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In the July 30 article about the latest decrease in district 51 CSAP scores, “frustrated” district administrators seemingly point their collective fingers at a sudden increase in student mobility and/or increased numbers of economically disadvantaged students.
Being familiar with district data I chose to check the numbers on the Colorado Department of Education Web site (as reported by District 51). Tim Mills says free-and-reduced lunch program students have increased to 40 percent, up from 20 to 25 percent a few years ago. According to the CDE website the percentage of free-and-reduced lunch students in District 51 has been: 2003 — 40 percent, 2004 — 41 percent, 2005 — 41 percent, 2006 31 percent and 2007 31 percent. Previous years’ numbers were not readily available, but I believe that covers “a few years ago.”
The mobility rate in the district has always directly reflected the free-and-reduced lunch numbers. There is no need to think that has changed. Four to five years ago, the executive director of student assessment told the Board of Education that “we have the data to show that student mobility has no effect on proficiency levels.”
From where does the administrative frustration come? Apparently they don’t even know their own data trends. That should be frustrating to everyone in the community. It should be frustrating because the alternative explanation for today’s statements is that someone was trying to use knowingly false information to explain the results to the public. That would not be frustrating, that would be grounds for termination.
The district will continue to wallow in mediocrity until its leadership adopts the core values of integrity, honesty, knowledge of the data, focus and willingness to do change the behavior of adults within the system to do what is needed to facilitate student learning.
Oh, by the way, the overall percentage of CSAP test scored as proficient or advanced was 52.9 percent, still in exactly the same range (52 to 57 percent) as it has been since 1999. Falling behind state average means the rest of the state has figured out how to improve at least more than we have. Wonder if District 51 administrators knew that number? It would seem critical to building effective “professional learning communities.”
DOUG STARK
Grand Junction
4 Responses to “School District blind to their own data”
Posted July 30th, 2008 at 1:23 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Correcting a typo, the 2007 number was 40% free/reduced per Dr Mills in the GJDS article.
Posted July 30th, 2008 at 2:31 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
OnePerson, you are discussing the people that just had a cool million laying around, unallocated, that they had no use for so they gave it to the college.
THEN somebody told them the Fruita Monument school needed a new roof to the tune of three quarters of that million dollars they didn’t need….
Why not cut ALL salaries 50% across the board, and when scores rise 10%, they get a 10% pay raise?
We could call it the “merit system” or some other catchy name.
Posted July 31st, 2008 at 1:34 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Is it not interesting that with all of those so-called ‘professionals’ we now have operating the school districts across the country that they don’t seem to be able to get anything done. And, of course, they always have some ‘excuse’. I don’t know how others feel, but personally I want results for the money used for education. And, if the administrators are ‘frustrated’ in their positions, then perhaps they should look for other occupations. After all, being as we would not wish to have anyone needlessly suffer, it might be a good solution.
Of course, the students can go over and enjoy the field house facilities at Mesa State to which the district donated one million. Then the ‘administrators’ can point at their charges and claim success. “Gee, but see how much fun the ‘little kiddies’ are having!!”
Don’t worry about it, we have the same problem in Delta County. In fact the problem is nationwide and has been going on for decades, to the extent that we have lost a goodly part of several generations to mediocrity.
Posted July 31st, 2008 at 2:16 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
“But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
Ecc. 12:12.
I would guess that my child is failing due to the student body being over taxed with study, so that SD51 can cock their proud heads in the air declaring that “they’re” kids are the smartest in the state; but by over testing “our” kids they have stood in front of the proverbial shotgun while the casing was launched down the barrel, spreading the pellets of blame to everyone else except to he who owns the gun.
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