On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Academy District 20 Board of Education held its regularly scheduled Board Meeting. Multilingual students from Encompass Heights Elementary School kicked off the meeting to showcase their growth as students. Mountain View Elementary School students also represented their school, explaining what makes MVES unique and how the school has helped them on their educational journey so far.
In this Board Bulletin, we want to share three key updates with the ASD20 community, including CMAS Results, district and school performance framework results, an update on the Douglass Valley PK-8 project, and D20’s Strategic Plan.
Key Item 1: 2024 CMAS Results, District and School Performance Frameworks Results
The Board of Education heard an in-depth report from D20 Director for Assessment, Jolynn Patterson, about D20’s 2024 CMAS, PSAT, SAT, and the District and School Performance Framework (SPF) results. The report follows the announcement that Academy District 20 is again Accredited with Distinction by the Colorado Department of Education, now for 16 consecutive years.
The District Performance Framework and the School Performance Frameworks are tools used by the state to evaluate how well schools and school districts are performing. Both frameworks use the same set of indicators and measurements, which allows for fair comparisons across the board.
“I am so grateful for our dedicated teachers and support staff, engaged administrators and leaders, public servants on the Board of Education and finally, our families who partner with us hand-in-hand, to ensure success and cause students to thrive,” said Superintendent Jinger Haberer.
This year’s highlights include:
D20 students in grades 3-5 outperform the state standards in all categories. Math achievement scores in grades 4 and 5 are also higher than 2023 scores, successfully achieving performance targets.
Students in grades 6-8 outperformed the state in all categories in achievement and growth except for Grade 8 in English and Language Arts, where scores still rose compared to the prior year.
High School students showed PSAT/SAT growth and achievement scores exceeded the state in all grade level assessments.
In addition to these district-wide achievements, ASD20 had 22 schools who scored 74% or above on their SPF. Of note, schools with an asterisk scored higher than 90% on the SPF. Congratulations to:
Air Academy High School
Academy International Elementary School
Antelope Trails Elementary School*
Challenger Middle School*
Chinook Trail Elementary School
Chinook Trail Middle School
Discovery Canyon Campus Elementary School
Discovery Canyon Campus High School
Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School
Eagleview Middle School
Foothills Elementary School*
Liberty High School
Pine Creek High School
Pioneer Elementary School*
Rampart High School
Rockrimmon Elementary School
TCA High School*
TCA College Pathways
TCA Elementary School
Village High School
Village Middle School
Woodmen Roberts Elementary School
Key Item 2: Contract Award for Design Services at new Douglass Valley site
Board of Education members voted to appropriate funds for contracted design services through RTA Architects for the new PK-8 school at Douglass Valley in coordination with the Public Schools on Military Installations program (PSMI).
The Douglass Valley Elementary School design project will follow the federal match structure, meaning out of a $3.89 million design project, District 20 will pay just over $778,000, netting just over $3.11 million in federal matching funds. The complete project amount not only reflects funding for contracted design services, but also, funding for soils reports, environmental documentation, property and topographic surveys, and construction management.
The project will ultimately see the current K-5 Douglass Valley Elementary School completely rebuilt, with the federal government funding 80%, or $49 million. Read more about this Decision Item.
Key Item 3: Strategic Plan Update
Several members of the D20 Leadership Team presented a report providing a beginning-of-year update about the new goals and measures established for each of the strategic objectives for the 2024-2025 school year.
1.0: Ensure Academic Excellence for All
2.0: Create a Culture of Connectedness for All Students, Staff and Our Community of Stakeholders
3.0: Invest In, and Value Our Greatest Asset (Our Staff) to Help Them Grow
4.0: Use Effective and Transparent Communications to Build Trust
5.0: Align Our District’s Systems and Structure for Resource Optimization
6.0: Create Symbiotic, Meaningful Community Partnerships
These new goals allow for measurable key performance indicators, keeping the district accountable to the Strategic Plan Priorities and the community. Learn more about the Strategic Plan Priorities.
D20 Celebrations and Shoutouts
Several celebrations unfolded during the meeting, including but not limited to the following:
Congratulations to Emily Heinrich, the IB Coordinator at Discovery Canyon Campus! She has been accepted to the 2024 Peace Teachers Program at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). Heinrich was selected because of her proven commitment to incorporating critical issues of international conflict, peace and peacebuilding into her classroom. She is one of 26 educators from across the country, and the only teacher from Colorado selected to join this year’s cohort of Peace Teachers.
The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) announced that Academy School District 20’s budget received the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA). This award reflects the District’s commitment to sound fiscal management and budgetary policies. Congratulations to our entire Business Services department, including Becky Allan, Deputy Superintendent/CFO, Cathy Watts, Executive Director for Business Services, and Toni DeMott, Director for Budget and Finance.
Congratulations to Pine Creek High School for several recent accomplishments:
Kudos to graduate Justin Charles Cecil! He was able to complete his last credit this summer, so he could graduate. Beginning next year, D20 is excited to host a ceremony during the summer, to celebrate our students who complete their graduation requirements over the summer.
At the end of the 2023-2024 school year Pine Creek's Computer Science students took professional certification exams after completing their coursework in PCHS Technology classes. They passed 124 certification exams covering 13 professional technology skills and topics. Read more on Pine Creek High School’s website.
Last year, the Pine Creek High School Chapter of National Art Honor Society adopted orphan children from Maylasia to create portraits. The children shared a favorite color and a favorite activity with our NAHS artists to help with portrait inspiration. These children did not have parents snapping photos of them while growing up - so creating a unique piece of artwork of the children is very special to them. Over the summer, these portraits were delivered to the children in Maylasia. Learn more on KRDO.com.
You can find additional celebrations in the Superintendent Update on the ASD20 website.