UPDATE: School Accountability Reports - dig into school data

If you think fresh, young teachers have the most to offer your child, you might want to check out The Classical Academy, a charter school in Academy School District 20 with strong academic performance.

Among all schools in the Pikes Peak region, The Classical Academy has the most teachers with fewer than three years experience - 40 on a staff of 90 full-time and 34 part-time teachers, according to the Colorado Department of Education.

That statistical snapshot is one of the many pieces of information in the Colorado Department of Education's annual School Accountability Report, which was released Tuesday. The report is a bonanza for people who love educational data, those who want to know how their children's schools are doing or for those who are looking for a school with particular features. It provides a wide range of information such as teacher experience and salaries, test scores, academic improvement (or deterioration), how much trouble occurred in a school and how many students get free or reduced price lunches.

Perhaps you're looking for a Pikes Peak area school with a highly experienced principal. That would be Paul Martin, who has been a principal for 33 years and is currently in the top job at Cheyenne Mountain High School. Running behind Martin are Julie Jadomski, Palmer Lake Elementary School, with 27 years as a principal; Gail Smartt, Twain Elementary School, with 26 years as a principal; and Gary Batsell, Discovery Canyon Campus, 25 years as a principal.

But most people like to see how individual schools or school districts are performing, and for the Pikes Peak region, the news is good: 40 schools are rated as "excellent" for academic performance, and none are rated unsatisfactory.

The data is supplied by school districts throughout the state, and for the most part is information the districts collect and analyze for their own use, said Todd Morse, director of assessment for Academy School District 20.

"The SAR compiles all of that in one readable form for parents and community members," he said. "It's a great summary piece, a great starting point for understanding the schools."

The real power in the data, he said, is in it how it's used on a daily basis to improve learning for students.

"We serve the students in the best possible way - that is informed by the data we collect."

Harrison School District 2 Superintendent Mike Miles agreed that the data is helpful for parents in understanding how schools are improving. But he cautioned that trying to compare this year's data to past years is impossible because it was calculated differently under new CDE procedures.

Also, he noted that people have to dig into the data to understand what the scores mean.

"For example, we had a lot of close scores between low and typical and typical and high," Miles said. "Some were right on the cusp and we missed out by .03. The typical range is pretty broad, too, so it makes a difference if you are low or high typical."

Marie Revak, director of assessment at Lewis-Palmer School District 38, agreed that looking deeper at the data is essential. She said District 38 uses it in conjunction with other data to focus on where improvement is needed.

School officials also cautioned that since much of the school-related data is reported by schools, those viewing it must remember that some schools do a better job of reporting incidents than others, especially when it comes to bad news such as fights and drug incidents.

Education writer Carol McGraw contributed to this report.

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Contact the Writer: 636-0251 or sue.mcmillin@gazette.com

Dig Into School Data

The Colorado Department of Education Web site let people search for schools with specific characteristics. You can sort by location, size and several other factors, such as academic ratings and discipline problems.

Make a customized search: http://reportcard.cde.state.co.us/reportcard/CommandHandler.jsp

Here are some tidbits gleaned from the data:

• 40 schools in the Pikes Peak region are rated as "excellent" for academic performance.
• No schools in the region were rated unsatisfactory.
• Lincoln Elementary School has the highest average teacher salary in the region, at $53,151.
• Sand Creek High School had the highest number of reported incidents - nine - involving deadly weapons.
• Harrison High School had the highest number of reported drug abuse incidents, at 29.
• Other schools with high numbers of new teachers (those with fewer than three years experience) include Doherty High School, 31, and Fountain-Fort Carson High School, 29.

To compare more data on Pikes Peak area schools, go here.

To see the statewide data, go here, where you'll find up-to-date information on 1,998 regular and alternative schools in the state. This year's report includes a category that is based on Colorado's new growth model. Schools are rated as having high, typical or low growth based on median percentiles.