Montrose - Daily Press

Robert Allen

Daily Press Writer

MONTROSE — The Colorado Department of Education officially released results of the Colorado Student Assessment Program tests Wednesday, with Montrose County School District Re-1J’s overall performance coming up short in comparison with state averages.

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“Last year, we chose not to test our ELL (English Language Learner) students,” B.J. Brown, Re-1J assistant superintendent said. “So we don’t really have an apples to apples comparison to last year.”

He said that this year the state required public schools to administer the test to all students, regardless of their grasp of the English language. Hispanic students and those eligible for free/reduced price lunches represented a statistical dip in the 2006 test’s proficiency numbers throughout the grade levels.

“It’s kind of the same transit the state is experiencing,” Brown said.

He said Olathe has reached a ratio of 50/50 in terms of Hispanic/Anglo students.

“It’s hard for those (Hispanic) children because they’re trying to do two things — they’re trying to master our curriculum academically and how to communicate,” Brown said. “And so that’s a challenge for them and their teachers.”

He said the district’s high schools and middle schools are working together to narrow the focus of instruction, in order to bring all students up to their optimum levels of performance. However, he said it will take time to get them there.

The CSAP, administered to all students, grades three through 10, covers reading, writing and math. Students in grades five, eight and 10 also completed a science portion. This year was the first for fifth and 10th graders to be given the science portion.

“The CSAPs are a picture in time,” Brown said. “They’re a one-shot deal, but they have their value — it gives us some measure of growth for the students.”

Re-1J 10th graders averaged 49 percent proficiency in science, which was higher than the state’s average at 47 percent.

Although proficiency levels from fourth through 10th grades neared the state average in reading, the scores in writing and math were particularly low in lower grade levels. The district’s third graders scored an average proficiency of 38 percent in writing, compared to a state average of 52 percent. A mere 18 percent of 148 Hispanic third graders scored proficient in writing.

“Thank goodness we’ve got good teachers working with us,” Brown said. “And we’re getting more and more certified ESL (English as a second language) teachers all the time.”

Brown is in the process of analyzing Re-1J’s statistics with regard to neighboring districts and those of similar size.

“I feel really positive toward the next school year. I feel like we’re getting a lot of buy-in to our programs,” Brown said. “We’re getting some enthusiasm into what we’re trying to do and I think our people will continue to work hard and we’ll see improvement.”

In addition to CSAP scores, the state released those for the American College Test. This college entrance exam, taken by high school students, gauges proficiency of English, math, reading and science.

Montrose High School students surpassed the state’s average ACT composite score of 19 by scoring an average of 20.1. Olathe High School students averaged 18.5. Both schools’ averages improved by nearly a point over those of 2005, while that of the state remained the same.

For scores, visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/documents/csap/csap_summary.html

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