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District 49 highlights student growth; Allies (dyslexia-focused) praised after moving into performance
Summary
District staff presented assessment results showing math and science growth across many operated schools, highlighted Allies Elementary's progress serving students with dyslexia, and discussed differences between district-operated and charter performance.
Kathleen Grama, the district's director of academic performance and data services, framed the assessment update around neuroplasticity and student "sponginess," reviewing state measures (CMAS, SGP) and five-year comparisons to pre-pandemic levels. Grama said about a quarter of district schools exceeded pre-pandemic reading levels, over half exceeded in math, and nearly three-quarters in science.
Grama emphasized growth metrics: a median student growth percentile of about 50 is considered stable, and several operated schools stood out for growth. She credited teacher practice, new curricula and focused professional development for gains, citing examples including Allies Elementary, Ridgeview, Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning and Horizon Middle School.
A board member (speaker identified in the transcript as speaker 9) celebrated Allies' progress and said it had moved into performance status; the speaker framed that as proof multi-year intervention for students with dyslexia can produce results. "Allies continues to be a place where challenges are transformed into opportunities," Grama said in describing the school's approach.
Directors discussed variation across charter schools and district-operated schools; one director urged that contracts with charter schools should include accountability expectations tied to meeting or exceeding district performance. Students on the student board briefly described how seeing personal growth in assessment results felt motivating.
Ending: The board thanked staff and principals for the data work and asked for continued focus on growth, intervention programs and accountability frameworks for charter schools.
