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Slashing power absenteeism charges, boosting third grade studying scores, and making certain highschool graduates earn school credit score or work expertise alongside their diplomas are among the many Colorado Division of Training’s new strategic targets.
The division has set 5 “wildly vital targets” it goals to realize over the following a number of years. Different state businesses, together with the Colorado Division of Early Childhood Training, are setting related targets. Collectively, they characterize among the state’s greatest public coverage priorities.
Training Commissioner Susana Córdova stated her division’s targets are supposed to tackle among the 880,000-student system’s thorniest challenges.
“Faculties proceed to face pandemic-related challenges together with poor attendance, instructor shortages, and studying loss,” she advised the Colorado State Board of Training final month.
Right here’s a take a look at three of the division’s targets and the state’s progress towards assembly them.
Cut back power absenteeism
Purpose: Minimize power absenteeism to fifteen% of Ok-12 college students by the 2027-28 faculty yr.
Progress: Within the 2023-24 faculty yr, 27.7% of scholars had been chronically absent.
A scholar is taken into account chronically absent in the event that they miss 10% or extra of the college days in a college yr, or roughly 18 days. Continual absenteeism is an issue as a result of college students who miss a variety of faculty can fall behind academically and discover it arduous to catch up.
“In the event that they’re not there, I don’t care how nice your instruction is, how nice your constructing is, what number of packages you will have,” State Board of Training member Lisa Escárcega stated at a gathering this week whereas discussing the targets. “In the event that they’re not there, they’ll’t study.”
Continual absenteeism has at all times been a difficulty, however it was made worse by the pandemic. Faculties throughout the nation have struggled to enhance scholar attendance within the years since. Whereas some are seeing success, absenteeism charges largely stay larger than they had been earlier than COVID.
That’s true in Colorado. The state’s power absenteeism fee hit a excessive of 35.5% within the 2021-22 faculty yr. It was an enormous soar from earlier than the pandemic, when the speed ranged from 18% to 24%.
Colorado is certainly one of a number of states which have signed on to an bold pledge to chop power absenteeism by half over a five-year interval. The division’s objective of a 15% power absenteeism fee could be an enormous enchancment on the pre-pandemic fee.
The division has already launched a statewide marketing campaign known as “Each College Day Issues!” In accordance with the web site, greater than 30 districts and faculties have signed on. The division hopes 80% of Colorado’s 178 districts will comply with take part by subsequent October.
The division additionally goals to extend coaching for educators and develop the variety of guests to an internet site with steering and sources for college employees on the best way to foster a way of scholar well-being and belonging of their faculties — a component that college students say is vital.
Improve third grade studying scores
Purpose: 60% of third graders will meet or exceed state expectations in literacy by 2028.
Progress: In 2024, 42% of third graders met that bar on the state literacy take a look at.
Third grade is taken into account a key yr for studying. Some research have proven that college students who can’t learn proficiently by third grade are much less more likely to graduate from highschool.
Colorado checks college students in grades 3-11 in studying, writing, and math every spring. The checks for third graders are known as Colorado Measures of Tutorial Success, or CMAS.
Scholar take a look at scores plummeted in the course of the pandemic and at the moment are climbing again up. Colorado’s third grade studying scores had been truly barely larger in 2024 than they had been in 2019 earlier than the pandemic. However state officers say the state nonetheless has work to do.
State Board of Training members emphasised the significance of serving to college students early.
“I’ve heard academics say, ‘Don’t fear about your child. They’ll get it afterward. It’ll come to them,’” stated board member Angelika Schroeder. “People, it doesn’t come to a variety of children.”
Colorado has by no means come near 60% of third graders assembly or exceeding expectations in literacy because it rolled out the CMAS checks in 2015. Córdova known as this objective “very bold.”
To get there, the division plans to supply extra coaching to educators and guarantee extra faculty districts are utilizing what it calls “prime quality tutorial supplies.”
The division additionally plans to revamp its awards to “have fun faculties with sturdy outcomes.”
Enhance postsecondary readiness
Purpose: 100% of the Class of 2029 may have earned 12 school credit, a non-degree credential, or participated in a work-based studying alternative.
Progress: The state doesn’t presently monitor this metric on this manner.
Colorado has for a number of years been centered on an idea known as the “massive blur,” which refers to blurring the road between highschool and college students’ subsequent steps. At its easiest, it’s an try to higher put together highschool graduates for school or the workforce.
Twin enrollment packages, which permit college students to take college-level courses in highschool, have develop into wildly in style. Twin-enrolled highschool college students now account for almost half of the scholars at Colorado’s group faculties.
However most dual-enrolled college students go away highschool with just a few school credit. The division needs to drastically improve that quantity.
Officers additionally wish to improve the variety of college students incomes non-degree credentials that might permit them to work in high-demand fields, comparable to well being care or early childhood training.
They usually wish to enhance the variety of college students taking part in apprenticeships, on-the-job coaching, internships, and different work-based studying experiences.
Colorado has a number of packages meant to perform these targets. However the system is fragmented and complicated, with totally different packages overseen by totally different departments. The packages even have differing quantities of funding from the state and buy-in from faculty districts.
A brand new report commissioned by state lawmakers consists of suggestions for enhancements, a few of which can be taken up by policymakers within the upcoming legislative session.
The division additionally needs to extend the variety of faculty districts taking part in coaching periods about postsecondary workforce readiness and the quantity which are together with postsecondary workforce readiness methods of their required enchancment plans.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
