Keystone Reports on Academic Performance and Recovery in Colorado Charter Schools

Jan 7, 2025

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Keystone Reports on Academic Performance and Recovery in Colorado Charter Schools

Introduction

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado faces the challenge of addressing its impact on student learning. The latest report by Keystone Policy Center delves into the performance of charter schools, revealing significant academic achievements and highlighting scalable solutions that can benefit all Colorado students. By focusing on the successes of charter schools, particularly in serving traditionally underserved populations, this report offers valuable insights into effective educational strategies that can be applied more broadly to improve outcomes statewide.

Key Findings:

Higher Academic Outcomes: Charter schools consistently achieve higher academic outcomes compared to traditional public schools. With a 3-5 percentage point lead in CMAS literacy proficiency rates, charter students are performing slightly higher across various subjects and grade levels.
Focused Student Growth: Charter schools exhibit stronger year-over-year student growth, particularly among underserved demographics such as low-income students, English language learners (ELL), and students with disabilities. This growth is measured using the Median Growth Percentile (MGP), which indicates charters’ ability to accelerate learning.
High School Success: Charter students outperformed their peers in both literacy and math, according to test results from the PSAT and SAT. The report notes particularly notable gains among Black and low-income students.
Enhanced Quality in High-Needs Areas: Charter schools are making a significant impact in high-needs areas, defined by high numbers of underperforming schools. A higher proportion of students in these areas are attending “Performance” rated schools, showcasing the potential strategies to transform educational outcomes in challenging environments.
Effective School Improvement: The report also highlights the capacity of charter schools to implement rapid and effective changes. Schools initially rated as “Turnaround” or “Priority Improvement” have shown marked improvements, with over 50% advancing two or more performance levels by 2024.

Broader Implications

This report sheds light on the potential strategies that can serve as models for educational excellence. By replicating the successful practices observed in charters, policymakers and educators can work towards closing achievement gaps and providing equitable education opportunities for all students.

Conclusion

Achieving a world-class education system for Colorado requires innovation and collaboration. The successes documented in this report provide valuable insights into effective strategies that can be adapted and scaled. By learning from charter schools’ achievements, Colorado can move closer to ensuring every student receives a high-quality education.