Category Archives: District Performance

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

DougCo: Sound and Fury Signifying Something?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by axooms

In my experience, School Board members are rarely reliable commentators on the academic quality of their districts.  So an Op-Ed in yesterday’s Denver Post by a sitting Douglas County school board member caught my eye, particularly given the amount of … Continue reading →

Posted in District Performance, Student Achievement, Teacher Unions | Tagged | 2 Comments

Scorpions and Frogs: A Parable about the DPS Board

Posted on February 15, 2013 by axooms

You know the story. It goes like this: A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a wide river, and the scorpion asked the frog to carry him across on his back. “How do I know you won’t sting … Continue reading →

Posted in District Performance, Engagement | Tagged | 3 Comments

The contortions of Arturo Jimenez

Posted on October 15, 2012 by axooms

DPS Board Member Arturo Jimenez contributed an Op-Ed to Sunday’s Denver Post in which he explained his rationale for opposing the upcoming Bond.  Mr. Jimenez stressed that the largest problem he sees in DPS is the chronic underachievement of Denver’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, District Performance, Fiscal & Economic, Poverty, School Performance | 2 Comments