School districts get their assessment test scores about 10 days before they are released to the public. While analysis of scores and other data is ongoing, here’s what local district officials are saying about their TCAP scores:ACADEMY SCHOOLDISTRICT 20Superintendent Mark Hatchell had a lot of good things to say about results, including “stable increases” across grades in reading and science, and “solid gains” in math.“We’ve gotten good at analyzing data and targeting areas that need attention,” he said.The district supports teachers with professional development, and work to improve scores doesn’t stop, he said.“We have great students, we have great teachers and supportive parents,” he said.He said that the philosophy in the district is that with good instruction, students will learn and assessments will take care of themselves.CALHAN SCHOOLDISTRICT RJ1Superintendent Linda Miller:  “We are keeping up with expectations in reading. Math and writing are areas of concern. We are never satisfied, we always want to improve. We have put together collaborative teams to find better ways to align curriculum. More rigor is good. Student growth is embedded in the scores and we will look closely at that as well as achievement. That’s our big conversation with teachers.”CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICT 12Assistant Superintendent Bev Tarpley:  “We are very pleased. We do some format instruction about the tests, but don’t spend a lot of time with test preparation and those little booklets that take away from direct instruction. We teach our hearts out every day on the right stuff. It is our second year using Envision Math in K-6. Scores were up the first year, and are up again. Science is up 10 points in junior high. The English department has been focused on reading and writing skills for success in high school and college through all the classes and it is showing success.”COLORADO SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT 11Elementary math scores were the high point for the largest school district in the region.“We’re outperforming the state,” said Jeanice Swift, D-11 assistant superintendent for instruction, curriculum and student services.The gain is credited to a different approach to the subject that has been used in the district only one year. Results typically improve even more the second year of ST Math, she said.“We’re starting to build a stronger foundation for our students in math,” said Superintendent Nicholas Gledich.High school science scores also improved, Swift said.Other scores were a mix of gains, losses or no change. Moving forward, writing in particular will be an area of focus, she said.Ultimately, teaching is about what is good for the students, and not test scores, she said. “We’re in it for the long haul.”CRIPPLE CREEK-VICTOR SCHOOL DISTRICT RE1“We started off strong with 94 percent in proficient and advanced in third grade reading,” said Superintendent Sue Holmes. “It’s hard to top that.”Other scores were a mixed bag, she said, adding that the small district will dig into test results to determine if the issues are based on curriculum or instruction, and make changes as needed.“We put a lot of hard work into reading instruction at all grade levels,” she said.A bad testing day for a handful of students can significantly impact scores in a district as small as Cripple Creek-Victor, Holmes said. Another challenge is the high number of students — about 25 percent — considered “transient” in that they don’t remain in the district for long periods.EDISON SCHOOLDISTRICT 54JTSuperintendent Pat Bershinsky: “We are doing well all across the board. Districtwide, reading is 87 percent proficient and advanced, writing, 63 percent, math, 75 percent and science, 68 percent. We have received a governor’s award for academic excellence for two years and are doing a nice job. We have small classes, and intensive one-on-one training. That is what rural education is all about. We bought a program to help align our curriculum and believe our scores are good enough that we won’t have to panic when the new standards are in place.”ELLICOTT SCHOOLDISTRICT 22Superintendent Patrick Cullen (who took over the job last month): “Our scores are unacceptable. We aren’t that far off to turn it around. The teachers aren’t doing such a bad job, and students know a lot more than is indicated by the scores. But we have an alignment problem. We have to move toward the state academic standards so that we will be teaching what we are tested on. We are reviewing the data and implementing an action plan. We will be driving daily instruction with test data to ensure kids are getting what we are teaching on any particular day. Our students deserve a quality education. In a year’s time I guarantee we will show improvement.”FALCON SCHOOLDISTRICT 49Falcon Middle School was the highlight of test scores in the district, with big gains in nearly all subjects, said Amber Whetstine, school improvement coordinator. Scores increased almost 10 percentage points in sixth grade reading, eighth grade reading and seventh grade writing.Writing scores mostly dipped across the district, Whetstine said. The district is awaiting performance frameworks from the state to get a better idea of how D-49 did in comparison with other schools and in closing the achievement gap.“We saw steady gains in reading,” Whetstine said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”Bumps in math and science at some schools were credited with increases in scores.Spokeswoman Stephanie Wurtz Meredith said that under the innovation plans, schools are each designing curriculum for  their own students — there are no districtwide efforts.At Falcon Middle School, reading and writing classes are two separate sessions; at most other schools the subjects are combined.Whetstine said the district is moving forward with changes as new core standards are introduced.FOUNTAIN-FORT CARSON SCHOOL DISTRICT 8Assistant Superintendent Debbie Pierre: “At the elementary level in proficient and advanced, we are ahead of the state in nine of 10 areas, particularly third grade math at 81 percent. We are pleased with the high school increases in writing, science and reading. Two of our elementary schools, Abrams and Aragon, with  the highest numbers of students (from impoverished families) did great, and are above state average. We have a new districtwide math program adopted two years ago, and it is producing greater student achievement. We are pleased with the high school progress and also with the direction of our growth scores. They are the highest we have achieved in reading, writing and math. We are continuing to work on our math alignment, and training our teachers and students for the common core standards, and providing advanced placement classes.HANOVER SCHOOLDISTRICT 28Superintendent Paul McCarty: “We have a new reading intervention program for Grades 3 through 8 that started last year, and we are seeing growth there across the board. It is also showing up in writing and science, because when you get proficient readers, they do better everywhere. We had challenges in math and didn’t have everything aligned. But it is starting to come around.  We are having more interventions in math and also in reading. We have a new program to give us data to target kids who need help.”  HARRISON SCHOOLDISTRICT 2Interim Superintendent David MacKenzie: “Out of 27 tests, we stayed the same in one and showed gains in 20. We are seeing growth across the board in reading, from three to 11 points. On many other assessments we made significant gains. We aren’t at the state level in everything, but are a bit above in specific tests. (Four years ago, the district was on probation.)  For the first time we beat the state level in third grade math, with 72 percent; in writing, 55 percent compared to 52 percent for the state. We are one point below in third grade reading at 73 percent. Our English-as-second-language scorers are higher than the state. Overall, we have a ways to go. We aren’t  satisfied. We already aligned with the national core standards two years ago, before Colorado adopted them.LEWIS-PALMER SCHOOL DISTRICT 38Lori Benton, director of assessment: “Overall we outscored the state average on TCAP. We have some great gains of 10 percent, and some drops in others. In looking at who remained stable or improved in proficiency in reading for all grade levels, the lowest is 86 percent. In ninth- and 10th-year math, 73 percent of our students remained stable or improved in proficiency. But we don’t know exactly how we did until we look carefully at the  growth statistics. Are our students growing academically one year in one year’s time?”MANITOU SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT 14Math remains a challenge, but in reading the district is holding its own, said Pat Urban, director of instructional and special programs.“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said. “We would love to see high scores.”The district will continue to focus on whole-child learning and is always trying to find ways to make gains by adding programs.“The entire state of Colorado needs to look at math,” she said.MIAMI-YODER SCHOOL DISTRICT JT60Superintendent Rick Walter: “Our elementary grades are progressing nicely. We had great 10th grade reading scores. But there is disappointment in middle school and in high school reading, writing and science. We have a lot of new teachers the past two years and are excited about the energy in the district. We purchased a curriculum program through BOCES, Focal Point, and that will help with scores and lesson planning and a guide to what should be taught, rather than hit or miss as to the state standards. We are part of a state pilot on teacher effectiveness and have ongoing training to implement  teacher- and principal-evaluation rubrics that will allow everyone to see where they need help.”PEYTON SCHOOLDISTRICT 23JTSuperintendent Tim Kistler: “Our third-, sixth- and eighth-graders did well. But overall it’s the worst year in some time. Most of our scores are above the state average, but that is not our benchmark. The teachers were good in trying to prepare. The state adjusted the tests. There was ambiguity on how much of the old and new would be on the tests. And we were thrown off and prepared for different questions.”  WIDEFIELD SCHOOLDISTRICT 3Superintendent Joe Royer: “We’re encouraged about the improvement we’ve shown in K-5 literacy. Our hard work paid great dividends and provides the foundation for improved student learning across all disciplines. While we have pockets of positive scores in our secondary schools, we still have work to do there. We will continue to identify best practices that have the highest effect on student learning and will ensure instructional fidelity in every classroom.”WOODLAND PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-2“Like every year, we had some ups and downs,” said Linda Murray, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.A couple of students can shift the results significantly for better or for worse in the small district, she said.Science and reading scores were highlights, Murray said, adding that math scores were stable.Writing scores dropped, as they did in districts across the state.“I think everyone gasped when we saw the results,” she said.A lot of work is being done to align with new core standards, she said, so adjusting and prioritizing curriculum will continue. The district is implementing new math curriculum this school year, and expects to see more improvement in future test scores.—Contact Carol McGraw: 636-0371 Twitter @mcgrawatgazetteFacebook Carol McGraw