Author Archives: axooms

Time waits for no one…

Posted on November 10, 2013 by axooms

I started blogging regularly in the Fall of 2008. When I set up this website I put a reminder note in my calendar: on my fifth anniversary, I would step back and reflect on this work, and decide if it … Continue reading →

Posted in Whimsy | Leave a comment

The Sprawl of School District Activities

Posted on November 8, 2013 by axooms

The Denver Post published an Op-Ed I wrote, but did not have space for the accompanying graph.  Here it is:

Posted in Facilities, Fiscal & Economic | Leave a comment

2013 Colorado Election Prediction

Posted on November 5, 2013 by axooms

I find most political commentary spurious – either so far in advance that no one remembers how inaccurate it was, or done only in hindsight where one is merely suggesting explanations for outcomes already known. Far more interesting are predictions just … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The False Dawn of Denver’s School Performance

Posted on October 4, 2013 by axooms

Denver Public Schools has released their 2013 School Performance Framework (SPF). The summary is mixed — the distribution of performance has stretched, so there are more kids in both the highest-quality and the lowest-quality schools. When aggregated, the gains are … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, District Performance, Poverty, School Performance, Student Achievement | Tagged , | 4 Comments

How to Improve Denver’s School Performance Framework

Posted on September 13, 2013 by axooms

At some point very soon, DPS will issue its 2013 School Performance Framework (SPF). The SPF performs a valuable function by aggregating multiple metrics on school performance and presenting the data so that both parents can understand it at a … Continue reading →

Posted in District Performance, School Performance, Student Achievement | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Problem with Growth Scores

Posted on August 20, 2013 by axooms

Let’s start with something on which everyone should agree: metrics are neither inherently good nor inherently evil.  They are simply calculations — ticks on a stick that measure time, distance, speed, place, or other attributes.  All measurements can be used … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, District Performance, School Performance | 1 Comment

2013 School Performance in Denver

Posted on August 19, 2013 by axooms

TCAP data was released last week, and the focus in Denver was an emphasis on median growth percentiles. Now I think academic growth is really important, and I’m on record as saying the Colorado Growth Model is one of the most … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, District Performance, School Performance | Tagged , , | 4 Comments