are in class each day? (3) And—among
those who do graduate—how many are college-ready?
Before four districts and their six
low-performing high schools meet with the state board this fall to make the
case that they need more time “to stay the course and continue to make good progress,”
as some will claim, I pose these questions. In so doing, I highlight a few uncomfortable
facts. I know full well these do not represent the whole truth. And I am
certain the districts can and will report to the state board other facts, more
favorable ones. (Higher graduation rates, for example, might be featured as a
promising sign, even though–what is so telling–we see no correlation with higher
achievement.[i])
A school board—swamped with data–can almost be forgiven for missing the
key facts about these low-performing schools. We have seen a district office
present its board with 100 pages of bullet points, graphs, and survey results. The
Aurora School Board of Education reviewed a 33-page power point on Sept. 3 (“Central
High School Innovation Plan Update”) and a 64-pager on Oct. 1 (“Aurora Central Pathways Recommendation,”[ii]
presented by Superintendent Rico Munn)—among other documents.
Instead, I offer a two-pager—addressing the three questions--on
the 6 high schools. (Addendum A adds a look at a decade of School
Performance Framework results for these schools. Nothing new there.)
All well below “minimum
scores accepted” in Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines for 2020-21[iv]
FROM GRADUATION GUIDELINES / FACT SHEET (CDE)
-
“MENU OF OPTIONS [listing] the minimum
score required.” “SAT scores: English
470 / Math 500.”
|
|
SAT -
Math
Grade
11
|
Change
from 2018 to 2019
|
SAT– Reading/Writing
Grade
11
|
Change
from
2018
to 2019
|
|||
|
MINIMUM SCORE from NEW GRADUATION GUIDELINES
|
|||||||
|
|
MATH - 500
|
READING/WRITING
- 470
|
|||||
|
|
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|
|
STATE
|
501
|
496
|
-5
|
513
|
505
|
-8
|
|
|
District
|
School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adams 14
|
Adams City
|
430
|
412
|
-18
|
441
|
432
|
-9
|
|
Aurora Public Schools
|
Aurora Central
|
409
|
398*
|
-11
|
421
|
405*
|
-16
|
|
Gateway
|
417
|
406
|
-11
|
438
|
415
|
-23
|
|
|
Denver Public Schools
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
433
|
424
|
-9
|
427
|
415
|
-12
|
|
Manual
|
433
|
429
|
-4
|
438
|
434
|
-4
|
|
|
Pueblo 60
|
Central
|
441
|
452
|
+11
|
423
|
427
|
+4
|
*At
ACHS, Reading/Writing SAT scores in 2019 revealed that 11th graders scored
exactly 100 points below the state average. In Math, 11th
graders scored 98 points below the state average.
PSAT –
2018 to 2019[v]
|
District
|
School
|
PSAT - Math
Grade 10
|
Change from 2018 to 2019
|
PSAT-Reading/Writing
Grade 10
|
Change from
2018 to 2019
|
||
|
|
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|
|
STATE
|
|
465
|
462
|
-3
|
479
|
476
|
-3
|
|
Adams 14
|
Adams City High
|
401
|
398
|
-3
|
418
|
407
|
-11
|
|
APS
|
Aurora Central
|
383
|
388
|
+5
|
391
|
388
|
-3
|
|
|
Gateway
|
399
|
395
|
-4
|
400
|
397
|
-3
|
|
DPS
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
401
|
403
|
+2
|
397
|
387
|
-10
|
|
|
Manual
|
401
|
398
|
-3
|
408
|
393
|
-15
|
|
Pueblo 60
|
Central
|
406
|
403
|
-3
|
434
|
428
|
-6
|
(2) Attendance and Truancy – (Hard to learn
when you are not in class) - 2017-18 and 2018-19
The attendance rate was down at 4
schools and remained below 80% at Manual. The truancy rate increased at 5
schools. It is hard to analyze the change at Central High in Pueblo 60 as its
school year was shortened by 18 days.* (The new 4-day week - 148 school
days – began in the fall of 2018.)
|
District
|
School
|
Attendance Rate[vi]
|
Truancy Rate[vii]
|
Truancy rate increased from 2018 to
2019
|
||
|
|
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|
|
STATE AVERAGE
|
|
92.53%
|
92.30%
|
2.82%
|
2.98%
|
|
|
Adams 14
|
Adams City High**
|
86.56
|
82.47
|
8.63
|
13.37
|
Up 4.74
|
|
APS
|
Aurora Central**
|
80.57
|
79.22
|
15.65
|
17.08
|
Up 1.43
|
|
|
Gateway**
|
81.78
|
78.18
|
13.10
|
16.73
|
Up 3.63
|
|
DPS
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
86.87
|
85.69
|
10
|
10.81
|
Up 0.81
|
|
|
Manual
|
79.34
|
79.34
|
15.5
|
16.21
|
Up 0.71
|
|
Pueblo 60
|
Central
|
|
84.32
|
|
10.27
|
|
*2017-18: 5-day week - 166 school days, and thus difficult to compare to 2018-19:
4-day week - 148 school days.
**Total
Student Days Unexcused Absent for all Students: ACHS–52,636 days; Adams
High–39,177 days; Gateway–38,915 days.
Addendum B - More on how attendance is a concern shared by many in
the ACHS community.
(3) Most recent remediation rates.[viii]
(Speaks to college readiness. Graduation rates do not.)
|
District
|
School
|
Enrollment
|
Remediation
rate
|
2017 graduates enrolled in college
|
|||
|
|
|
2018-19*
NOTE
ON SCHOOL SIZE
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
# of
students enrolled in college that fall
|
# of
students needing remediation
|
|
STATE
|
|
|
35%
|
35.9%
|
34.8%
|
21,234
|
7,383
|
|
Adams 14
|
Adams City High
|
1,764
|
64%
|
68.5%
|
66%
|
91
|
60
|
|
APS
|
Aurora Central
|
2,000
|
70%
|
65%
|
67%
|
87
|
58
|
|
|
Gateway
|
1,550
|
56%
|
64%
|
59%
|
75
|
44
|
|
DPS
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
952
|
71%
|
58%
|
52%
|
96
|
50
|
|
|
Manual
|
299
|
57%
|
79%
|
69%
|
29
|
20
|
|
Pueblo 60
|
Central
|
743
|
77%
|
57%
|
61%
|
101
|
62
|
*http://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/20190124enrollment - School size can be a factor in school turnaround
work, but in spite of the different sizes of these six Colorado high schools, remediation
results are remarkably similar.
Addendum A – A
DECADE of the School Performance Framework[ix]
The state board is familiar with
the information, below. It reminds us that districts have known of and have
carried a responsibility for the chronic low performance of these schools
for many years. (I see no reason districts should be allowed the excuse: “We
just started this turnaround effort two years ago.”)
SPF Rating – 2010 – 2018, plus preliminary rating for 2019
I =
Improvement
PI = Priority
Improvement
T = Turnaround
No SPF Ratings were given in 2015
when the state assessment changed from TCAP to CMAS.
|
District
|
School
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
(prel)
|
Year
|
|
Adams 14
|
Adams City High
|
T
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
T
|
PI
|
PI
|
9
|
|
APS
|
Aurora Central
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
T
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
9
|
|
|
Gateway
|
I
|
PI
|
I
|
I
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
T
|
5
|
|
DPS
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
I
|
PI
|
I
|
I
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
5
|
|
|
Manual
|
I
|
I
|
I
|
T
|
T
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
6
|
|
Pueblo 60
|
Central
|
PI
|
PI
|
I
|
I
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
PI
|
5
|
In the fall of 2014 each district
must have realized they had a school (or two) that needed fundamental change.
Will these districts accept responsibility for their failure to see significant
improvement over the past five years? Or will they assert that they just
have not had enough time yet to show better results?
|
District
|
School
|
Year
first on clock as a school on Priority Improvement or Turnaround
|
SPF
rating
2018
|
SPF
rating
2019
(preliminary)
|
2018
to 2019
|
|
Adams 14
|
Adams City High
|
2010
|
39.5
|
35.5
|
Down
4 pts
|
|
APS
|
Aurora Central
|
2010
|
37.4
|
35.2
|
Down
2.2
|
|
|
Gateway
|
2011
|
37.1
|
37.8
|
Up
0.6
|
|
DPS
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
2011
|
41.8
|
41.4
|
Down
0.4
|
|
|
Manual
|
2013
|
40.3
|
39.8
|
Down
0.5
|
|
Pueblo 60
|
Central
|
2010
|
41.2
|
41.5
|
Up
0.3
|
Addendum B – Attendance at Aurora Central High School
From “Aurora Central Pathways Recommendation,”[x]
presented to APS school board on Oct. 1
Common
Themes - result of surveys – Under Weaknesses
from Parents: “Lack of parent understanding of
the attendance policy and procedures” (p. 56)
from Staff: “Attendance and tardiness still an
issue” (p. 57)
from Students: “Attendance/Skipping classes is
an issue” (p. 58)
Data page
(p. 43) states: Average Daily Attendance is up 3.2 ppts. since 2014-15.
[MY COMMENT: This
point fails to point out how the attendance rate at ACHS has remained
below 80%
all but once over the past six years, and that in 2019 it was not much
different than in 2013-14.]
|
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
2015-16
|
2016-17
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|
ACHS
|
78.96%
|
76.81%
|
76.53%
|
76.66%
|
80.57%
|
79.22%
|
Endnotes
“High
school graduation rates aren’t necessarily a reason to celebrate,” The
Denver Post (July 2, 2015)
AV #183, “Remediation
rates suggest our graduation rates will soon fall,” (Sept. 5, 2018)
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