Denver Public Schools posts progress

District shows increase in graduation rate

Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Denver Public Schools officials yesterday announced a 3.2 percent improvement in its graduation rate over the year, bringing the district to a graduation rate of just under 53 percent.

Officials called it “extraordinary progress,” pointing to another 7-point increase in the number of graduates who enrolled in college this past fall. But standing in North High School yesterday Ń the district school with the greatest progress over the past year Ń Superintendent Tom Boasberg said there is still much work to be done, noting that the district’s goal is for 5 percent improvement each year.

“We’ve got much, much work to do to increase the readiness of our students, increase the number of students who are on track, to decrease and eliminate the achievement gaps we see in our high school graduation and college enrollment statistics, and to be in a position where we reach our goal of having every one of our students graduating from high school, prepared for college or for career,” said Boasberg.

Still, the numbers represent the district’s greatest progress in several years.

The number of high school students concurrently enrolled in high school and college courses increased 56 percent over the last two years; the number of students taking advanced placement courses increased by about 32 percent last year; the number of students passing advanced placement tests and earning college credits increased by 23.5 percent; and the number of juniors scoring 20 points or better on the ACT increased by 2 percent.

School officials attribute the success to progress made through former Superintendent Michael Bennet’s 2005 Denver Plan, which has included increased district-wide standards and a rigorous focus on college-readiness.

“These kinds of changes don’t just happen overnight, they’re very intentional results of our efforts at the high school level to increase the rigor and the college-readiness of our high school students,” said Boasberg.

North High School graduate Johnny Alvarado acknowledged that adjusting to life after high school has been difficult at his new home of education at Regis University. But he believes the counseling he received through North’s so-called Future Center helped him to be able to deal with the challenges of higher education.

“The biggest challenge that I’ve had at Regis University was time management, it was really difficult adjusting to it, and so far now that I’m done with finals and over with my first semester, I’ve done real good, I’m real confident and I’m looking forward to many years to come at Regis,” said Alvarado.

In a conversation with Alvarado prior to the news conference yesterday, Boasberg shared the young college student’s level of stress, pointing out to him that 27 years ago the superintendent himself struggled with time management as a college student.

“I remember I had two exams on the same day, but it actually saved my ass because I was able to postpone one of the tests,” a candid Boasberg told Alvarado during a friendly chat. “I was still stressed out.”

It seems Boasberg hasn’t escaped the stress Ń not yet. He is in the process of rolling out a 2009 Denver Plan that focuses on the “instructional core,” including firing underperforming teachers while rewarding the best teachers. The plan has sparked controversy within the teachers’ union.

The 2009 Denver Plan is a continuance of now U.S. Sen. Bennet’s 2005 Denver Plan. The plan intends to build on some of the successes of the 2005 plan Ń which has been credited with DPS enjoying its largest enrollment numbers in 35 years and thousands more students proficient in reading, writing and math Ń while improving the overall quality of education.

As part of the proposal, the district is also looking at streamlining its financial resources and establishing high expectations for all students and teachers.

With 54 students heading off to college next year, it appears North High School has made the best use of DPS’ reform efforts. Principal Ed Salem attributes his school’s success to a school community effort. The school saw its number of graduates increase from 142 to 189 this year, and its college-enrollment rate jumped from 33 percent to 37 percent.

“I can attribute our increase to the dedication and focus of my teachers and staff,” said Salem. “We understand the importance of ensuring college readiness for all our students.”

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