Part 1 on Less is More.
What is essential?
Why is
everyone on board with more AP classes at Abraham Lincoln, again?
Have we
learned nothing?
“… this next year we’re going to add AP English
Language, AP Calculus, AP US History, and more likely either AP Physics or
Chemistry.” Abraham Lincoln High School Principal Antonio Esquibel,
presenting at the Accountability Clock Hearing before the State Board of Education (Feb.
2020)
Like any good organization, an
effective school will establish the right priorities. Chronically low-performing
schools often fail to do so, for several reasons. They can feel overwhelmed. There
is no end to what needs to change and improve. They find themselves unable to
focus on what is essential.
It would help
if they realize less is more. Given how poorly their students are performing,
given the students’ skills and knowledge at this time, they should recognize
they do not need to look like every other high school. Their students are
not working at grade level. Focus on that. Much else—is for another day.
This will seem a small point –
and I only send it to 50 of you who might appreciate it, or for whom it might
be relevant. This might also seem petty, in light of Covid-19. But this fall almost
1,000 students will enroll at Abraham Lincoln High School (year 5 - again - on the
accountability clock). Thousands more will attend dozens of chronically
low-performing schools. They deserve better. Given the loss of school time this
spring, it is even more critical that we make the best decisions to address the
needs of our lowest-achieving students. What are the right priorities? What is
essential—for each school?
As Dr. Anthony Fauci might say,
that depends on the evidence. On the facts on the ground. But last February the
State Board of Education did not have several key facts—that I will present
here—when it approved of Abraham Lincoln’s Innovation Plan. I find that
incredibly disturbing. Was DPS equally unaware of these facts? A state, a
district, and a school trying to serve its students should do better.
The State
Board did see these facts: A slide spoke volumes about the academic skills of
Abraham Lincoln students – go to Addendum C. Its shows: DOES
NOT MEET in every category for high school level skills. Here
I add an equally grim picture of how students at Abraham Lincoln have performed
on the SAT, one way that Colorado measures college-readiness. (Similar to results
at other low-performing high schools.[i])
NEW GRADUATION
GUIDELINES 2021
|
SAT - ENGLISH
QUALIFYING SCORE
|
SAT – MATH QUALIFYING
SCORE
|
||
470
|
500
|
|||
SAT scores for
Abraham Lincoln High
|
2018
|
2019
|
2018
|
2019
|
428.8
|
415.2
|
434.7
|
422.3
|
|
If we know these facts about the
students in the building—on average, nowhere close to demonstrating grade
level achievement in English or math—how is it possible that Principal
Esquibel could make the case that what the school really needs are many more
college-level classes?
If you were present at that accountability
hearing last winter, follow this sequence. State board member Jane Goff asked
about the Advanced Placement courses at the school. She mentioned the Colorado Education
Initiative and its Legacy Grant to support dozens of schools as they added more
AP courses.
Superintendent Susana Cordova
gave a positive account (Addendum A) of how the Denver Public Schools
has expanded its AP offerings this past decade and has received awards for
doing so. As an overview, mostly accurate. But it was not relevant to Abraham
Lincoln’s AP story. No school specific facts.
Cordova then turned to Principal Antonio
Esquibel to discuss the AP program at Abraham Lincoln. Esquibel served as
principal before, from 2006-11; he was reassigned to the school last summer. His
comments, below, left column, tell a different story than the one I have
reported since 2013 in Another View, right-hand column. (Addendum
B provides supporting data from those newsletters.)
Differentiation
But first, let’s be clear. Our
lowest-performing schools have hit bottom. They are, by definition, not like
other schools. They have struggled in vain, for many years, to climb out of the
cellar. “What we do as a district” (such as, add more AP classes) is the
last thing they need to hear.
The word we use in our classrooms
is differentiation. As teachers we try to adjust how we serve our
students based on where they are performing and what they need. The same applies
to schools. For many high schools, adding AP classes has been a good step. But
as I have argued (beginning in 2013 with AV#95), it was never in the
best interest of schools like Abraham Lincoln, Aurora Central (AV#114), or
Sierra High School (AV#186). In each case the AP initiative produced terrible
results.
These results
were never the fault of the students. It is we, the adults, who have failed.
We have failed to appreciate the difference between an Abraham Lincoln and an
East High School. Based on that hearing in February, I doubt that the State Board,
DPS, or Abraham Lincoln’s own principal can see the difference. I will try, again,
to show that the AP initiative has not worked. It is not too late for Lincoln
to change course.
Principal Esquibel
|
But the facts are …
|
|||
“In terms of the CEI, when I was principal there [at Lincoln]
before, we were the first school in Denver to be a partner with the Colorado
Legacy Grant, so [I’m] very familiar with that.”*
“When I was there before we built out a strong AP program, we
went from the number of AP classes from 6 courses to 16 courses within about
three years, so that that’s the plan again.”
“Unfortunately, I think right now Abraham Lincoln has very few AP
offerings, none in the core content areas. Predominantly it’s in Spanish
and it’s in some of our elective course offerings - in art and computer science,
which have been very successful.”
“In our new plan we are going to start to increase AP offerings in
the core content area. Specifically, this next year we’re going to add AP
English Language, AP Calculus, AP US History, and more likely either AP Physics
or Chemistry.
… there’s a lot of training that has to happen, so that is going to
help with the rigor overall in the building when we have more teachers
trained in AP.”
|
Esquibel was principal a decade ago, from 2006-2011.
CEI—then called the Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF)—did not pilot its
work until the following year, 2011-12, and that was in three high
schools in the Colorado Springs area.
2012-13: CLF expanded its work to 10 other Colorado high schools,
including Abraham Lincoln – yes, the first DPS high school to participate.
2013-14: CLF’s AP Initiative added 10 more schools, two of them in Denver:
South High and Thomas Jefferson. So yes, Lincoln was the first DPS high
school in the “partnership,” but not during Esquibel’s tenure.
“a strong AP program” – Esquibel had increased the number of AP
courses offered and of students enrolled by the time he left in 2011. But the
passing rate on AP exams (scoring a 3 or better) was 20% in 2010 and 15% in
2011. The next two years the passing rate remained under 25%, even with
strong results for AP Spanish Language.
But remove the Spanish Language exams and we see that less than 14%
passed their other AP exams all four years (see Addendum B.)
CEI’s work[ii]
had successes at many high schools, but not at Abraham Lincoln.
·
Year one of CEI’s AP Initiative at the
school: 3% (7/187) pass (3 or better)
·
Year two: 11% (19/176) pass.
·
Year three: 10% (18/183) pass.
(NOTE: National pass rate on all AP exams: 2014: 59.2% 2015: 57.9%[iii])
Although the Colorado Education Initiative consistently failed to be
transparent about the results for its AP Initiative, my newsletters presented
the district data that revealed the dismal passing scores for schools like
Abraham Lincoln and Aurora Central (also one of the 10 high schools in CEI’s
2012-13 cohort).
Did the Legacy Grant help Abraham Lincoln’s overall
performance? No. It was rated a school on Priority Improvement when
Esquibel left in 2011. Its rating rose to Improvement for two years, but
in 2014, year 2 of the Colorado Legacy Grant, its rating dropped to Priority
Improvement, where it has been ever since. (One sees a similar trend
at Aurora Central and Sierra High. Perhaps the AP Initiative distracted them
from more essential matters.)
“very few AP offerings” – True, the
numbers fell before Esquibel returned last summer. Almost 500 AP exams
were taken in 2015 (pass rate -20%); in 2019, just 60. (But that year 40
of those tests received a 3 or better, an impressive pass rate of 67% - Addendum
D. It would help to have details – e.g., how many of those passing scores were
in Spanish Language, Lincoln’s strong suit on AP tests? Sadly, DPS no longer provides such
test-specific data.)
This reduction in AP offerings might have been exactly
what the school needs—less time and effort devoted to college-level classes
where only a fraction of students was able to earn a passing score of 3.
“very successful” – Perhaps, but how do we know? From 2011
through 2015, the number taking Computer Science exams was 13 or less so we
have no data on the number passing. CEI’s initiative stressed math and
science, but during those three years (2013-15), even fewer Computer Science exams
were taken.
What evidence is there that training to teach AP classes
improves the rigor of a teacher’s classroom? Or that, in this school, it
is a good use of the limited dollars and resources for professional
development? Wouldn’t it make more sense to help teachers at Abraham Lincoln learn
how to raise the achievement level of those—the majority of their students—who
are not yet at grade level? “More rigor” is a worthy goal, but not this way.
Why Why Why
Not once did Principal Esquibel provide a rationale to the State
Board for making this “new plan” (same as the old plan) on expanding AP courses.
Was it because it’s what other comprehensive high schools do? Why would
DPS—which should have seen the same data I have been looking at since 2013—accept that this
time it is the right idea? This school—all our lowest-performing high
schools—must have different priorities. The facts show us the folly of
Lincoln’s plan. Facts I have presented before—see Addendum B.
Haven’t we learned anything?
|
*My
transcription of the State Board of Education meeting, Feb. 13, 2020. Any errors
are mine. https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeboard/sbemeeting-20200213-1
Addendum A – Superintendent Cordova:
district level information on AP courses
Superintendent Susanna Cordova’s response to a question from
the State Board of Education (Feb. 13, 2020). (https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeboard/sbemeeting-20200213-1)
“The Denver Public Schools, for
seven years running, has been an AP district of distinction.*
“We have on an annual basis
outpaced national averages in the numbers of underrepresented students taking
and passing AP classes.**
“We have significantly increased the
number of students district-wide who participate in our AP program, and that is
alongside significantly increasing the number of students who are taking and
participating and passing concurrent enrollment classes.
“So both, we believe, are very
valuable rigorous coursework options that give students pathways post-high
school … and certainly Lincoln has been part of that.”
*DPS received this honor five times, including four times in
a row, 2016-2019, but was not given this award for the most recent (10th
annual) Honor roll. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-district-honor-roll-10th-annual.pdf
**“AP Test Results” produced by Denver Public Schools’ Accountability,
Research and Evaluation unit does indeed show that, overall, the number
of underrepresented students in DPS taking and passing the past five years increased.
However, so has the gap between the average score across the
district and scores for African American (gap is now 22.2% pts.) and Hispanic (now
13.5% pts.) students. Data below is from the district’s two most recent reports,
2014-2018 and 2015-2019):
Addendum B – From past newsletters
Another View #95- Mismatch – Adding more AP classes in
low-performing high schools – Why the push to expand AP classes in schools where so many
students fail to achieve qualifying scores? (March 26, 2013)
“How well does it serve students to be in courses
where most of them do not 'pass' the test that is meant to signal satisfactory
knowledge of the material? AP scores
range from 1 to 5; a 3 is considered a passing or 'qualifying score.' Consider that:
·
In 2011
out of 35 students at Abraham Lincoln taking the AP test in English Language
and Composition, only 3 passed. In 2012,
the number taking the test more than doubled; 77 took the test, but only 4
passed. At Lincoln, in 2012, of the 24
students who took the AP in Physics, not one passed. (Lincoln is now in its
first year receiving full support from the Colorado Legacy Foundation as part
of the NMSI effort.)”
·
2012 pass rate (3 or better) at Abraham
Lincoln: 24% (100/421)
·
Strong results on the Spanish AP – 82%
(54/66). Without those scores the % passing AP tests was 13% (46/355).
**
Another View #114 – Questions continue on rationale for
more AP classes in our lowest-performing high schools (June 4, 2014)
“In the first year of CLF’s initiative with Abraham Lincoln, the percentage of students passing the AP tests was unchanged [24%]; less than one-quarter of the AP tests were scored at a 3 or better.
“… a closer look at the results at Abraham Lincoln, with and without the AP Spanish test, reveals the consistently low percentage of students who pass the other tests.”
AP Exam Scores:
Abraham Lincoln High School
With
Spanish Language scores
|
||||
2009-10
|
2010-11
|
2011-12
|
2012-13
|
|
#
Tested
|
375
|
397
|
421
|
449
|
# Passed
|
76
|
59
|
100
|
107
|
%
Passed
|
20%
|
15%
|
24%
|
24%
|
Without
Spanish Language scores
|
||||
2009-10
|
2010-11
|
2011-12
|
2012-13
|
|
# Tested
|
296
|
358
|
355
|
366
|
#
Passed
|
20
|
31
|
46
|
39
|
%
Passed
|
7%
|
9%
|
13%
|
11%
|
For context – In 2013, the passing rate
on AP exams for Denver Public Schools was 37.3%.
For Colorado, 62.2%.
For the nation, 58.9%.
|
“In 2013 the
pass rate on the Spanish AP at Lincoln was 82% (68/83) … Such stellar results
show that this college level course is a good fit … But
separating those figures from the other AP tests taken reveals shockingly low passing rates: English Language & Composition: 3 out of 75 earned a qualifying score; Physics
B: 1 out of 37; European History: 0 out of 40. When Spanish AP results are not
included, the passing rate … falls from
24% to 11%.”
**
Another View #126 - AP Results - What the Colorado Education Initiative Won’t Tell You (Feb. 3, 2015)
“My argument all along – in
my first piece on this issue (AV#95 – Mismatch – Adding more AP
classes in low-performing high schools) and last year –
has been that the AP Initiative is an inappropriate choice for schools where
most students perform below grade level.
It does not address a much bigger problem. Abraham Lincoln High School
in Denver has been my prime example—but it is not alone.”
CEI’s Initiative
at Abraham Lincoln High School
MSE AP
tests passed – from DPS Accountability, Research & Evaluation
[MSE =
Math, Science, and English courses – the focus of CEI’s AP Initiative]
2012 – BEFORE CEI AP INITIATIVE
|
2013 – First year of CEI AP INITIATIVE
|
|||||
N tested
|
N passed
|
%
|
N tested
|
N passed
|
%
|
|
Biology
|
8
|
*
|
*
|
8
|
*
|
*
|
Calculus AB
|
29
|
2
|
7%
|
26
|
1
|
4%
|
Chemistry
|
0
|
*
|
*
|
11
|
*
|
*
|
Computer Science A
|
13
|
11
|
*
|
*
|
||
Eng. Language & Composition
|
77
|
4
|
5%
|
75
|
3
|
4%
|
Eng. Literature & Composition
|
37
|
4
|
11%
|
49
|
2
|
4%
|
Environmental Science
|
0
|
*
|
*
|
|||
Physics B
|
24
|
0
|
0%
|
37
|
1
|
3%
|
Statistics
|
||||||
167
Total of
tests taken where # passed is available
|
10
|
6%
|
187
Total of
tests taken where # passed is available
|
7
|
3%
|
|
* Scores not reported for groups with fewer than 16
students.
“By now Denver Public Schools and its principals must question if more
AP classes—which is no doubt an excellent idea where a good number of students
demonstrate they are ready for such college level work but have had not access
to such an opportunity—is what a school like Abraham Lincoln needs.”
[Followed by a look at the equally
low passing scores – 4% (4/108) – on AP exams other than Spanish Language at Denver’s
Bruce Randolph High School.]
“Sufficient evidence, wouldn’t you agree, to
say: STOP! Far better to develop curriculum and instruction that meets these
juniors and seniors where they are–most of them not yet performing at grade
level–and to help them make as much progress as possible. Classes where they
find success, improve their skills, and—one hopes— graduate without needing
remediation in reading, writing, and math once they enter college.”
**
AV #137–AP RESULTS – What
the Colorado Education Initiative Won’t Tell You … but DPS will (Oct. 5,
2015)
“DPS
released 2015 AP results last Thursday.
·
At Abraham Lincoln High School, of the 53
students taking the AP Language and Composition test, 1 student received a
passing score.
·
Of the 31 students taking the Physics 1 test,
2 passed.
·
On the Biology AP, 3 out 33 taking the test
passed.”
-From Denver Public School’s Department of
Accountability, Research and Evaluation
CEI’s
Initiative at Abraham Lincoln High School
MSE AP
tests passed – from DPS Accountability, Research & Evaluation
2014
– 2nd year of CEI AP INITIATIVE
|
2015
– 3rd year of CEI AP INITIATIVE
|
|||||
N
tested
|
N
passed
|
%
|
N
tested
|
N
passed
|
%
|
|
Biology
|
13
|
*
|
*
|
33
|
3
|
9%
|
Calculus AB
|
35
|
13
|
37%
|
38
|
8
|
21%
|
Chemistry
|
9
|
*
|
*
|
11
|
*
|
*
|
Computer
Science A
|
9
|
*
|
*
|
8
|
*
|
*
|
Eng. Language & Composition
|
86
|
3
|
3%
|
53
|
1
|
2%
|
Eng. Literature & Composition
|
37
|
0
|
0%
|
28
|
4
|
14%
|
Environmental Science
|
13
|
*
|
*
|
15
|
*
|
*
|
Physics B
|
18
|
3
|
17%
|
31***
|
2
|
6%
|
Physics 2
|
3
|
*
|
*
|
|||
Statistics
|
7
|
*
|
*
|
11
|
*
|
*
|
176**
|
19
|
11%
|
183**
|
18
|
10%
|
|
* Scores not reported for groups with fewer than 16
students.
** Total of tests taken where # passed is available
***Now called Physics 1.
**
**
For context –
In Colorado, in 2015, the average % of scores at 3 or above – was 60.2%. (This included all AP exams, not just those in MSE subjects.) |
]\
Excerpts from OPEN
LETTER TO: Denver School Board and Staff (March 7, 2017)
“… when the far
majority of students in a number of high schools are unable to score a 3 or
better on the AP tests, I am convinced we must, instead, create courses that
better meet their needs rather than stating that merely ‘taking an AP course’—whether
you get a 3 or better—has proved worthwhile.
I find no such proof. CEI used to
make this claim; schools like Delta High, part of CEI’s cohort 2, should stop
making it[iv].
(See the quote from Trevor Packard of the College Board).”
… less than 20% of tests taken scored at 3 or
above in 2016 -
|
||||||
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
||||
# tested
|
% passed
|
# tested/# passed
|
% passed
|
# tested
|
% passed
|
|
Abraham
Lincoln
|
107
|
23%
|
493/97
|
20%
|
365
|
19%
|
“If the ‘passing rate’ looks low at under 30% or under 20%, imagine what
it would be if these schools did not have many students doing well on the
Spanish AP, scoring a 3 or better. One example: Abraham Lincoln. In 2016, 58% of students at Abraham Lincoln
taking the Spanish AP passed. But only 8% of 78 students taking an AP test in
English passed, and 5% of 127
students taking AP tests in STEM classes passed, and only 1% of the 79 students taking an AP exam in History and Social
Sciences passed.”
# Tested - # Passed in AP tests in these categories
|
||||
World
Language & Culture
|
English
|
STEM
(math, science, engineering, etc.[v])
|
History
& Social Science
|
|
Abraham
Lincoln
|
55 - 58%
|
78 - 8%
|
127 - 5%
|
79 - 1%
|
**
AV#186–AP results shows failure of CEI effort in a
low-performing high school (Nov.
14, 2018)
“…we should be glad to see the details of AP results at two APS and DPS low-performing high schools, Abraham Lincoln and Aurora Central, schools like Sierra High that CEI never should have included in its AP push. But again – ever since I included their AP results in previous newsletters – we see little to nothing.
CEI
states:
“Our Colorado Legacy Schools (CLS) initiative works with 47
high schools across the state to dramatically increase the number and diversity
of Colorado high school students who are succeeding in AP math, science, and
English courses — especially students typically underrepresented in AP courses
such as females, and students of poverty and color.”
“A ‘dramatic
increase …’ As I have shown before,
this never happened at Abraham Lincoln and Aurora Central. I had
hoped anyone who studied the alarmingly poor results of CEI’s effort there would
have agreed. And – while not a clear
cause and effect, but a factor – the schools continued to falter. Are we able to admit our mistakes? Can we see
when our desire ‘to help’ is misguided, even harmful?”
Accountability.
Transparency. Facts.
“What would I like to see? No more opinions about how we
can make our high schools more equitable by providing greater access to
students who have previously not had the opportunity to take rigorous
college-level classes. No more arguments about how the results at a school like
Sierra High fail to take into account the benefits of merely taking a more
rigorous courses, whether the student earns a passing rate or not. We are familiar with such points. What we
have not seen lately – from CEI, DPS, or APS – are the results of the AP
expansion in our state’s lowest-performing high schools. That is what I look for. Once such data is made public – I have not
lost hope – then we might have a discussion based on the facts.”
Addendum C – “Accountability
Background Report” – Abraham Lincoln
CDE’s Deputy Commissioner Alyssa Pearson presented to the
State Board the 2017, 2018, and 2019 PSAT and SAT data for the high school. It reported DOES NOT MEET in all categories all three years.
Below – my own chart similar to what Pearson showed the State Board on Feb. 13, 2020. Limited to just the past two years, with the addition of the percentile rank for student groups.*
Subject
|
Student Group
|
Percentile Rank
|
Rating
|
||
|
|
|
2018
|
2019
|
2018
|
2019
|
CO PSAT – Reading/Writing
|
All students
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
English
Learners
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Free/Reduced
Lunch Eligible
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Minority
Students
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Students
with Disabilities
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
CO PSAT – Math
|
All
students
|
2
|
5
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
English
Learners
|
1
|
2
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Free/Reduced
Lunch Eligible
|
2
|
5
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Minority
Students
|
2
|
5
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Students
with Disabilities
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
CMAS – Science
|
All
students
|
3
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
English
Learners
|
2
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Free/Reduced
Lunch Eligible
|
3
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Minority
Students
|
3
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
|
Students
with Disabilities
|
1
|
1
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
POSTSECONDARY
AND WORKFORCE READINESS
|
|||
Subject
|
Student Group
|
Rating
|
|
2018
|
2019
|
||
CO
SAT – Reading/Writing
|
All students
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
English Learners
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
Minority Students
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
Students with Disabilities
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
CO
SAT – Math
|
All students
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
English Learners
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
Minority Students
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
Students with Disabilities
|
Does Not Meet
|
Does Not Meet
|
|
*From the
School Performance Framework Reports for 2018 and 2019 for Abraham Lincoln.
Page 9 of CDE’s Accountability
Background Report on Abraham Lincoln captured an even longer time period, 2010-2019
– see Table 5. School Trends on Academic Achievement and Growth, for
English Language Arts and Math. Of the 20 boxes for those 10 years, 19 were
marked DOES NOT MEET.
Addendum D – Abraham Lincoln - # AP
tests taken, # and % passed – 2010-2019*
Year
|
Total # of AP Exams Taken
|
# of Exams scored 3 or better
|
% of Exams 3 or better
|
National Pass Rate on all AP Exams[vi]
|
2010
|
375
|
76
|
20%
|
58%
|
2011
|
397
|
59
|
15%
|
585
|
2012
|
421
|
100
|
24%
|
59.2%
|
2013
|
449
|
107
|
24%
|
58.9%
|
2014
|
473
|
107
|
23%
|
59.2%
|
2015
|
493
|
97
|
20%
|
57.9%
|
2016
|
365
|
70
|
19%
|
57.9%
|
2017
|
282
|
158**
|
56.2%**
|
57%
|
2018
|
223
|
65
|
29.1%
|
59%
|
2019
|
60
|
40
|
67%
|
59.6%
|
*2010-2016 -
From Accountability, Research & Evaluation office at DPS. 2010-2016 broken
down by subjects tested.
2017-19 –
From Colorado Department of Education: “AP_ Performance_16-19_By_Schoolsv2” –
Excel
**These 2017 figures jump out as being hard to believe, as they
are so inconsistent with what we see in the previous years and the ensuing
year. I asked DPS if it might be an error, and received this email response
from the Research and Strategy Manager: “I am confident there is not a
reporting error, and I don’t particularly find the Lincoln’s results odd. As
you know, rates can be influenced by a number of factors (number of tests
taken, teacher, subjects tested, class of students, etc.” (Nov. 2, 2018)
End notes
[i]
By one of the measures for college-readiness, SAT scores,
students at our lowest-performing high schools are a long way from meeting
expectations. Shouldn’t our focus be to help students become college ready
FIRST – before we ask them to take college level classes?
Is it any wonder passing rates on AP
course at these schools are so low?
2108
|
2019
|
GAP in 2019
|
||
SAT - ENGLISH
QUALIFYING SCORE
|
470
|
470
|
|
|
428.8
|
415.2
|
36.8 to 63.3 pts
|
||
Adams City High
|
442.3
|
433.2
|
||
Aurora Central High
|
422.2
|
406.7
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAT – MATH QUALIFYING
SCORE
|
500
|
500
|
|
|
Abraham Lincoln High
|
434.7
|
422.3
|
77.7 to 99.9 pts
|
|
Adams City High
|
429.6
|
411.6
|
||
Aurora Central High
|
409.5
|
400.1
|
||
[ii]
CEI’s AP Initiative in its Legacy Schools in Colorado focused on courses in
Math, Science, and English, so the percentage of student passing related to
CEI’s Initiative is specifically on those courses and exams. At other places in
this newsletter—it should be clear where—the percentage passing given is for
ALL the AP courses and exams at Lincoln for that particular year.
[iv]
CEI’s AP Initiative in its Legacy Schools in Colorado focused on courses in
Math, Science, and English, so the percentage of student passing related to
CEI’s Initiative is specifically on those courses and exams. At other places in
this newsletter—it should be clear where—the percentage passing given is for
ALL the AP courses and exams at Lincoln for that particular year.
[v]
DPS explains to me that STEM tests include Biology, Calculus AB and BC, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Physics 1 and 2 (which
replaces Physics B from 2014 and earlier), Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism,
and Mechanics), and Statistics.
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