Superintendent Jerry Wartgow today noted three straight years of district-wide increases on the third-grade reading portion of the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) and highlighted many individual schools, including several ranked “unsatisfactory” by the state, where clear, significant progress was achieved.

Superintendent Wartgow cautioned against using the results from one subject and one grade level to extrapolate conclusions about overall progress in the 11 Denver elementary schools that currently hold “unsatisfactory” ratings.

But strong gains, he noted, are apparent in five of those schools, including:

• Ebert - Up from 22 percent proficient or advanced one year ago to 44 percent proficient or advanced in 2002.
  
• Cowell - Up from 20 percent to 40 percent proficient or advanced.
  
• Smith - Up from 20 percent to 36 percent proficient or advanced.
  
• Gilpin - Up from 23 percent to 37 percent proficient or advanced.
  
• Columbine - Up from 29 percent to 38 percent proficient or advanced.

“We are cautious about reading too much into these scores,” said Superintendent Wartgow, “but we need also to recognize the significant strides these schools are taking. In several cases, scores are reflecting 100 percent improvement, which is compelling.”

Among schools in the group ranked “low” by the state accountability reports, Superintendent Wartgow highlighted dramatic improvements at Marrama Elementary School and Bryant-Webster Elementary School.

At Marrama, 75 percent of the third graders scored in the proficient or advanced range (up from 51); at Bryant-Webster, 78 percent were proficient or advanced (up from 69).

“Bryant-Webster’s results are remarkable,” said Superintendent Wartgow. “This school has shown that it can improve achievement and continue to build on success. What’s notable with Bryant-Webster is that more than 90 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch and over half are English Language learners. But this school makes no excuses and clearly continues to set very high expectations for its students.”

Others in the “low” category that demonstrated clear progress included Stedman, Ellis, Fairmont, Montclair, Greenlee, Godsman, and Carson elementary schools.

Overall, third-grade students across Denver Public Schools posted a modest gain in reading achievement under the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) results released today.

This year, 50 percent of the 5,290 students who took the third-grade reading test posted scores that were proficient or advanced.

The results mean that district-wide scores have improved for three straight years. In the 2000-2001 school year, 49 percent of third graders were proficient or advanced in CSAP reading. In 1999-2002, 47 percent were proficient or advanced and in 1998-1999, 43 percent were proficient or advanced.

“We are looking for sustained, steady progress over time where students make significant strides toward achieving the standards in each grade level and in each subject,” said Superintendent Wartgow. “In many schools, we are continuing to see that this growth is not only possible but that it can be maintained at a very high level. In many other schools, performance still lags behind our expectations.”

Superintendent Wartgow said he expects the district’s new literacy plan, being prepared for implementation by Chief Academic Officer Sally Mentor Hay, will have an impact on the growth in scores soon. The literacy program will prescribe for schools the precise use of daily three-hour blocks of instruction in reading and writing. Those blocks will include 90 minutes of reading instruction, 60 minutes in a writer’s workshop, and 30 minutes of skills building. Mentor Hay is proposing that kindergarten and first-grade students read 1 million words each year (about four to six books each day).

The plan includes hiring instructional coaches and area literacy specialists to work with teachers to implement the literacy blocks. The hiring process is underway and a thorough training program is being planned for this summer.

Superintendent Wartgow said the 11 “unsatisfactory” elementary schools developed school improvement plans, in response to the state rankings, that were approved and finalized by January, just two months before the latest round of CSAP tests were administered. Some improvements were made immediately, he said, but many elements of the plans, being supported with the use of additional state funds provided directly to “unsatisfactory” schools, won’t begin to impact achievement until the 2002-2003 school year.

“We need to learn from those schools that have developed programs that work and continue to focus on our goals - setting high expectations for all students, improving the performance of all students, and closing the gap between better and poorer performing students,” said Superintendent Wartgow.

Complete CSAP results for scores in other grade levels and subjects will be released by the state later this year. Third-grade reading scores are reported early to assist teachers in developing individualized learning plans under requirements of the Colorado Basic Literacy Act.