Press Release

School Report Card Distribution Begins This Week

March 5, 2001

New report cards with the latest student achievement information and a brief narrative description of each school will be widely distributed beginning this week.

The district report cards include a new design and a host of data that describe each school's unique characteristics.

On-line versions of the report cards have been posted on the district's web site (www.denver.k12.co.us); click on "schools." Printed copies will be sent home to parents beginning this week.

Achievement data focus on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) results at the elementary and middle school levels and on the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) for high schools.

The achievement data includes a three-year performance history and a breakdown of the results by various student categories.

The achievement results include:

• Students tested in English
  
• Students tested in Spanish
  
• Ethnicity
  
• Students eligible or not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
  
• Students with no special education status
  
• Students tested in English who speak English only
  
• Students at the same school for three consecutive years.

General school information offers a statistical portrait of the school, including the number of years the principal has served at each school and the faculty's years of experience and the percentage of teachers who have earned a master's degree.

The number of students who qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch in each school is reported, along with the percentage of students who are in the process of learning the English language.

Suspension rates are reported for all three grade levels (elementary, middle and high) and dropout and graduation rates are reported for high schools.

The district report cards offer more detailed statistics than the state report cards due to be distributed later this year. In the narratives, which are not contemplated as part of the state version, the report cards also offer the chance for each school to describe its particular educational program.

Copies of each school report card are also available in Spanish.