The irony was lost on the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). I hope it is not lost on you.
It took place last March at a “progress
monitoring update” for schools on board directed action.
|
Compare the rising graduation rates to the
lower achievement scores, 2018-2025, at all five schools. Addendum A. |
Speaking specifically of the five high
schools so designated, CDE reported “positive movement overall. Every high
school included has improved on its graduation rate compared to the previous
year.”
The irony: the increase for all was most likely due – not to good work by teachers and students, certainly not to better student outcomes at these schools – but to choices made by … the State Board and CDE. They are largely responsible, even if they do not see it, for our ever-rising graduation rates.
|
Quotes from and comments on
CDE’s presentation to the State Board on these five schools. Addendum B. |
Another View
contends that several of the eleven options in our Guidelines permit students
to “earn” a high school diploma without having met that criteria. I have provided
evidence to support this claim.[v]
CDE has never given evidence to dispute my argument.
Up and away - Rising
rates at the schools, their districts, and the state
1.
This is why CDE’s update on higher graduation
rates at these five high schools in 2025 means so little. (Again, Addendum A
shows lower achievement scores, at each school, since 2021.)
|
|
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
|
2022-2025 – the first four years the new
Graduation Guidelines have been in place.[vi] |
||||
|
Abraham
Lincoln High (DPS) |
70.3 |
62.9 |
68.1 |
70.0 |
|
Adams City
High (Adams 14) |
85.9 |
83.4 |
83.9 |
87.9 |
|
Aurora
Central Campus (APS) |
70.1 |
62.3 |
56.1 |
59.5 |
|
Gateway High
(APS) |
64.2 |
65.7 |
63.5 |
65.4 |
|
Mitchell High
(Colorado Springs) |
63.1 |
61.3 |
66.0 |
68.8 |
2.
After all, graduation rates improved in 2025 in
all four districts where these five high schools are located. Nothing
special about these five schools. A rising tide lifts all boats.
|
|
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
|
|
2022-2025 – the first four years the new Graduation
Guidelines have been in place. |
|||||
|
Adams 14 |
69.3 |
68.8* |
75.9* |
83.7* |
|
|
Aurora Public
Schools |
77.5 |
77.1 |
75.4 |
78.7 |
|
|
Colorado
Springs 11 |
72.5 |
71.8 |
75.8 |
77.6 |
|
|
Denver Public
Schools |
78.1 |
80.3 |
81.1 |
83.0 |
|
3. Even more telling, given the 2025 bounce across the state, can’t we assume that high school graduation rates improved in most high schools? What CDE wanted to present as “good news” for five struggling high schools merely reflected the rising graduation rates throughout Colorado. Yes, the climb began before the new Graduation Guidelines were in place. But the graduation rate increased even more once the Guidelines took effect, up nearly 4 percentage points since 2021. (See graph.) Over 4,000 more students graduated in 2025 (60,387) than in 2021.
And yet high school achievement scores have declined
As for student outcomes, do we see the same “positive movement”? Not at all. Here are the results on our state assessment for high school juniors.
Qualifying score – 970 (through 2023) and 950 (2024 and 2025)
are the TOTAL SAT scores that would meet the Reading, Writing, and Communicating
and Mathematics requirements. More important are CDE’s qualifying scores for
each discipline. From 2018-2023, they were 470 in English and 500 in Math.
A qualifying score in English is still 470,
but for Math, in 2024, it was reduced to 480. See CDE’s explanation for
this change.[vii] This
context matters in looking at Colorado scores in 2024 and 2025.
In Colorado, the disconnect between higher graduation rates and lower achievement scores is plain to see. (For an especially large gap between the two in one Colorado school district, see Addendum D.)
No reason, then, to celebrate higher graduation rates
Without a clear understanding of what our 178 districts expect students to demonstrate to “earn” a diploma, graduation rates
|
Colorado is not alone - #1. “The Graduation Gap: When Students Earn a
High School Diploma But Still Can’t Do Math.” Addendum E. |
|
Colorado is
not alone - #2. “The slippery slope of relaxed high school graduation
standards.” Addendum F. |
As for a third option – who believes that achieving a Bronze level on ACT WorkKeys meets that criteria?[ix] It is alarming to learn that one district reports over 29% of its seniors met Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines in 2025 via the ACT WorkKeys option. (Details next month in AV #305.) If more districts and/or CDE were equally transparent about how many students are "meeting the Guidelines" with this low bar, we might begin to see the size of the problem.
|
In September, AV #305 – A
four-year effort to learn what CDE will tell us about the Menu of Options.
Includes data CDE made public this spring. |
Unfortunately, a careful review is
exactly what the State Board and the Colorado Department of Education are
unwilling to conduct.
It is not clear why.
But if they are afraid such a review will reveal, as I believe, that Colorado has lowered the bar to “earn” a high school degree in our state, I understand their refusal. The consequences of knowing the truth would be enormous.
It could also be a first stop to updating and revising our Graduation Guidelines.
Addendum A
Declining SAT scores (for juniors) at these five high schools, 2018-2025
Average 2018-2021 – 854 GAP – 69 points Average 2022-2026 - 785
Addendum B
March 12, 2026 – “Progress monitoring update” - State Board of
Education
In presenting these updates, CDE does not have time
to tell the full story about each school.
But when are half-truths misleading? Why not be more transparent?
From the presentation by Dr. Andy Swanson, Executive Director, Improvement and
Innovation at CDE, to the State Board of Education, March 12, 2026.*
[CDE’s previous progress monitoring update took place in September 2025, before the Final School Performance Frameworks were released later that fall.] (Bold mine)
Swanson: “There were some sites here that we can
celebrate that were successfully able to submit a request to reconsider that
you all approved in December. Since then … Abraham Lincoln High School and
Aurora Central Campus have moved to Improvement and therefore [are] On
Watch status.
“So we’re
very excited,” he added, to have these two among the four schools that had been
rated lower, and are now “in their first year On Watch and first year of
improved performance according to our frameworks.”
COMMENT: “according to our frameworks” – Swanson was
choosing his words carefully, knowing, I imagine, that neither school had
improved their academic performance in any significant way in 2025.
Swanson: “It’s helpful to look briefly at some
system-level trends for the [five] high schools that are under State Board
directed action.”
COMMENT: Swanson showed Slide 8 - the four-year
graduation rates at these five high schools. He first noted that “across the
state, the four-year graduation rate has continued to increase.”
Swanson: “Among sites with State-Board directed
action, we are also seeing positive movement overall. Every high school
included has improved on its graduation rate compared to the previous year.
Adams 14 and Adams City High in particular have seen significant increases over
the past two years.” [Again, how credible are these figures? See Addendum C.]
Swanson: “While many of the schools are still below
the state average …
COMMENT: Swanson did acknowledge the obvious.
(Slide
8 showed that at the four high schools other than Adams City, graduation rates were 15 to 21 points below the state average.) But note the
effort to downplay the facts.
(Swanson, con’t) “… the consistent upward movement suggests that several sites are making progress in supporting students to remain on track to graduate and successfully complete their high school careers on time.”
COMMENT: This is called spin. At four of these
schools, 30% or more of the students did NOT complete high school on time.
At most of the five schools, the “progress” on graduation rates from 2024 to
2025 was minimal. And as for “still below the state average,” let’s be
specific: At Aurora Central High, the major school on the campus, the
graduation rate was below 60% for the past two years. A detail not mentioned
– but loud and clear on Slide 8.
Dropout rates
When the
next slide showed the dropout rate at these high schools, Swanson was compelled
to speak of the stunning figures at Aurora Central High the past two years, 9.1%
in 2024 and reaching 9.2% in 2025 - when the state average was 1.6%.
COMMENT: CDE’s conundrum – contradicting itself
Here was a perfect example, highlighted in AV #301, of how CDE staff now gives us contradictory messages. They sound upbeat about Aurora Central Campus – now on Improvement! – and then (in this case, just a few minutes later) show us (even if not saying it) appalling student outcomes at Aurora Central High School.
(I have met
with Dr. Swanson. I appreciate the challenge in providing a clear account of
Aurora Central’s story. But I cringe to see well-meaning folks at CDE caught in
this position.)
COMMENT: Unfortunately, another half-truth followed:
Swanson lauded the “notable improvement” at Abraham Lincoln, which “reduced
[its] dropout rate substantially.” True. But as reported in AV #301, it is also
true that few comprehensive high schools in Colorado had such a high chronic
absentee rate as Abraham Lincoln, over 60% in 2025. Equally rare, Abraham
Lincoln had more students truant (513) than not truant (493).
And what
about the other kind of “dropping out” noted in #301? Over one hundred freshmen
at Abraham Lincoln in 2025 did not return for their sophomore year.
**
Recall how this presentation to the State Board began:
Dr. Swanson celebrating the happy news that Aurora Central Campus and Abraham
Lincoln were rated on Improvement.
*State Board of Education meeting – YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/live/pERneDjrQ2I
Addendum
C
Adams 14 and Adams City High – rising
graduation rates
Adams 14 has two high schools, Adams City High and an
alternative high school, Lester Arnold. The sharp rise in graduation rates
reported by Adams 14 seems related to the big bounce in graduation rates at
Lester Arnold High School. Graduation rates at Lester Arnold were extremely low
in 2022 and 2023. The jump since then, from a 25% graduation rate in 2023 to 75%
in 2025, naturally invites questions. On average, alternative high schools in
Colorado show graduation rates around 44%.[x]
|
|
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
|
2022-2025 – the first four years the
new Graduation Guidelines have been in place. |
||||
|
Lester Arnold
High School |
29.3 |
25.0 |
53.3 |
75.0 |
|
Adams City
High |
85.9 |
83.4 |
83.9 |
87.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adams 14
(TOTAL) |
69.3 |
68.8 |
75.9 |
83.7 |
|
State
average |
82.3 |
83.1 |
84.2 |
85.5 |
Such a remarkable rise in graduation rates at Lester Arnold, and thus the district, touches on the larger theme of AV #304: in order to “earn” a high school diploma at Lester Arnold, did the school, and the district, lower the bar?
Also curious: the huge discrepancy between the graduation rate in Adams 14, now close to the state average, and its SAT scores, over 180 points below the state average in 2023, 2024, and again in 2025. More evidence that “impressive” graduation rates tell us little about the skills and knowledge our graduates are able to demonstrate.
Average 2018-2021 – 846 GAP – 43 points Average 2022-2026 - 803
If it is puzzling to see the graduation rate in a low-performing district like Adams 14 nearly match the state average, even more striking is to see that Pueblo 60’s graduation rate exceeds the state average, as shown in …
Addendum D
One more example of the disconnect:
Pueblo 60
Graduation
rates climb as achievement falls
Pueblo 60 again celebrated a higher graduation rate in 2025 (88.9%). Even better than the state average (85.5%).[xi] In Pueblo 60, this rate grew by almost 5 percentage points in just one year. Remarkable.
However, achievement scores for juniors have declined significantly since 2021. SAT scores in Pueblo 60 have been over 100 points below the state average each of the past four years
When nearly 90% of Pueblo 60 students graduate in four years, the question is obvious: are we confident that the vast majority of these students are meeting the expectations in our Graduation Guidelines? To be specific, do we believe that in 2024-25 close to 90% of the city's students “demonstrate(d) readiness for college and career based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics”? [xii]
Graduation rate in Pueblo 60 now exceeds state average
|
|
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
|
2022-2025 – the first four years the new Graduation
Guidelines have been in place. |
||||
|
Pueblo 60 |
78.1 |
80.6 |
84.6 |
89.5 |
|
State
average |
82.3 |
83.1 |
84.2 |
85.5 |
Addendum E
From “The Graduation Gap: When Students Earn a High School
Diploma But Still Can’t Do Math,” by Chad Aldeman, The 74, 4/15/26.
Excerpts (Bold mine)
Congratulations! High school graduation rates in your state are hitting
all-time highs!
But before you crack open the champagne, you should know that only a
small fraction of those students can do high school-level math. Those graduates
may struggle if they try to go to college, qualify for military service or
pursue other technical training.
**
Across the country, the percentage of high schoolers who earn diplomas
far exceeds the percentage who can demonstrate mastery in math, often by 30, 40
or even 50 percentage points. [NOTE: The article gave 2024 Colorado data;
it showed our gap to be over 50 percentage points.]
**
What can be done about these problems? The
answer can’t be to simply lower graduation rates until they match the
proficiency levels, or to discard diplomas entirely, even if their signaling
value has been degraded over time….
Most importantly, states need to be honest
about what a high school diploma actually means. It should signal that a
graduate is ready for what comes next — college, career training, military
service or the workforce.
When states continue awarding diplomas while
large shares of students remain far below grade level in math, that signal
weakens. Families assume a high school diploma reflects readiness. Employers
and colleges often do too. But the Graduation Gap data show that assumption is
shaky.
In other words, state leaders need to strike
a better balance between attainment measures like graduation rates and
achievement measures like math scores. To do that, states need to pay more
attention to gaps in foundational skills, measure learning more honestly and
ensure that the diplomas students receive actually means what the public
believes it means.
Addendum F
From “The
slippery slope of relaxed high school graduation standards,” by James Peyser, Thomas
B. Fordham Institute, 11/13/25.
Excerpts (Bold mine)
… I agree with the apparent consensus that
we should consider more varied and flexible ways to evaluate student readiness
for graduation, but I’m very concerned that we’re stepping onto a slippery
slope that the (relentless) opponents of standards-based reform will exploit,
unless there is a clear foothold on which to stand.
**
Which leads me to conclude that, while we
need to provide opportunities for students to pursue multiple pathways in high
school that align to their interests and career aspirations, including new ways
of assessing their learning, we cannot walk away from bedrock promise of the
last 40-odd years of education reform: that all students, regardless of where
they live or the challenges they face, should graduate from high school with
the requisite knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a life of their choosing.
This requires more than just a passing familiarity with the academic subject
areas that provide young people with the ability to actually have choices.
“Are high
school graduation standards too low? Yes, and they’re getting lower.
Should we have a multi-tiered or differentiated graduation standard? Maybe, but
as a complement to a rigorous common standard, not a substitute.”
Endnotes
[i] From
our Graduation Guidelines - the Menu of Options: Accuplacer, ACT,
ACT WorkKeys, Advanced Placement, ASVAB, Concurrent Enrollment, District
Capstone, Industry Certificates, International Baccalaureate, SAT,
Collaboratively Developed standards-based performance assessment. CDE: https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelinesmenuofoptionspdf
[ii]
Issues of Another View making this point:
Sept. 2023 - AV #263 – Colorado’s new graduation guidelines – early warning signs that they fall short – Part 1
Oct. 2023 - AV #264 – Part
2 - State’s Menu of Options: greater flexibility – and a
lower bar
Case in point: District Capstones (where we
have no “guidelines”)
Jan. 2026 - AV #295 - Towards a review of Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines in 2026 – three concerns - https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/2026/01/
[iii] Most recent technical changes were in 2019, three years before the Graduation Guidelines went into effect.
From CDE’s Graduation Guidelines FAQs:
Will the Menu of
Options change?
“Over time, Colorado’s Graduation
Guidelines will continue to evolve as new assessments and mastery criteria are
identified. The State Board of Education voted to approve the Menu of Options on September 2015. It was updated - with technical
changes only - in January 2018 and 2019, and with flexibility for the Class of 2021, due to the pandemic, in July 2020." https://ed.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines/gradguidelinesfaqs
Further evidence:
Dec. 2025 – AV #294 – Since the Colorado State Board of Education is responsible
for our Graduation Guidelines, it is high time for a review
Part 1 - The State Board's role and responsibility - https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/2025/12/av-294-colorado-graduation-guidelines.html
Part 2 - News articles, op-ed pieces, reports - 2013-2024 -
https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/2025/
[iv]
Colorado Department of Education, Menu of Options, https://ed.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines/grad-menu
[v] See
the three issues of Another View in Endnote ii, above.
[vi] All graduation rate data throughout, from
the Colorado Department of Education, Graduation /
Completion Statistics, https://ed.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/graduation-completion-statistics
[vii] “News Release -- Colorado State Board of Education
adjusts cut scores for digital SAT math on the Graduation Guidelines,” CDE,
https://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/news-release-91124-september-sbe
[viii]
No
minimum score required on these two options. There is no state standard.
“Capstone projects are district determined …”
“Industry certificates are credentials recognized by business and
industry. They are district determined ...” (From the Menu
of College and Career-Ready Demonstrations, CDE, https://ed.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines/grad-menu.)
At
“Graduation Guidelines FAQs,” CDE states:
“Does the state
have an approved list of Industry Certifications?
“Each district has the authority to create the process
and criteria for approving industry certifications.” (https://ed.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines/gradguidelinesfaqs
[ix] AV #263 and AV #295 took a close look at the ACT WorkKeys assessments. Most recent is AV #295:
“Towards a review of Colorado’s Graduation
Guidelines in 2026 – three concerns”
Three
options of special concern. Are expectations clear? Are we expecting enough?
A. Two where there is no clear minimum standard;
expectations are “district determined”
B.
A third, ACT
WorkKeys, where the minimum score is lower than in five other states
Addenda A-H – more on the options that are “district determined” and on
ACT WorkKeys
[x]
“Best
Colorado Alternative Public High Schools (2026),” Public School Review, https://www.publicschoolreview.com/colorado/alternative-public-schools/high
[xi] “Colorado’s high school graduation rate rose again in 2025, while dropout rate hit a historic low,” by Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado, Jan. 13, 2026, https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/01/13/class-of-2025-graduation-rate-rose-dropout-rate-fell/
Excerpt
In the Pueblo 60 school
district, where the four-year graduation rate rose 4.7 percentage points to
88.9%, Superintendent Barbara Kimzey ticked off a long list of factors that led
to the gain.[xi]
They included adding
transition programs for students entering sixth and ninth grades, expanding
career and technical classes in subjects such as culinary arts and
cybersecurity, and working with the city to adjust public bus routes to fight
absenteeism among high school students, she said.
“What we have done is then really work on: Can we adjust those routes so they’re closer to our schools, so kids aren’t having to spend an hour on the bus?” Kimzey said. “And making sure our families all know what’s available. … We are a majority Latino community, so we make sure all of our communications are in Spanish and English.”
[xii] Colorado Department of Education, Menu of Options, https://ed.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines/grad-menu
**
Additional data on the 2025 graduation and dropout rates is at CDE's News Release: Colorado graduation rate reaches highest level in more than a decade; dropout rate at all-time low (Jan. 13, 2026). https://ed.cde.state.co.us/newsbureau/newsrelease/news-release-grad-and-dropout-2026
