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Agenda

• Meeting Agreements

• Vision and Regional Work To Date

• Enrollment and Choice Information

• Regional Improvement Strategy

• Plan for More High-Performing Seats

• Next Steps

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Meeting Agreements

• We are sharing a lot of information. Thank you for your patience.

• Feel free to write down your questions and comments so you are prepared for the question-and-answer period.

• Please respect the viewpoints of others and listen to all ideas with an open mind.

• Questions will be held until the end.

• Please limit to one question/comment per turn at the microphone.

OUR #1 GOALGreat Schools in Every Neighborhood

Target:

80% of students in every region attend a high-performing school

Where we stand:

Southwest Denver – 52%

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We’ve heard from parents and

community about the need for significant

improvement in schools at all levels

throughout the region.

We believe a bold, regional approach is

necessary.

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Our vision is that every child thrives every day in DPS:

• High levels of academic expectations for all students

• Support for struggling students

• Staff and students are responsible, dedicated and supported in a professional environment

• Staff have the information and resources they need to serve students

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Some of this work has already begun:

We’re undergoing intensive school improvement efforts in our lowest-performing elementary schools

• Goldrick• Schmitt• Valverde

We’re introducing high-quality new schools that replicate some of our most successful schools to replace Kepner, our lowest-performing middle school

• Compass Academy for 2015-16; Kepner Beacon and STRIVE Kepner in 2016-17; new DSST in 2016-17

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Recent additions in SW high school options:

• DSST College View• Excel Academy• KIPP Collegiate• Kunsmiller High School• Respect Academy• STRIVE Smart• Summit Academy

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Trends in enrollment at Lincoln

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1,7271,900 1,824 1,804

1,6491,509 1,477

106 98

115

111 96

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Lincoln High School

Respect Academy

Our regional improvement strategy:

• Lincoln – attract more students through rigorous college readiness and new high-demand technology pathways

• Add high-performing secondary seats – call for new middle schools, with Lincoln considered for campus sharing

• Henry – phase in new high-performing program while phasing out existing program, with strong supports for staff, students and families

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Proposal for Lincoln High School

• We want to strengthen Lincoln’s instructional program, including the emphasis on college readiness.

• At the same time, we will build an emphasis on rigorous career and technical education, including a digital technology pathway in 2015-16.

• Lincoln will continue to offer specialized services for students with limited English proficiency.

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CTE Pathways at Lincoln

• We have seen a huge demand for these courses across the district, with examples including CEC Middle College, a green school in Northwest Denver.

• Interviews underway for Lincoln CTE director.

• Digital Technology pathway will begin serving up to 100 9th-graders this fall; existing pathways in business and drafting.

• External funding is coming from grants and community partners, including the City of Denver Office of Economic Development; we are partnering with city and local industry to create pathways in high-demand fields.

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It’s important to remember

• Any student who wants to attend Lincoln High School will be able to do so, now and in the future. We will not be capping enrollment.

• Respect Academy will also continue on the Lincoln campus

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Adding more high-performing secondary seats

• We still need more high-quality seats to meet our goal of 80% of our students attending a high-performing school.

• We will initiate a Call for New Quality Schools that seeks high-performing middle schools.

• These new programs would be located at Henry World Middle School and, as space is available, at Lincoln.

• DPS school board would select new program in the fall, with campus sharing to begin in 2016-17.

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What is the Call for New Quality Schools?

• Annual DPS process encouraging new, high-quality school proposals that drive student achievement.

• Candidates participate in a strict quality review process, including meeting with community members.

• Letters of intent to participate in this special call for Southwest Denver will be due next month; proposals are public.

• Some schools already approved through the regular call process may be considered for location at Henry and Lincoln, including DSST and Compass Academy.

• DPS school board will select new program in the fall.15

Equity is a DPS Shared Core Value:We celebrate our diversity and will provide the necessary

resources and supports to eliminate barriers to success and foster a more equitable future for all our kids.

All new schools must share this value:All new schools must provide services to meet the needs of all students, including students with special needs, students new

to our country and English language learners.

Our commitment to equity

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Gaps in high-performing middle school seats in SW Denver

• 50% of seats in the region are not rated green “meets expectations” or blue “distinguished,” meaning schools aren’t providing the quality of growth opportunities our kids need.

School Name 2012 SPF 2013 SPF 2014 SPF

KIPP Sunshine Peak AcademyDSST: College View MSSTRIVE Prep - WestwoodSTRIVE Prep - Federal West Leadership AcademyKunsmiller Creative Arts MSHenry World SchoolKepner Middle SchoolWest Generation AcademyCompass Academy – no ratings yet

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This map shows a broader view of the ratings for our middle schools in Southwest Denver

School #1 Choice Accepted Wait ListSTRIVE – Westwood 263 135 224

DSST College View 250 163 153

Henry World School 144 187

STRIVE – Federal 135 135 163

Kunsmiller Middle School 131 99

West Leadership 112 125

Compass Academy 97 142

West Generation 92 111

KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy 90 27 151

Kepner Middle School 79 122

Top choices for middle schools in SW: 2015 results

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Next Steps

• Look for more information from the school

• Share information with other families

• Upcoming opportunities to get involved and learn more

Questions?

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