Announcements

DENVER, CO – Denver Public Schools today released updated School Performance Framework (SPF) reports for every one of the district’s 140 schools. The reports provide a comprehensive look at a school’s performance—focused primarily on year-to-year growth—in areas ranging from academic progress to attendance and student and parent satisfaction.

View pdf: SPF Presentation

“These scorecards are a critical management tool to help principals and faculties target their programs and strategies on areas that need improvements,” DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said. “The most important question to ask in reviewing these reports is: Are we driving academic growth in our students, regardless of where they start in terms of classroom proficiency? We have many of our schools that are showing very strong growth. I want to congratulate the teachers and principals at those schools on their tremendous efforts, and we will work with them to share their strategies and success stories across the district.”

The SPF reports give schools one of four designations: Distinguished; Meets Expectations; Accredited: On Watch; and Accredited: On Probation. In evaluating the schools, the district factors in school data on:

 Academic performance
 Academic progress/growth
 Post-secondary readiness
 Student engagement
 Parent engagement
 School demand

On the 2009 reports, the percentage of schools with the lowest designation of “On Probation” dropped from 24% to 18% from the previous year. In addition, the percentage of schools with ratings of “Distinguished” or “Meets” increased slightly, from 44% to 45%.

Six schools increased their overall SPF scores by 20 points or more:

 Cowell Elementary School (28)
 Sabin International Elementary School (26)
 Garden Place Elementary School (25)
 Farrell B. Howell School (K-8) (21)
 Force Elementary School (20)
 Colorado High School (20)

And nine DPS schools received “Distinguished” ratings. They are:

 Denver School of Science and Technology (grades 9-12)
 West Denver Preparatory Charter School (grades 6-8)
 Steck Elementary School
 Polaris Elementary School at Ebert
 Slavens Elementary School
 Bromwell Elementary School
 University Park Elementary School
 Lincoln Elementary School
 Cory Elementary School

“I’d like to congratulate the Distinguished schools as well as those that posted strong gains on the SPF reports,” DPS Chief Academic Officer Ana Tilton said. “This shows not just the excellent work of the teachers in the classroom, but also the entire school staff’s commitment to creating an engaging environment for students and parents.”

Boasberg added: “I’m pleased to see that the number of probation schools has dropped from 35 to 25, but I’m still deeply concerned about the performance of these schools. I look forward to working with their faculties and principals on developing improvement strategies for their schools.”

SPF reports for all schools will be available at on the DPS website beginning Friday, Sept. 18.

For more information, contact the communications office at 720-423-3414.

23 High-Poverty DPS Schools Received a “Distinguished” or “Meets” Rating on the 2009 SPF
(Schools listed below have at least 80% of their enrollment qualify for free/reduced price meals)

Archuleta
Beach Court
Bryant Webster
Castro
College View
Columbine
Cowell
Force
Goldrick
Grant
Greenwood
Gust
Harrington
KIPP Sunshine Peak
Maxwell
McMeen
Place Bridge
Ridgeview Academy
Schmitt
Stedman
Valverde
West Denver Prep
Wyatt Edison