LPS is Accredited with Distinction three years in a row!

For the third straight year, Littleton Public Schools has received a district accreditation rating of Accredited with Distinction from the Colorado Department of Education. LPS is the only school district in the Denver metro area to be Accredited with Distinction for the third year in a row, which is bestowed on the top performing districts statewide.

LPS earned this rating based on its performance across key indicators that best reflect student academic success: academic achievement, academic growth, reducing academic growth gaps, and postsecondary and workforce readiness.

In addition, 96 percent of schools in LPS received “Performance Plan” ratings, the highest school ratings given by the Colorado Department of Education.

LPS is meeting the state’s performance indicators at a higher rate than most other school districts in Colorado.  As a district, LPS students at all levels – elementary, middle, and high – are meeting and exceeding the state’s expectations in academic achievement at a very high rate in all four subject areas:

• As a district, LPS elementary achievement is better than 90 percent of all Colorado school districts in reading and writing; and better than 86 percent in mathematics and science.
• As a district, LPS middle school achievement is better than 88 percent of all Colorado school districts in reading; better than 91 percent in writing; better than 96 percent in mathematics; and better than 87 percent in science.
• As a district, LPS high school achievement is better than 87 percent of all Colorado school districts in reading, better than 95 percent in mathematics; better than 91 percent in writing; and better than 94 percent in science.

In addition, LPS receives high marks from the Colorado Department of Education in the areas of postsecondary and workforce readiness. The LPS graduation rate for state accreditation is 91.3 percent, compared to Colorado’s graduation rate for state accreditation, which is 76.8 percent. The LPS dropout rate is 0.7 percent, compared to Colorado’s dropout rate of 3.0 percent.

Reducing academic growth gaps has been a major area of focus in LPS for a number of years, and the district’s efforts are paying off. The work being done by classroom teachers and support staff through Professional Learning Communities and through differentiated instruction is making a measurable difference. LPS students meet or exceed the state’s expectations for student academic growth in all but one area at elementary, middle, and high school levels.

“We are focusing on students who the state defines as “needing to catch up”. We know that helping these students achieve at higher levels improves achievement in just about all other areas, too,” said Deputy Superintendent Connie Bouwman. “LPS teachers and their support teams are doing incredible work that is impacting students in the classroom.”

“The entire LPS community should be very proud, as helping students achieve at higher levels is very much a team effort,” said LPS Superintendent Scott Murphy. “The entire community works hard through a number of initiatives to help at-risk students and to provide a comprehensive education for all children. The LPS Board of Education is committed to ensuring the very best education possible for all students. We agree that these results are very exciting.”