BVSD Third Grade CSAP Scores 15% Ahead of State Average-
Dramatic Improvement for Students Taking Spanish Language Test

District’s Lectura scores climb in one year from 66 percent to 85 percent proficient or advanced in 2008.

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE), on Thursday, May 1, released Colorado School Assessment Plan (CSAP) results for 3rd grade testing conducted in February 2008.  Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) results show that 85.1 percent of district students achieved the proficient or advanced rating, essentially unchanged from last year’s level of 84.3 percent.  Statewide, the percentage of students reaching proficient and advanced decreased by about a point, from 71 percent to 70 percent. 

BVSD Chief of Planning and Assessment, Dr. Jonathan Dings, noted that results on the Lectura Spanish-language assessment test jumped sharply, from 66 percent to 85 percent proficient or advanced, to reach levels similar to the high scores attained in 2005 and 2006.  Statewide, Lectura levels held steady at 59 percent proficient or advanced. 

BVSD’s initial disaggregation of the state-compiled data indicates Caucasian students’ scores increased from 89 percent to 91 percent proficient and above.  There was a slight decrease in results for Latino students who took the CSAP in English from 50 percent to 47 percent proficient and above.

After having fallen from 18 percent in 2005 to 13 percent in 2006 and then increasing to 19 percent in 2007, BVSD’s percentage advanced returned to 15 percent in 2008.  According to Dr. Dings, the imprecision that occurs in the course of statistically linking test scores from year to year may have some bearing on these results.  The state decreased by less than one-half of one point in percentage advanced.  This year, a low of only three-tenths of one percent of Boulder Valley students received a score of Not Tested, comparable to the state figure (.4 percent).      

Because some student information such as English Language Learner status has not yet been verified on the files used to generate the state results, CDE has indicated to school districts that these results are preliminary. 

School data were provided to principals earlier in the week.  BVSD parents will receive individual student reports as early as May 9, depending on how quickly schools receive and distribute them. 
 

The recent sale of the Washington School site may make it possible for students at Columbine Elementary to enjoy a brand new school in coming years. BVSD administration is planning to recommend to the Board of Education that the proceeds from the sale be committed to rebuilding the neighborhood school in north central Boulder. Initially slated by the BVSD Capital Improvement and Planning Committee for complete replacement, the hoped-for rebuild of Columbine was scaled back to a significant renovation when the final bond proposal was settled upon. The funds from the sale of Washington would reinstate that initial expectation.

The proposal to the Board first will be presented to the Citizen Bond Oversight Committee. A change in the Columbine project scope would require an amendment of the Educational Facilities Master Plan concerning Columbine’s project scope and an allocation by the Board of Washington sale proceeds to the revised Columbine project. Columbine is presently budgeted to receive more than $8.1 million for extensive capital upgrades. With the addition of the Washington sale proceeds, BVSD would have more than $12 million available to replace this 51-year-old school building that poses significant programmatic challenges for Columbine staff in delivering high quality learning for its students.

If the board approves the change, the next steps would be for the school to conduct a visioning process. This would entail the creation of a visioning team which would include school staff, parents and members from the neighborhood. The team would develop a vision of what the school should be in terms of educational programming, as well as socially and culturally. Following the visioning process, a Design Advisory Team (DAT) will be created. The DAT would also include school staff, parents and members from the neighborhood. It will work with the architects to help them understand the facilities needs for the new school. From their work with the DAT, the architects would develop the plans for the new school.

Keep up with the progress of the Columbine project on the Bond Program website at http://bvsd.org/bondproject/schools/Pages/columbine.aspx.

Construction kicks off at Southern Hills Middle School

Students and staff at Southern Hills recently joined Board of Education President Helayne Jones, board members Laurie Albright and Jean Paxton, Superintendent Chris King and Deputy Superintendent Ellen Miller-Brown to celebrate the start of construction for their bond project.

This celebration marks the fruition of many months of work by design advisory teams, bond program staff, the project architects and general contractors.

When construction is complete in August 2009, students at Southern Hills will enjoy three new additions totaling nearly 30,000 square feet. These new spaces will house the new gym and music spaces, new classrooms and science labs and a larger IMC. In addition, the first floor of the two-story section of the building will be entirely remodeled to create new special education classrooms, new computer labs, a new consumer and family studies suite, teacher workrooms and lounge and a new administrative suite. Other bond work at the school will include a building-wide fire sprinkler system and new fire alarm system, IT infrastructure upgrades, improved signage, site paving and repair, and upgrades to building systems such as HVAC and electrical wiring.

Keep up with the progress of the Southern Hills project on the Bond Program website at: http://bvsd.org/bondproject/schools/Pages/southernhills.aspx.

Please click on the link below to review the Information Technology Performance Audit Executive Summary.

Please click on the link below to read the Information Technology Performance Audit Executive Briefing presented to the Boulder Valley Board of Education on April 22, 2008.