Grand Junction, CO - The Colorado Department of Education has released the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) scores this week for mathematics and English Language Arts. District 51 is proud to announce progress in student proficiency and early literacy initiatives across our district.
With a commitment to improving educational outcomes, this year's scores reflect an important milestone for District 51. Our students have exceeded pre-pandemic CMAS achievement levels for both ELA and Math for all grades, with the exception of 4th grade ELA and 7th grade Math.
These results highlight District 51’s focused academic efforts and strategic allocation of resources. District 51 has strategically addressed early literacy skill gaps among K-3 students, as with 80% of our kindergarten students reading at or above grade level and 70% of K-3 reading at or above grade level on other assessments. Our emphasis on Early Literacy will accelerate student achievement over time. 3rd - 5th graders are only 3% away from bridging the gap between the state’s proficiency standards in ELA. While we celebrate the successes of our students and schools, we know we still have much work to do to accomplish the goals within our three-year strategic plan.
We attribute the success in the rise of our scores to two factors: Our community and our teachers.
In 2017, the Grand Junction community said yes to our kids and district and passed a mill/bond, enabling us to acquire new resources that meet grade-level standards and rigor. Then, through the pandemic, we encountered innumerable challenges and interruptions in the community and our schools; however and because of teachers’ high expectations and dedication to the success of our students, we have not only recovered but exceeded pre-pandemic ELA and mathematic achievement.
While celebrating this tremendous achievement, District 51 wants to emphasize the importance of attendance and its impact on learning. In the same years, attendance has dipped by approximately 3-5%. For our families, we want to underscore the crucial role attendance plays in student education. So as District 51 continues its work to foster engagement with students and families, ensuring access to communication and resources that support their academic journey, we need our students in their classrooms. Every day matters, and we remain dedicated to ensuring that every student is engaged, equipped, and empowered to excel in our district.