5 takeaways, other notable trends from Colorado schools’ test results
Test scores for some schools show educators are closing the learning loss gap, but one advocate says, "In reality we haven’t closed the gaps for anybody."
Here are five takeaways from the latest Colorado Measures of Academic Success, an annual yardstick of student achievement. The state has not created a metric to rank district or school academic performances. And so to better understand — and compare — the CMAS scores, The Denver Gazette created a ranking by calculating “a grand total” by averaging math and literacy results.
Pandemic-period learning loss still haunts schools
Educators and advocates all agree — the learning loss from the pandemic reverberates to this day.
Denver Public Schools, for example, saw gains in proficiency in the areas of literacy and math with 0.9% and 1.5% increases, respectively. But the district is still playing catchup, as these improvements lag behind pre-pandemic levels. English scores, for one, are down 2.5% and math 2.4%, compared to 2019.
“What this tells us is the impact the pandemic has had,” said Anthony Smith, chief of Equity and Engagement for Denver Public Schools. Schools closed and adopted remote or virtual education in the early stages of the pandemic, which disrupted learning and exacerbated already-existing challenges.
Test scores show uneven landscape
The latest student assessment data show an uneven landscape for Colorado’s schools. All told, schools throughout the state experienced incremental and inconsistent academic improvement.
Both English and math saw a slight increase in testing participation rates from 2022 but remain lower than 2019 levels.
The data yielded a slight increase in the percentage of students who met or exceeded expectations from 2022 to 2023 in English. When it comes to math, the results show a more noticeable increase in the percentage of students who met or exceeded expectations during the same period. But the generally lower scores in math, compared to English, across schools indicates the need for targeted intervention or support.
Cheyenne Mountain claims No. 1 spot
Cheyenne Mountain 12 claimed the No. 1 spot as the top performing district in the state, with the highest average portion of students meeting or exceeding the state’s math standard, 68.1%, and the state’s English standard, 59.3%. They’re followed by Hinsdale County RE 1 and Steamboat Springs RE-2.
The scores also showed variations in performance across subjects. While 71% of students at Hinsdale County RE 1 met or exceeded the English standard, a smaller portion, 50%, met or exceeded the math standard. Hinsdale’s performance also jumped the most — with the portion of students meeting or exceeding the English standard growing by almost 22 percentage points, and the portion meeting or exceeding the math standard growing by 14 percentage points.
A tale of two districts: Douglas and Adams
In metro Denver, Douglas County Re 1 showed the highest improvement, with 56% and a difference of 4.55 points from 2019, representing an 8.8% increase, when using the Denver Gazette’s averaging metric. Actually, it’s the only district whose CMAS results have improved, compared to 2019. All the other Denver districts showed declines in the portions of students meeting or exceeding either the math or English standards. Adams County 14, in particular, saw a significant decline overall, down 6 points from 2019, a steep 34.7% decrease.
Indeed, Adams County 14 also held the distinction of having the smallest portion overall of students meeting or exceeding the standards.
Other districts in the region showed stability: Cherry Creek 5 and Jefferson County R-1 experienced relatively small changes from 2019 to 2023.
Plateau Valley 50, Creede improve
The data revealed significant improvements among schools in the middle tier. Indeed, some districts, such as Plateau Valley 50 in Collbran and Creede School District, showed marked progress, both in difference and percentage changes. So did Weldon Valley RE-20, North Park R-1, Dolores County RE No. 2 and Mountain Valley RE 1.
Among the Top 10 districts, the trends are mixed. Some showed slight declines or some improvements, while others remained relatively stable. A noticeable variation in the portion of students meeting or exceeding the state’s standards between English and math across many districts is palpable, indicating potential areas of strength and weakness in different subjects.
Notable trends in metro Denver
In metro Denver, most districts saw a higher number meeting the standard in English compared to math in 2023. For example, Littleton 6 showed 59.9% in English and 51.2% in math.
Polaris Elementary School in Denver County 1 is the highest-performing school in the state, with an overall average of 94%. It’s also a significant outlier in the district.
Marshdale Elementary School in Jefferson County R-1 and Altitude Elementary School in Cherry Creek 5 showed significant improvement from 2019 to 2023.
Ralston Elementary School in Jefferson County R-1 yielded a notably higher number of students meeting the standard in math (83.5%), compared to English (76.5%).
Some schools showed extreme disparities between English and math standards. For example, Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School has 54.7% for English, but 17.2% for math.
Denver
Gazette contributor Evan Wyloge provided data analysis of Colorado Measures of Academic Success test scores.
Polaris Elementary, a magnet school for gifted students based in Denver, ranked No. 1 in the state in the latest Colorado Measures of Academic Success scores.
tom.hellauer@denvergazettedev.gazette.com
Teshawn Ashley takes a photo of his daughter, incoming second grader Sailyah Taylor, 7, as she poses in front of signs welcoming kids back to school at Jewell Elementary School on Aug. 8 in Aurora.
Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Michael Giles Jr. talks with students who wait to head inside with their classes on the first day of school at Jewell Elementary School on Aug. 8 in Aurora.
