Excellent Teachers Make the Difference

The results are in...55 percent of Avon Elementary (AES) students who took the reading portion of the 2008 CSAP test in English scored Proficient or Advanced on CSAP, an impressive 34 percentage point increase over last year. For those unfamiliar with the demographic makeup of Eagle County Schools, individual school results tend to mirror the language makeup of each school, however modifications in programming have reflected an extensive improvement in student achievement data. At Avon Elementary, for example, 80 percent of 3rd graders are Non-English or Limited English Proficient, the highest of any of the schools.

Notably, schools such as Avon Elementary proved to be stories of celebration this year in that more children were administered the Lectura, which is the Spanish version of the reading assessment, and our English Language Learners are performing well above state averages. After-school literacy and summer reading programs, in conjunction with Saturday school and the Dual Language program model, have collectively contributed to the success of those schools with extremely high populations of English Language Learners.

The dynamic 3rd grade teaching trio at Avon Elementary, comprised of first-year teachers of third graders in Eagle County Schools Ella Clemens, Jessica Crooks and Jason Pyle, all contributed to the success of third graders at Avon Elementary this year. With representation from the West, Midwest and East Coasts, not only is this group geographically diverse, but they offer a wide spectrum of expertise to these students as well.

Although he is a first year teacher at AES, Jason previously instructed third graders for the past 8 years in Aurora. This Oregon State graduate double majored in English and Horticulture.

Born and raised in Indiana, Ella attended the University of Eastern Illinois, where she double majored in Elementary Education and English. She recently received her Masters Degree from Adams State College in Second Language Learner Education. Last year, Ella helped out with the Dual Language (DL) program, specific to Kindergarteners. Also new to the third grade spectrum of education, Ella previously taught Kindergarten in Florida.

Jessica came to Eagle County from Vermont to embark on her teaching career. She attended the University of Maine at Farmington, where she double majored in Early Childhood and Special Education.

This year, AES' Cluster goal was comprehension, which was reinforced through flooding strategies, CSAP practice and everyday reading cohorts. Their 'tool kit' for comprehension was comprised of six methods of approach: (1) monitor comprehension, (2) activate and connect, (3) ask questions, (4) infer meaning, (5) determine importance and (6) summarize and synthesize.

CSAP practice entailed practice tests, booklets and developing short, constructive responses to questions versus the traditional multiple choice offering. These teachers graded against the rubric in everyday exercises (Unsatisfactory, Proficient, Partially Proficient and Advanced), as well as asked students to weigh in on what they would've given themselves and their peers, to compare practice versus reality in any given activity. That way, when the 'real thing' presented itself, students were more prepared due to the recurrent dress rehearsals. In addition, students were asked to not only echo the question before answering in order to truly grasp the content of the inquiry, but expand on their answers by stating 'what' they thought, 'why' they thought that and 'how' they came to that determination.

"The 3rd grade teachers worked very diligently on our school's focus of improving reading comprehension," states Melisa Rewold-Thuon, AES Principal. "One of the greatest strengths of the 3rd grade team was each teacher's ability to build rapport with their students. Each of the teachers have very different personalities and teaching styles, but they all held high expectations for their students and the students lived up to them. Jason, Ella and Jessica all know their students very well. They all have very different structures in their classrooms, yet all do a great job of finding what motivates their students to learn."

A consistent term that came up throughout the year (and the interview) that proved to be a successful approach was repetition, repetition, repetition...no pun intended. Regardless of the fact that this particular population of students are trying to overcome the language component in addition to the learning component every single day, this team of devoted teachers decided that each of these students should be held accountable for their academic achievement, which in turn pushed them to reach their full potential. In our minds, this seemed to work.

When reflecting on the past school year, Ella, Jason and Jessica attribute their success to collaborative teamwork, extremely supportive Mentor and Master Teachers Farrell Boone and Deb Savino-Gregory, differentiated instruction, constant communication and unwavering encouragement from Principal Melisa Rewold-Thuon and the District Office Administration.

"It is obvious that all teachers at AES were focused on supporting student achievement and their focus and commitment were displayed through the 3rd grade scores," states Heather Eberts, Executive Director of Elementary Education. "Avon's success definitely speaks to the power of a common focus."

Building Great Schools, East to West: Construction, Buildings & Grounds Update

Eagle County Schools would again like to take the opportunity to thank Eagle County community members who were in full support of the $128 million bond that was passed in the fall for improvements in our schools, which will ensure 'Great Schools, East to West.' In light of this success, we believe it is important to keep you informed of the progress of various projects and initiatives. The following is a construction, buildings and grounds update:

June Creek Elementary

Construction is proceeding on the project with the following items of interest that are on-going: brick veneer, CMU, interior framing, exterior sheathing, HVAC rough-in, electrical rough-in, plumbing rough-in, roofing, fire sprinkler install, interior sheet rock and storm piping. In addition, finish electrical, interior painting, mechanical trim, casework and ceiling grid have all begun. Aluminum storefront and glass installation are on hold, while insulation is complete. The anticipated completion date of the entire project is August 2008.

Red Canyon High

Students and staff moved in over spring break and are enjoying the new facility immensely. Punch list work and exterior finishes remain pending items until school is out for the summer, and building commissioning is pending warm weather for AC units.

New Battle Mountain High

Overall design is proceeding on the project with the following items of interest that are on-going: storm sewer inlet and pipe installation, masonry work in areas B, C, D and E, underground electrical and plumbing work in areas A, B and C, piping of foundation work continues in areas A, B and C. Steel erection has begun in areas B and C. In addition, gas line installation is nearing 100% completion. The anticipated completion date of the entire project is Fall 2009.

Eagle Valley High

Overall design is proceeding on the project with value engineering and cost monitoring design both on-going. The bulk of this project is scheduled to begin in the Summer of 2008 with the following items of interest: Valley Road houses have been burned by the Gypsum Fire Department, bio-building demo and abatement will begin June 9. Following abatement, civil, life safety, art and science remodel package work will begin. In addition, an early award for site package, masonry, structural steel, mechanical and electrical work have all been approved. Another noteworthy component of this project is that the Norgaard Ditch has been awarded to Schofield Excavation and was completed on June 7. FCI will survey the easement and provide to ARC for Easement description. The anticipated completion date of the entire project is Fall 2009.

Medical Center Remodel for New District Office

Construction documents have been completed and the permit has been approved. Construction is proceeding on the project with the following items of interest: Demo of existing carpet, casework, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work has begun with an anticipated completion date of Fall 2008.

Miller Ranch Road Improvements

Construction is underway and asphalt has been laid and stripping will be done after RAB construction is complete on the BMHS East entrance. BMHS RAB work has begun with temporary walk paths complete and traffic control is underway. In reference to the Charter School Road, Carroll & Lange was given notification to begin design and will be complete around June 20.

State Launches Pilot Program with Districts to Close Achievement Gap

Colorado Department of Education (CDE) announced that it has formed partner ships with six districts in the state to participate in a pilot program to test strategies and solutions to eliminate achievement gaps associated with race and income, and Eagle County Schools is one of them! The other five districts include Greeley-Evans, Roaring Fork, St. Vrain Valley, Summit and Yuma. All six districts fit two criteria to be included in the initiative: (1) achievement gaps are larger than the state average and (2) district leadership demonstrated willingness and capacity to take on this project. "These six districts were selected based on their exceptional leadership capacity, their focus on improving student achievement for all students and their commitment to change," said Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones. "In addition, these districts demonstrated a willingness to work with the department to develop a model that can be implemented in other districts around the state. As a state department, we are committed to forming partnerships with local school districts to tackle persistent problems head-on. We deeply appreciate the willingness of districts to identify achievement gaps as an issue and their eagerness to work together toward solutions."

Expeditionary Learning Schools' Scholarship Winners

Minturn Middle School (MMS) students Samantha Katz, Carmen Castillo and Riley Babcock have been awarded an Outward Bound scholarship for a 15-day Colorado backpacking trip. This scholarship gives students the chance to experience backpacking, rafting, rock-climbing and peak ascending. "It's an incredible opportunity that solidifies the character traits that we implement here at the school; courage, compassion, responsibility, craftsmanship and honesty," states Toni Boush, MMS Principal. "It's great to see them take what they learned in the classroom setting and then use that knowledge toward a great outward bound experience."

Red Canyon High School (RCHS) students have been awarded the opportunity to expand their learning outside of the box as well. RCHS 11th grader Angela Lujan, will be going on a 16-day Southwestern backpacking and whitewater-rafting trip from her scholarship. Siara Rodriguez, RCHS 10th grader, will be going on a 15-day Southwestern backpacking and kayaking trip. Once completed, these students have the chance to earn high school credit paid for by the Outward Bound program.

The opportunity for scholarships has also expanded to ECS educators this summer. Mo Beck, MMS Social Studies and Reading Teacher, RCHS Science Teacher Christina Gosselin and RCHS Language Arts and Humanities Teacher Lara Jackson will be going to Alaska on a 15-day sea kayaking and backpacking trip. The ELS program offers scholarships to teachers who then have the opportunity to receive course credit for completing their backcountry trip.

Celebrating Academic and Athletic Success

Battle Mountain High Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Excels

As 2,300 Colorado Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members descended upon Vail on April 19, Battle Mountain High School (BMHS) FBLA sent 12 of its own to the 45th annual State Leadership Conference and Competition. The following Battle Mountain High students were State Qualifiers at the FBLA competition last month. Congratulations to all of the BMHS Participants!

Kaleigh Armitage, Cassidy Rosen and Hana Warmenhoven - Global Business (2nd place). This group qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA, on June 24 - 30.
Anna Schmitt - Marketing (4th place).
Charles Gladitsch and Ryan Walker - Website Development (6th place).

Eagle Valley High Student Dazzles the Screen

A number of EVHS students recently submitted their original artwork behind the camera to The Rocky Mountain Student Filmfest, and two films were selected to participate in the 9th annual competition last month at Basalt Middle School. Under the direction of Ron Beard, EVHS student Cesar Castillo submitted two short films; 'Mad World' proved to be a crowd favorite and brought the audience to tears. Cesar's other film, titled 'Meteoroid Strike,' placed first in the 'Best Comedy' category. Congratulations to this extremely talented student!

Battle Mountain High ProStart Team Shines Once Again

In March, the BMHS ProStart Culinary Team took first place in the Colorado Restaurant Association Education Fund's state culinary competition. On May 24-26, Bart Clark, Pearl Burkham, Julia Schorr and Rudy Sosa attended the ProStart National Culinary Competition in San Diego, CA, and took 4th place! Under the direction of Sharon Wible, this dynamic team competed against 36 other state teams and not only secured the fourth place title, but also received scholarship money for some of the top culinary schools in America. The ProStart team would like to thank their mentors, Paul Ferzacca, Todd Rymer, David Sanchez and Tom Walker, who have spent countless hours coaching the team. Congratulations, ProStart Team!

Eagle Valley High Music Goes Above and Beyond In- and Out-of-State

Under the direction of Pat Sheehy, the music program at Eagle Valley High has racked up some big achievement this year. The band took a five-day trip to California to spend time playing for the Shriners Hospital for Children and record three Disney songs during a musical workshop in the Disneyland studio lot. Later on in April, the band received straight twos (excellent ratings) in a competition at the Colorado High School Athletic Association Large Group Music Festival. In addition, the select choir and concert choir received ones (superior ratings). Only four choirs received superior ratings at the festival. Keep on rockin'!

Battle Mountain High Speech and Debate Never Ceases to Amaze

Coach Suzanne Foster took five students to the National Qualifying Competition this year: Sean Pack and Sarah Stookey competed in the 'Duo Interpretation' category, Gina Lovell and Aaron Szindler gave the judges a laugh in the 'Humorous Interpretation' category and Ian Dunlevie competed in the 'Extemporaneous Speaking' category. Impressively, two BMHS students went above and beyond in the eyes of the judges; Gina advanced to quarter-finals and Ian made it to semi-finals. Mark your calendars for the BMHS Home Speech Meet on Saturday, October 11!

Nearly 70% of ECS 3rd graders score Proficient or Advanced on 2008 CSAP Reading, a significant improvement from last year

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) released the results of 2008 3rd grade CSAP reading results today and Eagle County Schools' (ECS) English-speaking students scored 81 percent Proficient or Advanced. This group of students includes native English speakers of all ethnic groups, as well as native Spanish speakers who have attained Fluent English Proficiency. Impressively, nearly every one of ECS' English-speaking third graders took the CSAP test this year. "We are working diligently towards achieving the Board of Education goal of all students reading at grade level by 4th grade," comments Interim Superintendent John Pacheco.

Overall, ECS averaged 68 percent Proficient or Advanced, which nearly mirrors the language profile of the District. 67 percent of ECS' students are English speakers, while 33 percent are Non-English or Limited English Proficient. Eagle County has an exceptionally higher number of Non-English and Limited English Proficient students than the state, which reported 12 percent Non-English or Limited English Proficient students in 2008. Seventy percent of all state 3rd graders scored Proficient or Advanced on 2008 Reading CSAP, a slight decrease from seventy-one percent in 2007. "We continue to make strides in closing the achievement gap and working to bring our Non-English and Limited English-speaking students to the level of our English speakers," states Heather Eberts, Executive Director of Elementary Education.

Individual school results also mirror the language makeup of each school, however modifications in programming have reflected an extensive improvement in student achievement data. At Avon Elementary, 80 percent of 3rd graders are Non-English or Limited English Proficient, the highest of any of our schools; impressively, 55 percent of their students who took the test in English scored Proficient or Advanced on CSAP. Notably, schools such as Avon Elementary proved to be stories of celebration this year in that more children were administered the Lectura, which is the Spanish version of the reading assessment, and our English Language Learners are performing well above state averages. After-school literacy and summer reading programs, in conjunction with Saturday school and the Dual Language program model, have collectively contributed to the success of those schools with extremely high populations of English Language Learners.

Six of our nine schools showed impressive increases this year. Brush Creek Elementary had the highest scores in the District at 92 percent Proficient/Advanced, followed by Eagle County Charter Academy, with 88 percent of students scoring Proficient/Advanced, up four percent from last year. Avon Elementary showed an extraordinary increase in the percentage of students scoring Proficient/Advanced from 21 to 55 percent, boasting a 34 percentage point increase over last year. Edwards Elementary increased the percentage of Proficient/Advanced students from 45 to 55 percent.

Believe in a Better Colorado...Spread the Good Word

Believe in a Better Colorado is an unprecedented alliance among the state's three largest K-12 education associations -- Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) and Colorado Education Association (CEA) -- to inform public school employees and citizens about the need to more effectively invest in all essential public services. You may have heard the buzz this spring about House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Senator Steve Johnson's efforts to propose untangling the conflicting spending mandates in Colorado's constitution, including the 1992 constitutional amendment TABOR - the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

Because the tax code is locked into the state constitution, it will take a citizen vote to change it. House Speaker Romanoff and Senator Johnson have their sights set on asking Coloradans this November to lift the inflexible spending limits. This is one example of the kinds of solutions being discussed in school district and community conversations about Believe in a Better Colorado. The ultimate goal is to adopt a new tax system by 2011.

It remains to be seen whether constitutional cleanups will begin this year in one form or another, but one thing's for certain: The 'perfect storm' will hit in 2011, when the Referendum C time-out ends, Amendment 23 funding shrinks, but TABOR spending limits remain.

Our investment in the state's future is shrinking. At best, Colorado has only enough money to provide 2007 levels of service. Already, Colorado's investments in all essential public services are below national averages, including K-12 and higher education, transportation, and health care. Below average is not good enough.

Join the state's three largest K-12 education associations in talking to your colleagues and community leaders about the importance of the Believe in a Better Colorado initiative. For more information on this important initiative, or to sign up for periodic emails about this issue, visit www.believeinabettercolorado.org.

Congratulations, Class of 2008!

Red Canyon High School Seniors gathered at the beautiful 4-Eagle Ranch on Friday, May 30, to celebrate the culmination of their high school careers. On Saturday, May 31, Battle Mountain High School Seniors tossed their hats up in the air at Ford Amphitheater, while further down valley, Eagle Valley High School Seniors reflected on the past four years at Hot Stuff Stadium. Eagle County Schools wishes the Class of 2008 the best of luck in the future, wherever the road leads you!

The Parent's Handbook

Full of money saving coupons and great family activities! Pick up your copy of the Summer/Fall 2008 publication. Check us out online at: www.theparentshandbook.com.