On Sept. 10, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) released preliminary school and district frameworks based on 2023-2024 data across the state. The results show that schools and districts earned higher marks on the accountability frameworks than last year, with a trend of continuous improvement statewide since the pandemic upended learning in 2020.
"We’re proud of the progress reflected in this year’s results, which highlight the commitment of our students and staff," said Superintendent Dr. Karen Cheser. "While we have plenty to celebrate – including that our CMAS scores continue to rank in the top 20% in the state – we also know there’s still important work to be done. We're committed to addressing these areas of growth to ensure every student gets the best opportunities for success."
Cheser noted that the district continues to be committed to two important goals: 1) Ensuring that every student is at grade level or above in core subjects, such as reading, math, science, social studies; and 2) Building Portrait of a Graduate competencies for all students, including: Resilient Risk-Taker, Empathetic Collaborator, Agile Thinker, Creative Problem-Solver, Confident Communicator, and Courageous Leader.
Statewide results
Some key results from the CDE release for all Colorado public school districts include:
- 82% of school districts earned an Improvement or higher rating, compared to 71% in 2023
- 83% of schools earned a Performance or Improvement plan in 2023, compared to 78% in 2023.
- The number of schools and districts on the Accountability Clock* decreased compared to 2023:
- 11 districts and 190 schools in 2024 are on the Accountability Clock in 2024.
- 22 districts and 224 schools were on the Accountability Clock in 2023
* The Accountability Clock is a designation for schools and districts that received the two lowest performance ratings – Priority Improvement and/or Turnaround. The State Board of Education directs a course of action if a school or district has been on the Accountability Clock for five consecutive years.
District key findings
Performance frameworks are part of the state’s accountability system and are used to accredit school districts and assign school ratings. The frameworks are calculated by combining student academic growth, student academic achievement and postsecondary and workforce readiness data, such as graduation, dropout, and college matriculation rates.
The preliminary 2024-25 ratings are available on the CDE Performance Frameworks Results webpage and the school and district dashboard. Durango School District’s SchoolView profile page can be found here. Based on the data from the CDE, here are five key points showing positive growth for the district:
- Accreditation: 100% of schools in the district met performance standards. This stands out compared to other similarly sized districts across Colorado, where full accreditation is less common.
- Graduation Rate: Durango High School’s 2023 graduation rate of 95% outperforms many other high schools of similar size across Colorado, where the average graduation rate typically falls between 85% and 90%.
- Small Class Sizes: With a 13:1 student-teacher ratio, Durango School District 9-R offers more personalized attention compared to many districts of similar size across Colorado, where the average ratio is typically around 17:1.
- Steady Enrollment: The district has maintained stable enrollment and community engagement. In contrast, many similarly sized districts in the state have seen enrollment fluctuations of 2-3% in recent years, making Durango’s consistency notable.
- CMAS Improvement: Durango School District’s CMAS scores for English Language Arts (54%) and Math (35%) are higher than the average for districts of similar size across Colorado. For comparison, districts of a similar size typically score around 50% in ELA and 32% in Math, placing Durango above average in both areas.
District CMAS results
Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) is the state's assessment system that evaluates student proficiency in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. These assessments measure how well students are performing against their grade-level Colorado Academic Standards. The following bullet points refer to 2024 CMAS results reported by CDE’s Assessment Unit:
- For CMAS Math, 36.9% of students across Durango 9-R met or exceeded expectations.
- The highest percentage in the state for districts was 59.9%
- Of 166 districts with publicly reported data, Durango's mark ranked 35th
- Of 42 districts who tested 1,000 or more students, Durango was 13th
- The highest percentage for districts that tested 1,000 or more students was 59.9%
- For CMAS English Language Arts, 50.4% of students across Durango 9-R met or exceeded expectations.
- The highest percentage in the state for districts was 75.8%
- Of 168 districts with publicly reported data, Durango's mark ranked 33rd
- Of 42 districts who tested 1,000 or more students, Durango was 11th
- The highest percentage for districts that tested 1,000 or more students was 69.6%
Performance Framework results
The following bullet points refer to preliminary 2024 Performance Framework results published by CDE’s Accountability Unit:
- The district’s overall percentage of points earned increased to 65.3%, up from 63.4% in 2023.
- Gains were primarily due to improved Academic Achievement outcomes.
- At the elementary school level, ELA and Math achievement results improved significantly over 2023.
- Overall ELA outcomes went from the 60th percentile in 2023 to the 70th percentile in 2024
- Overall Math outcomes improved from the 55th to the 61st percentile.
- For both ELA and Math, there were notable gains for economically disadvantaged students, minority students, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities.
- At the middle school level, Math achievement results were significantly higher than 2023, and ELA outcomes also improved slightly.
- Overall Math outcomes jumped from the 48th percentile to the 63rd percentile
- Overall ELA outcomes went from the 65th to the 68th percentile.
- Gains in Math and ELA were particularly large for economically disadvantaged students.
- High school achievement outcomes also improved over 2023 results, owing to the reincorporation of Science results into the performance frameworks.
- High school students earned an Exceeds rating, with results placing them at the 90th percentile
- ELA and Math achievement outcomes were consistent with 2023 results
- As a whole, Academic Growth outcomes for the district were consistent with 2023 results, with median student growth outcomes generally right around the state average of 50.
- The exception was middle school math, where the median student growth percentile was 57.
- This mirrored the large gains in math achievement at the middle school level.
- Several schools saw significant improvements in their 2024 framework ratings.
- Fort Lewis Mesa earned 98.9% of points on the framework, with Exceeds ratings for both Academic Achievement and Academic Growth
- Park Elementary continued to be among the top performing elementary schools in the district with an Exceeds rating for ELA achievement and median student growth percentiles above 50 for both ELA and Math (Math Achievement just missed the cut for an Exceeds rating, with results at the 84th rather than the 85th percentile).
- Needham Elementary’s percentage of points earned was nearly 20 points higher than 2023, with particularly strong performance in Academic Growth. In Math, growth outcomes were stronger for minority students and economically disadvantaged students, indicating progress toward closing achievement gaps.
- Sunnyside Elementary earned a Performance rating, allowing them to move off of the accountability clock after having been at Priority Improvement in 2023