By Deb Risden
The El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Learning Services Department presented the most recent testing results to the D 49 Board of Education in late June. The results from the latest assessments indicated increased performance numbers for the 2023-2024 school year among student groups in primary literacy and mathematics.
Highlights from literacy testing:
- About 80% of D 49 kindergarten through third-grade students met or exceeded Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills standards at the conclusion of the school year. DIBELS is a set of procedures and measures for assessing literacy.
- Year-end assessments showed D 49 almost doubled its number of primary school readers (K-3) in the highest standard.
- D 49 students in the most at-risk status decreased by more than half.
Peter Hilts, D 49 superintendent, said students most at risk are those who are well below benchmark. “Our goal is to reduce that number of students to as close to zero as possible,” Hilts said. “When you reduce the number of most at-risk students by 50%, that is a phenomenal achievement. That means because we are moving students that other tests might say can’t be moved, and we are defying the odds and doing far better than the national standard at helping struggling students find success.”
When compared to national data, D 49 scored above their peers in every primary grade level of kindergarten through fifth grade. The number of D 49 students that fell below benchmark is lower than the national average: 70% of D 49 third-grade readers scored at or above DIBELS standards compared to 56% in their age group nationwide.
Reading growth in the primary grade levels improved, measuring above the 65% state average. Kindergarteners’ growth percentile increased the most from fall to spring at 77.3%.
David Nancarrow, director of communications, said the district is pursuing a long-range prioritized focus on mathematics. “The math team is using a multi-faceted approach of blending new curriculum in middle and high school settings, investing in additional classroom coaches and interventionists and a grant-funded program D 49 calls Mission: Deploying Numeracy Achievement (Mission DNA),” Nancarrow said.
Hilts said, “A big part of Mission DNA is mathematical thinking and students tracking their own performance, owning their own growth. When students develop that mindset and are focused on what they need to improve, they are much more likely to improve.”
Student math achievement is monitored within the Renaissance core curriculum and assessment system utilized by D 49. STAR is the Renaissance assessment suite. Hilts said, “Our STAR math scores are frequently assessed, and we can compare student growth and performance against a national standard.”
Highlights from mathematics testing:
- D 49 experienced an 11% improvement in proficiency rates overall.“We grew from 9% to 11%, which is unheard of,” Hilts said. “To move the proficiency rate at all is impressive, and even a half-percent is a big deal.”
- In particular, the district saw growth among its military-connected students. After only one year of the new math achievement focused approach, about 50% of the D 49 military-connected students in grade levels kindergarten through fifth grade were at or above standard, representing triple the number from the previous year. The trend continued at the finish of the 2023-2024 school year.
Hilts said there are many factors that go into student performance — family situation, nutrition, sleep schedule, attendance — and it tends to be stable and not move. “So when a district is moving further and further, then you know something really right is going on,” he said. The Mission DNA program has also had an impact on teacher confidence, which in turn helps students feel confident, Hilts said. “The approach we’re taking is paying off.”
