School Improvement Plan Update

Goal 1: We continue to focus on increasing student learning and growth through effective instruction. 12 staff members have just completed a 40 hour writing intensive taught by Lou Rae Doyle. The class focused on analyzing student writing and effective teaching strategies.

Goal 2: Targeted learning groups: Students learn at different rates so we continue to form and reform student groups. Staff meets every week to discuss specific student needs, review data and assessment results to make sure instruction is appropriate for each student. During March, all 3-8^th grade students completed the TCAP assessments in reading, writing and math.  5^th and 8^th grade students also took assessments in science. This is one of many assessment tools we use to see how we are teaching and most importantly what students are learning.

Goal 3: ACS has increased our staff capacity: Ron Goth – full time 5-8 teacher and technology guru, Kendra Stucki – full time resource, Janie Rich – K,1,2 reading interventions, Bryan Long – 5-8^th grade Spanish, 3-4 reading support, 5-8 science support.  We have been able to do this thanks to the ACS Annual Fund and grants from the AEF.

Student Performances and classwork

Six students played classical guitar

Student work: 3-4 Cross curricular, art, science,  animal project, 5-8 Cross curricular reading/writing/ art/ history journals based on Victorian era and Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes – The Musical

We all enjoyed a little “teaser” by listening to original music written just for our play by Obadiah Jones. Lou Rae gave an update after our first two successful rehearsal days! To volunteer contact: Patricia Bukur at patricia@bukur.com

“I Believe Campaign”

Great news. We have hit the 3 million mark! We have 21 days to  bring in 1.9 million dollars to make our grant match and receive 4.2 million from the State.  100% of staff and over 85% of parents and 60% of students have contributed. Join us and click on our newest way to give.  http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/aspen-community-school-bring-home-the-best Get this link out to all of your contacts! It’s really fun and it works. We are not there yet and we need to push hard to make the May 1 deadline. Let’s bring home the BEST!

Garage Sale:

 Now called the Triple R Sale.  Super exciting. Contact Jillian Livingston aspenreallife@gmail.com  to help. We need your stuff and your neighbor’s stuff to sell. Pick up every Sunday afternoon!

Party!

It was a great night with fantastic conversation, food and drink. Thank you to all who helped make it a success.

It was an exciting day at the Aspen Community School. At 8:15 Namgyal Wangchuk Lhagyari Trichen, the exiled King of Tibet spoke with our 5-8^th grade students for about 50 minutes. Trichen is visiting Aspen for the weekend and the Link family made it possible for the young monarch to come to ACS.  Trichen spoke eloquently about his home country, the struggle of the Tibetan people and the need for compassion and dialogue to solve problems. His quiet, yet strong voice swept over everyone in the room like a spell. We were transfixed by this soft spoken 19 year old and his message of peace. ACS students asked questions and listened. It was another one of those ACS moments.

Trichen was still shaking hands in the central area when Chris Faison and his crew of power dads and moms began constructing the 70 foot Apatosaurus (aka Brontosaurus) that now graces the central area. This collaborative endeavor involved the parents and students of all kindergarten, first and second graders. They cut and measured the bones, stayed after school to “pre build” and paint this amazing, to scale, creation. The dinosaur is all part of an interdisciplinary non-fiction literacy/science study. It’s about reading, writing, science, discovery and engaging personally in the business of learning. By 2:30 Faison proclaimed “Anne the Apatosaurus” complete. It doesn’t get any better than today.

I just finished reading the first semester student progress reports, which you will receive soon. These reports provide a clear assessment of how your child is performing at school. All of our reports evaluate student effort, achievement and growth over time.  You will notice that reports are standards based, which means students are assessed based on their proficiency at a particular skill or standard. Students are not evaluated relative to other students. When a student receives a Proficient rating for reading, that student knows and is able to demonstrate grade level skills based on common Colorado State standards.

We don’t use the traditional letter grades because they tell parents and students almost nothing about what a student knows and can do. An “A” without the accompanying standard is virtually meaningless. It's just like real life outside of school. Whenever there is an important task, especially involving safety, competency is based on attainment of a specific standard. Think airline pilot - in order to fly you must pass all the aviation standards, not just be the best pilot in the class.

I encourage you  to study your child’s report. Make the effort to go over these evaluations with your child. If you, or your child, have questions, feel free to discuss them with your teacher. The goal of our reports is to provide accurate information that students can use to succeed.

Educational research generally confirms that when class size is below 20 students achieve at a higher rate. Interestingly, gains from smaller classes in the elementary and middle grades continue for students in high school. Our student data confirms this research. The average class size nationally is about 25 students. At ACS you will be hard pressed to find an instructional class bigger than 14 students and 10 is more like the norm. Many students are in sub groups of 7 or less. By the time a student reaches the 6^th 7^th and 8^th grades at ACS they will outperform their peers by a wide margin in reading, writing, math and science. Consider the percentages of students at or above grade level:                          

The positive effect of small class size plays out at ACS in a myriad of ways. Student growth and achievement data is carefully analyzed by teachers so that students receive the targeted instruction they need, usually in a small group. Not all students learn the same way, so a smaller class allows teachers to differentiate the instruction to make the material accessible to all students. Kids get individual attention, feedback and support every day at ACS. There is no getting lost or falling through the cracks.

There is also a documented benefit from being in a small school. You can see it at all school meeting where we meet to celebrate student success and confront challenges.  When you know and interact with everyone at school it’s natural to treat your classmates and teachers with mutual cooperation and respect. Sure, inappropriate behavior happens, but it is the exception, never the norm. When we face challenges we work together to create a solution that actually works. The size of our faculty is also an advantage. We meet every week to discuss student achievement and what strategies we can use to improve our instruction. If there is a pressing issue, I can and do, pull every staff member into the central area and we work it out…right away.

One of the criticisms of small schools is that they cost more to run. My response: “think education is expensive, try ignorance.” The data comparing lifetime earnings of college graduates and high school drop outs is staggering. Every penny we invest in keeping ACS small and effective ups the odds that our students will be successful for the rest of their lives.