Littleton Public Schools’ students show faster improvement on CSAP
than is typical for Colorado’s students


Results from the 2007 Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) show that Littleton Public Schools students continue to perform at high levels in all grades and all subject areas tested. In fact, LPS students are making gains faster than average for all students in Colorado in more than half of the areas and grade levels tested.

Three LPS schools in particular experienced tremendous gains between 2006 and 2007 . Both Ames Elementary and Littleton Preparatory Charter School scores increased in nine of the 10 areas tested. Goddard Middle School scores increased in all 10 areas tested. “The success experienced at both Ames and Goddard can be directly tied to the commitment each of these school communities has to its School Improvement Plan and to Professional Learning Communities (PLCs),” said Connie Bouwman, assistant superintendent of learning services. “Both schools have well-established PLCs, and both use data to identify and meet the individual needs of each student. These are wonderful examples of how PLCs can make a significant difference in student achievement.”

Overall, LPS students are scoring an average of 14 percentage points higher on CSAP tests than the state average in all grades and all subjects tested, up from 13 percentage points higher in 2006. LPS grade eight writing, grade nine writing, grade nine math, and grade 10 science scores are all 17 percent higher than the state average.

LPS middle school students scored particularly well. Grade six reading, math, and writing scores all increased. With any curriculum change, one might expect a dip in scores the year of implementation. Not only did LPS not experience this during the first year of a new district math curriculum, but middle level math scores improved at grades six, seven, and eight.

The most significant increases were seen in:
• grade three writing—up six percentage points from last year;
• grade six reading–up five percentage points from last year;
• grade six writing—up six percentage points from last year;
• grade six math—up six percentage points from last year;
• grade eight science—up six percentage points from last year.

The most significant decrease was in grade nine writing, which dropped five percentage points from last year.

Third grade reading scores released today are different than those previously released by the Colorado Department of Education last May. That is because the reading scores of students who participate in center-based programs, such as English as a Second Language and Deaf and Hard of Hearing, were “returned” to their neighborhood school, called their school of accountability.

Standardized test scores provide one measure of student learning to help the district and schools track student achievement and make good curriculum and instruction decisions. CSAP tests are but one piece of the bigger picture of LPS student achievement. A more important use of CSAP data is to monitor the annual scores of the same students as they move through the system. This kind of analysis continues at LPS so that what really works and what doesn’t can be identified in order to help lower performing students improve.

“We are seeing evidence that when teachers study both instructional research and achievement results as part of their Professional Learning Communities, students who have struggled in the past experience greater success in school.” said Mollie McDonald, LPS director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. “Three schools with at-risk populations are experiencing some of our most significant gains. That tells us that our efforts toward the district achievement goal—of halving the gap between low achieving and high achieving students by 2009—are working. We are beginning to see progress, and we are confident that there is more to come.”

The district also monitors student learning using multiple assessment tools, including daily assessment in classrooms, Colorado Basic Literacy Act assessments and the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. Having a body of evidence about student achievement leads LPS to better decisions and actions to improve learning.

“We want all of our students to achieve at the highest levels possible. Our district achievement goal makes a statement: achievement really matters in LPS. But, it’s important to remember that it is not the only thing that matters,” said Superintendent Scott Murphy. “It goes hand-in-hand with our community’s belief that a well-rounded education and a solid foundation in 21st century skills are critical to our students’ success. These things are not clearly measured on any standardized test. That’s why there is no substitute for really knowing each of our students.”