CSAP: Springs area has 17 top-performing schools
In addition to releaasing the latest round of CSAP scores on Friday, the Colorado Department of Education recognized 161 schools statewide for sustained growth in one or more content area (math, reading, writing and science) over three years. The Pikes Peak region had 17 schools on the list:
• Academy School District 20: The Classical Academy
• Calhan School District RJ1: Calhan High School
• Cheyenne Mountain School District 12: Broadmoor, Cheyenne Mountain and Gold Camp elementary schools
• Colorado Springs School District 11: Chipeta, Edison, Howbert, Pike, Scott and Steele elementary schools; Holmes and Russell middle schools; Roosevelt-Edison Charter School
• Lewis-Palmer School District 38: Lewis-Palmer, Palmer Lake and Prairie Winds elementary schools
Source: Colorado Department of Education
Some snippets from Pikes Peak area CSAP results:
• Three schools had perfects scores, with 100 percent scoring proficient or advanced. Those were: Steele Elementary School in fourth grade math; Howbert Elementary School in fifth grade reading and math, and Vanguard High School in ninth and 10th grade reading and writing.
• Colorado Springs School District 11 continued to show steady improvement in its CSAP scores as its population of poor students also increased. Out of 17 schools in the Pikes Peak region recognized as high performing schools, nine were in D-11. Those schools showed sustained grow in one or more subject areas over three years. Spokeswoman Elaine Naleski said the district is trying to emulate the Education Trust’s model for closing the achievement gap for poor and minority students.
• Tweny-three schools had results of 95 percent proficient or advanced on one or more tests. Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy and Vanguard High School, which together offer kindergarten through 12th grade classes, accounted for 14 of those 50 tests.
• Harrison School District 2, where 73 percent of its 10,500 students receive free or reduced-price lunches, improved in 24 out of 27 CSAP categories. The district outperformed the eight other at-risk urban districts (those with more than 5,000 students and at least 50 percent poverty).
•Lewis Palmer District 38 excelled in writing. Marie Revak, director of assessment, said writing has faltered in recent years as kids have become glued to texting, Twitter, video games and other techno-social networks. To improve writing, Lewis Palmer teachers did more testing and promoted topics that inspired students.
•Peyton School District 23 JT exceeded the state growth median in 15 of 21 categories. The middle school, in particular, made big gains.One of the challenges is math, which went from 20 percent proficient in 2007, advanced to 40 percent in 2008, then dropped back to 20 percent this year. “We had something, but lost it. It’s a big concern,” said superintendent Tim Kistler.
• Academy School District 20 students this year exceeded the state median growth percentile on 16 of 21 tests. It just missed the state average on two tests and was below it three points on two tests and five points on one (sixth grade math). On the raw CSAP scores, the district had solid increases on all seventh and 10th grade tests and had gains in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on 14 of 27 tests.
-- Carol McGraw and Sue McMillin, The Gazette
