Denver Public Schools uses the School Performance Framework (SPF) to evaluate its schools and share how well each school in the district is doing. This report card helps all of us understand whether or not schools are meeting their goals and where they might need more support. The SPF considers things like growth on state tests, attendance rates, and parent satisfaction, and gives each school a color ranking that shows how well it is serving students and families. The short video below helps break down this rating.
The SPF can be a great resource for families who are looking for an excellent school for their child. And while it is important for families to look at a school’s overall rating, there are a few key indicators that can help families make the right choice for their child.
Growth
The growth metric on the SPF shows how much a school is able to help individual students grow in their learning. If a student is behind academically, looking at the growth metric is going to show you how a school helps to catch that student up. Similarly, if a student is ahead of grade level, growth can help show that all students are being pushed to continue growing.
Rocky Mountain Prep’s growth in math last year ranked us 4th of all DPS elementary schools and 18th of all elementary schools in the state.
Equity
The equity measure highlights the ability of a school to serve a diverse student body. If a student is learning English as a second language or receives special services, the equity measure will show whether similar students in a given school are being served well. For example, if you were trying to find a school for a student who was currently learning English, you would want to review the equity measure for English Language Learners to be sure that school is supporting the growth of other students who are learning a second language.
Rocky Mountain Prep Southwest was the only school in DPS last year to receive 100% on the equity indicator.
Status
Status shows the overall performance of students in a given school. This highlights whether students are performing at the grade level in which they are currently enrolled. One piece of the status that is of particular importance is the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) literacy measure, which is shown in the detail scorecard. The CMAS measure shares indicators for whether schools are supporting their students on the track to college.
Rocky Mountain Prep's Creekside campus is the highest-performing elementary school in Denver serving a majority of students eligible for free and reduced lunch.
Have additional questions about the School Performance Framework or school choice? Call us at 720.863.8920!
