Closing the Achievement Gap

First of a two-part series

Not a day goes by without seeing a newspaper article or hearing a news story about the growing achievement gap in America. The term typically refers to the disparity that exists in academic performance between white middle-class students and their minority low income peers. This is one of Eagle County Schools greatest challenges. The more we study the issue, the more we realize that what we face in our schools is a ‘language gap’. Nearly one-third of our student population has limited English speaking abilities. Yet, once these students become Fluent English Proficient, they perform on par with white students.

Identifying the problem is the easy part. Understanding the long term economic and social implications of the issue on our community is harder. Over the next few months, we will be focusing our efforts on bringing information to you about the problem as well as some of the solutions that are underway in our schools and in the community.

What are we doing to close the gap?

Preschool - The best investment in closing the achievement gap is an investment in early childhood. Eagle County Schools currently has nine preschool classrooms serving 158 children. Our first priority in how these children are selected is to identify students with special needs and other risking factors and utilize funding from the Colorado Preschool Program and Head Start to meet those needs. Currently, this high risk group of three and four-year-olds makes up nearly two-thirds of our preschool population. Additional funding is required to make these opportunities available for all children.

Full-Day Kindergarten - Kindergarten in Colorado is only funded for a half day of instruction. With the help of the Vail Valley Foundation and special funding earmarked by the Board of Education, we offer full-day kindergarten to every child who wants to attend. This has resulted in over 90 percent of Eagle County Schools kindergarteners attending the full-day program, which is significantly higher than state and national averages. Most importantly, our research shows that attending full-day increases student achievement over the long term, especially among at-risk children.

Tutoring - Eagle County Schools Board of Education earmarked funds to provide tutoring to students who scored Unsatisfactory or Partially Proficient on CSAP in spring 2005. Each school is putting the funds to use in the way that best meets the needs of their population. For instance, at Red Sandstone Elementary, an after school program focuses on the individual learning needs of students who are struggling in math and reading.

Community Partnerships - "It takes a village" is certainly true when it comes to closing the Achievement Gap. Numerous community organizations play vital roles in supporting the learning needs of our County’s youth. From after school homework clubs (The Youth Foundation), to mentoring programs (The Literacy Project; Buddy Mentors), to recreational programs (Meet the Wilderness, Vail Recreation Department, WECMRD), to a complete K-5 science curriculum taught within the school day (Gore Range Natural Science School) there is something for many of the students who need enrichment. Please visit us on the internet at www.eagleschools.net and click on "Did You Know" to learn more about the many organizations that work with Eagle County youth. If you have specific questions about the Achievement Gap that you would like to have addressed in future issues of this newsletter, please email mgladitsch@eagleschools.net. 

Academic Rigor in High School

At Eagle County high schools, academic rigor is the focus of students, staff and administration. Students can take dual-enrollment (DE) or advanced placement (AP) courses and earn college credit. Grades from these courses are ‘weighted’ - for example a ‘B’ in a dual-enrollment class is worth an ‘A’ on the student’s high school transcript. This makes it possible for a student to have a grade point above a 4.0.

Dual-enrollment courses are offered through a partnership between Colorado Mountain College and Eagle County Schools. Students who take these courses and receive a ‘C’ or higher, receive high school and college credits that are transferable to most colleges and universities. "It was great. Dual enrollment gives kids an opportunity to see what college-level classes are going to be like while earning college credit at the same time," said Cory Zehring, a 2005 graduate of Eagle Valley High School.

AP courses are college level courses where students take a College Board administered AP test that determines the amount of college credit a student receives. In 2005, Battle Mountain administered over 200 AP tests to 27 percent of 10th, 11th and 12th graders and boasts 15 AP Scholars (students who receive scores of 3, on a scale of 1-5, on 3 or more AP exams).

The percentage of students taking advantage of advanced level classes is growing every year. In 2005, 347 students (34% of 10th - 12th graders) took at least one college level class.

The academic rigor in high school is paying off for Eagle County Schools graduates. Over 75 percent of 2005 graduates went on to attend either a 2-year or 4-year college or university versus a national average of 64 percent. Many of sights on out of state schools with highly competitive admission requirements. We currently have graduates attending Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, Notre Dame, U of Southern California, and UCLA to name a few.

Don’t Wait Until You’re a Junior or Senior

Eagle County high schools offer Honors English and accelerated math placement for qualified freshman. Based on a student’s ability, they can begin taking AP classes when they are 10th graders. And, Battle Mountain is piloting compacted science classes that allow students to take 2 trimesters worth of content in 1 trimester. This puts them in a position to take advanced level science classes earlier.

Exciting Electives, Too

To help Eagle County students decide what they may choose to do with their college education, we offer a wide array of elective courses. Spanish, German and French are offered as foreign languages. Courses in fine and commercial arts, architectural drafting, business, speech and drama, band and choir, culinary arts, computer technology, sports medicine, video and film, automotive technology and woodworking round out the choices.

For More Information.....or to arrange a visit to any one of our high schools contact:

Battle Mountain: 328-2930 - Brian Hester, Principal

Eagle Valley: 328-8960 - Mark Strakbein, Principal

Red Canyon: 328-2850 - Wade Hill, Principal

Dual-Enrollment & AP Course Offerings

AP Computer Science

AP World History

AP English Language

AP English Literature

AP Spanish

AP Environmental Science

AP Studio Art

DE Shakespeare

DE College Algebra

DE College Trigonometry

DE English Composition

DE Chemistry

DE Art History

AP/DE Biology

AP/DE Psychology

AP/DE Calculus AB

AP/DE American Government

AP/DE US History

Did You Know?

• English-speaking students at Eagle County Schools perform above district and state averages on CSAP.
• Eagle County students earned nearly 3,000 college credits in 2005.  That's a saving of over $500,000 in college tuition. 

Announcements

Attend a Community Forum on the Achievement Gap

Wednesday, March 15th, 6:00 - 8:00pm, Berry Creek Middle School