Board News
October 20, 2005
Westerly Creek Elementary School Proposes New Grade Configurations
The Board today heard a staff proposal to reconfigure Westerly Creek Elementary School to an ECE-3 school and serve students in grades 4-8 at the nearby Stapleton II school that will open in August 2006.
Westerly Creek opened two years ago and currently serves students from Early Childhood Education (ECE) through sixth grade. A second school, originally planned to serve students in ECE through eighth grade, is slated to open in August 2006.
The plan would be to designate Westerly Creek and Stapleton II as affiliated schools that comprise one "united campus."
If approved, the district would convene a committee, directed by the Westerly Creek principal and Northeast Area Superintendent, to discuss unique academic program concepts that can compliment the core district academic program. The proposal includes allocating resources for Westerly Creek according to a standard K-8 resource allocation, with minor staffing adjustments as appropriate given the two physical locations involved.
The original neighborhood master plan called for Westerly Creek and Stapleton II to be located more than a mile apart. However, Forest City (Stapleton's master developer) later relocated Westerly Creek to 28th Ave. and Akron St. due to soil contamination at the original site.
The new site is less than half a mile away at Montview and Central Park boulevards. The close proximity of the schools sparked discussion among community members who feared a competitive battle for students and resources. As a result, area residents came forward with a proposal designed to encourage collaboration between schools and among students.
Under the proposal, the district could offer academic opportunities that would not exist given the original grade level organization. These include:
- Enhanced on-site professional development opportunities for teachers instructing similar grade levels
- Additional elective opportunities and course flexibility for middle grade students who would now have a larger overall class size
- A "best practices" education center for ECE and primary years students through grade three, which research suggests is a critical continuum for early learning
The new configuration maintains Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) testing in both schools and streamlines oversight with one principal, both of which support accountability for academic achievement.
Reconfiguration responds to broad community interest in keeping children at each grade level together and can be accomplished without compromising integrity of the academic programming for students.
The Board is expected to make a decision about the proposal on Thursday, Nov. 17.
Council Recommends Approving One New Charter School - West Denver Preparatory
The District School Improvement and Accountability Council (SIAC) this week recommended that the Board of Education approve one of the three charter school proposals currently under consideration for the 2006-2007 school year.
District SIAC supported opening West Denver Preparatory Charter School and denying two other proposals - CP Charter School and Global Village Academy.
The Board will meet in work session at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 to discuss the three proposals and the District SIAC's recommendations. The Board is scheduled to vote on the proposals Thursday, Nov. 3.
A brief summary of the three proposals:
West Denver Preparatory Charter School's mission is to prepare students in grades six through eight for educational success from middle school through college. To be located in the Westwood neighborhood, the school would open for 100 students in sixth grade next school year and expand to serve nearly 300 students over the following two years. The school would provide a demanding education of high standards, structure and accountability.
The CP Charter School's mission is to facilitate optimal individual academic achievement and character development through a rigorous, content-rich, inclusive learning environment. This school would open on the former Lowry Air Force Base near 8th Ave. and Yosemite St. and involve a close partnership with Cerebral Palsy of Colorado.
Global Village Academy would provide a K-8 American international school offering immersion world language streams in Mandarin, Spanish, Farsi or Russian. The school seeks to prepare students to meet the challenges of a complex social, global and economic future by delivering a rigorous educational program built on the academic programs of the International Baccalaureate Organization. The organizers are requesting to use the Rosedale Elementary School building, which was closed to regular district enrollment beginning with the current school year.
Board Notes
In other action this week, the Board of Education approved:
The new 2005 professional performance evaluation forms to be used to evaluate the performance of teachers and student services professionals. An agreement with East West Partners (Central Platte Valley Management, LLC) concerning its school site obligations in downtown Denver. Earlier in June the Board approved a land exchange with and the City and County of Denver, whereby DPS will acquire from the City a 2.39 acre parcel of vacant land located between Children's Museum and the former Ocean Journey in exchange for transferring a 1.74 acre parcel of DPS vacant land located diagonally across the street from Byers Middle School. Closing on the land exchange is anticipated later this month.
For More Information
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