Test scores and school ratings increased in the Englewood Public School District, as administrators say they are happy with continued improvements.

With test scores for the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS test, being released, Superintendent Joanna Polzin said the district is content with its improved school ratings.  

“Englewood School District has some amazing celebrations regarding state test scores and plan types for many of our schools,” she said.  

Polzin said the district saw a lot of improvement in its CMAS scores across all grades. 

“The percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in English language arts in grades third through eighth rose from 32 percent in 2021-2022 to 37 percent in 2022-2023,” she said.  

Additionally, the percentage of mathematics for students in grades third through eighth increased from 21 to 23 percent. 

“Given this growth, a majority of our schools are now rated ‘performance’ by the department of education,” Polzin said, referring to the state’s District Performance Framework reports and accreditation ratings.  

Polzin said “performance” is the highest rating for a school from the CDE and most of Englewood’s schools have that rating.  

“Clayton Elementary, Bishop Elementary, and Englewood Leadership Academy continue to be rated ‘performance’ schools,” Polzin said. “Charles Hay World School made tremendous growth and moved from a lower rating to performance in one year.” 

Polzin said the administration is proud of the students and teachers as Englewood Middle School has also increased its rating to “improvement” status, which is an increase in two plan types.  

“For the first time since 2013, there are no schools in Englewood on the accountability clock,” Polzin said. “This is due to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff.” 

At the high school level, Polzin said Englewood High School freshmen and sophomores who took the PSAT, increased their overall scores.  

“In both Evidence Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and mathematics, our students made double digit mean score increases while the state’s scores actually decreased,” Polzin said.  

Additionally, 11th graders who took the SAT increased the mean scale score in EBRW by three points while the state increased by two points. In mathematics, the district’s mean scale score decreased by 14 points while the state remained stagnant, Polzin said.  

“We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students and teachers in this year's state testing,” Becky Jones, learning and assessment coordinator said. “The dedication and hard work put forth by both our educators and learners have culminated in truly impressive growth.” 

CMAS scores show 20% of Black students, 29.7 % of Hispanic students, 43.9% of White students and 47.9% of students who are two or more races in grades third through eighth met or exceeded expectations in English.  

Scores also reflect 30.1% of students on free and reduced lunch and 49.9% of students grades third through eighth not on free and reduced lunch met or exceeded expectations in English.  

Additionally, scores also show 11.9% of students in special education and 43.8% of students not in special education met or exceeded expectations in English.  

In mathematics, 11.4% of Black students, 16.9% of Hispanic students, 26.9% White students and 33.3% of students who’re two or more races in grades third through eighth met or exceeded expectations.  

The scores also show in mathematics 16.3% of students in grades third through eighth on free or reduced lunch and 34.3% of students not on free and reduced lunch met or exceeded expectations.  

Lastly, 7.3% of students in special education and 26.9% of students not in special education met or exceeded expectations in math.  

Polzin said  leaders and staff of the Engelwood School District remain dedicated to the district’s purpose statement, which states the district “has a moral imperative and unwavering commitment to ensure extraordinary outcomes for each student.” 

“Diversity is an asset. We are committed to honoring students' identities, cultures and abilities, while breaking down barriers to a safe and equitable learning experience,” the statement says.  

Polzin said the district maintains high expectations and is sure to nurture all aspects of the whole student.  

“With that said, we will continue to build off of the successes and growth we are seeing in the local school and district data as well as dissecting state data,” she said. “This is emphasized in our strategic plan, and Englewood Schools will continue to build a new tradition of excellence.” 

Polzin said last year’s scores reflect the district’s growth and academic improvement from previous years.  

“While there is still room to grow, we are reminded that the journey of growth and learning is a continuous one,” she said. “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the students, teachers and leaders and we will continue to strive for even greater heights in educating our students.” 

Polzin said the district plans to grow by focusing on “establishing cycles of Data Driven Collaboration.” 

“At its most basic, this means constantly focusing on the question, ‘are our students learning?’ Polzin said. “In practice, in Englewood Schools, this means clearly defining our goal as educational equity, which for us means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.” 

Polzin said the district believes to reach that goal it must go through the four principles of data driven collaboration which include assessment, analysis, action and culture.  

“As a result of this focus on data driven collaboration, we have created a system that balances supporting implementation of data driven collaboration through professional learning at each school with monitoring implementation and student outcomes at each site so that we can continually improve and refine our practices,” she said.  

Going forward, the district will continue to create effective systems for student learning and educator instruction to further academic growth.   

“We strive every day to focus on our mission of preparing all students for future success through learning, leadership, engagement and action,” Polzin said. “Our north star is our vision of graduating the leaders, thinkers and explorers of tomorrow.”