Third-grade reading scores dip in Aurora, statewide

AURORA | Third-grade standardized state reading scores are on the decline in both of Aurora’s school districts, a decrease that echoes a bigger downward trend across Colorado.

According to preliminary results from the 2014 Transitional Colorado Assessment Program tests, third-graders in both the Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek School district scored lower on reading tests than in 2013.

At APS, the number of students who scored proficient or advance dropped from 48.8 to 46.3 percent. At Cherry Creek, that number dropped from 79.6 to 76.6 percent. The decrease of 2.5 percent at APS and 3 percent at Cherry Creek follows a respective decrease of 2.7 percent and 1.2 percent in 2013.

“Third-grade reading is one of our key milestones. We know that that is an important piece for us (for) students’ preparation for college and a career,” said Cherry Creek Assistant Superintendent Judy Skupa. “We will begin to work with principals and schools to look at what that root cause might have been for that trend line going down.”

Six of Cherry Creek’s seven schools that showed double-digit declines — Arrowhead, Cimarron, Eastridge, Highline, Meadowpoint, Red Hawk Ridge elementaries — are in Aurora. Ponderosa Elementary School in Aurora showed a double-digit gain.

THINK THIRD-GRADE READING TESTS ARE A SNAP? CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT IT’S LIKE

Schools in APS also saw dramatic decreases. Yale Elementary School’s proficient and advanced numbers decreased from 55.4 to 41.9 percent and Fletcher Community School decreased from 39.1 to 24 percent. District officials pointed to gains at 11 district elementary schools and said the buildings could serve as models for the rest of the district.

“We will focus on helping more of our schools reach that same level of success,” APS spokeswoman Patti Moon said in an email statement. “This is only a small percentage of the student outcome data that will become available as a result of 2014 TCAP administration. We are looking forward to the full set of results, so that we may gain a much more broad representation of the current levels of achievement of our students.”

According to the Colorado Department of Education, students who score proficient on the reading test “answer most of the test questions correctly, but may have only some success with questions that reflect the most challenging content.” Advanced students, meanwhile, answer “the most challenging questions,” test portions that emphasize the problem-solving rubrics spelled out in the Colorado Model Content Standards.

The Aurora numbers align with a larger trend across Colorado. According to the TCAP results released this week, the number of third-graders who scored proficient or advanced on reading scores dropped from 73.3 to 71.5 percent.

The numbers come at a time of transition for assessment in the state. This is the last year Colorado districts will administer the TCAP, a test designed as a transition between the old Colorado Student Assessment Program and the new Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAP, to be implemented in 2015. The new tests, which incorporate standards spelled out in the Colorado Academic Standards, will feature an entirely different testing format for English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

The new standards have already stirred controversy, as parent and teacher associations have objected to the more rigorous standards. Those changes are looming as administrators from across the state wrangle with data from this final round of TCAP tests.

“One of the things that we know is that you can’t compare a TCAP to the new CMAP,” Skupa said. “What we will have next year is a brand new baseline for our students.” The CDE will release the final TCAP numbers for 2014, which include scores from the math and science portions of the test, in August.

Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com