BVSD’s ambitious strategic plan is paying off

En Español

The Colorado Department of Education recently released test scores and performance ratings for school districts across the state and the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) did exceedingly well, thanks to the work done through the All Together for All Students Strategic Plan. 

BVSD teachers’ focus on Data-Driven Instruction (DDI) and Differentiated and targeted support resulted in significant gains in the latest Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) tests and BVSD being named the ONLY Denver Metro school district to be Accredited with Distinction this year.

Results from the state’s District and School Performance Framework provide valuable insight into how our schools are performing. BVSD was one of only 17 districts state-wide to earn the designation, which is the top of a five-level system.

Measurable improvements on CMAS, PSAT and SAT tests
The growth scores shown in the latest Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) tests, released in August show BVSD once again outpaced the state, nearly doubling the Math section of the PSAT/SAT average (BVSD: 64.3%, State: 35%) and led by more than 20 percent on the Reading and Writing segment (BVSD: 84.2%, State 63%).

Learn more about scores and testing evaluations below: The Scores

BVSD Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Lora de la Cruz shared, “In BVSD, we strive to ensure achievement and growth among ALL students, with a sharp focus on students of color and students eligible for free and reduced lunch (FRL).”

“The excellent news is that our overall growth is stable and improving, and growth for students of color and students eligible for free and reduced lunch increased in many areas across elementary, middle and high schools,” de la Cruz shared.

“A big congratulations is owed to our middle schools, where overall we saw growth in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math for all students, students of color, and students eligible for FRL.”

Assessment informs instruction
“In my opinion, standardized testing helps inform our practices,” says Tanner Dayhoff, Principal of Bear Creek Elementary. “There is a level of importance to that assessment, it tells us where a student is in their learning and what we as a school need to be doing for that kid moving forward to ensure their success and growth.”

“We have realistically high expectations for kids,” said Dayhoff. “We know they can learn a lot, achieve a lot, and grow a lot but we work to keep that really balanced. We just try to find every opportunity we can to celebrate learning.”

Aspen Creek PK-8 Middle Level Assistant Principal, Brian Gonzales, echoed the sentiment.

“We want our community to know that these assessments have merit and are helpful data for our school,” said Gonzales. “We need their participation so we can see what our students know, and use that data to implement which standards need more focus, where we’re doing well, and how it will shift our instructional decisions.”

Supporting students
BVSD’s approach of differentiated and targeted support  involves working individually with students needing additional support to meet the expectations of their grade level.

“As a middle level specifically, we focused on kids who were right there, who are so close to meeting grade level. What are some very specific things we can do to change our teaching to help them get there?,” said Gonzales. 

“In those cases we reflect on the BVSD instructional model and give our teachers the space and the protocol to reflect on what instructional practices need to change in order for those students to grow.”

Aspen Creek PK-8 cites differentiation as a way to support students at varying learning levels in the same classroom. 

“Differentiation is doing all sorts of things at the same time in a classroom,” says Gonzales. “It's helping gifted learners, offering enrichment, slowing down and speeding up at the same time within a classroom. We work to rethink direct instruction so it's not so much talking to everyone about the same thing at the same time but adjusting the curriculum for different learning speeds and depths.”

Carving out time for grade level meetings, reflection for teachers and time with BVSD instructional coaches also allow the staff to better support their students.

Successfully meeting standards
Dayhoff says their curriculum supports the standards, which leads to successful outcomes.

“CMAS is well connected to our standards and curriculum; if we plan and implement our curriculum well, it will be reflected in our CMAS scores,” says Dayhoff. “This is an opportunity for our students to show what they know and be confident in their abilities.”

“Through that individual instruction, we meet our students where they are and help get them to where they need to be,” says Gonzales. “And that leads to success for our students.”

Take the Test
Participation counts! We encourage everyone to participate in state assessments, and ask parents to support students in the process. For more information on state assessments, the benefits provided to schools and the district through CMAS participation, and frequently asked questions about assessments visit BVSD’s Take the Test webpage.

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The Scores

Colorado students in third through eighth grades take the math and English language arts CMAS and high school students in ninth through 11th grade take a PSAT/SAT test to evaluate English and math. Students also take a science CMAS test in fifth, eighth, and 11th grade. Students who score at least 750 on the exams are considered to have met or exceeded expectations, denoting them as on track to being college and career ready.

BVSD third through eighth graders demonstrated the highest percentage of students who met or exceeded expectations in both Math and English Language Arts (ELA) since this version of the CMAS has been given. BVSD students’ growth went up or was stable in ELA and Math across all grades – with the exception of elementary level math, which saw a two point decrease this year. BVSD students of color and those eligible for the Free and Reduced cost lunch program showed increased or stable scores.

		Math			English Language Arts
Grade Range	Group	2022	2023	2024	2022	2023	2024
3-5	BVSD	53.1%	56.4%	58.5%	61.8%	62.5%	64.2%
6-8	BVSD	44.1%	44.7%	48.5%	59.9%	59.1%	62.3

A number of our schools grew five percent or more over the past three years, including 13 elementary schools in ELA:

School	2022	2023	2024	3 year +/-
Heatherwood ES	50.90%	63.20%	69.70%	18.80%
Nederland ES	49.40%	51.80%	64.50%	15.10%
Douglass ES	54.80%	55.40%	69.70%	14.90%
Crestview ES	48.60%	54.40%	60.60%	12.00%
Eldorado (ES)	66.20%	72.30%	76.10%	9.90%
Kohl ES	56.80%	62.60%	66.40%	9.60%
Pioneer ES	46.30%	51.90%	55.30%	9.00%
BCSIS	71.70%	77.90%	79.40%	7.70%
Bear Creek ES	80.00%	84.10%	86.90%	6.90%
Eisenhower ES	69.60%	74.00%	75.70%	6.10%
Coal Creek ES	54.50%	53.60%	60.60%	6.10%
Louisville ES	66.20%	65.30%	71.40%	5.20%
Creekside ES	70.10%	73.20%	75.20%	5.10%

 

Sixteen elementary schools in Math:

 

School	2022	2023	2024	3 year +/-
Heatherwood ES	41.50%	60.70%	66.70%	25.20%
BCSIS	53.60%	66.20%	77.50%	23.90%
Douglass ES	50.90%	52.70%	70.90%	20.00%
Nederland ES	40.50%	53.60%	59.20%	18.70%
Eisenhower ES	62.60%	69.00%	77.70%	15.10%
Comm. Montessori	36.80%	42.30%	51.00%	14.20%
Eldorado (ES)	61.50%	66.90%	74.10%	12.60%
Creekside ES	64.20%	68.20%	73.00%	8.80%
Bear Creek ES	79.10%	86.30%	87.20%	8.10%
Louisville ES	52.20%	49.80%	60.30%	8.10%
Kohl ES	51.80%	57.90%	59.80%	8.00%
Alicia Sanchez ES	13.70%	19.50%	21.10%	7.40%
Coal Creek ES	51.80%	51.80%	58.90%	7.10%
Monarch (ES)	52.60%	48.80%	58.90%	6.30%
Emerald ES	42.00%	34.60%	47.10%	5.10%
Ryan ES	43.40%	45.60%	38.40%	5.00%

Five middle schools in ELA:

School	2022	2023	2024	3 year +/-
Platt Choice	61.60%	63.90%	72.40%	10.80%
Louisville MS	63.30%	67.60%	71.50%	8.20%
Meadowlark (MS)	64.70%	63.40%	72.00%	7.30%
Broomfield Heights	47.80%	46.60%	54.50%	6.70%
Nederland (MS)	47.90%	36.50%	54.50%	6.60%

Six middle schools in Math:

School	2022	2023	2024	3 year +/-
Platt Choice MS	41.00%	34.70%	56.70%	15.70%
Centennial MS	34.20%	42.20%	47%	13%
Nederland (MS)	18.90%	18.80%	30.80%	11.90%
Louisville MS	50.50%	50.10%	59.50%	9.00%
Eldorado (MS)	58.30%	62.80%	66.50%	8.20%
Southern Hills MS	64.80%	65.40%	71.90%	7.10%