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News from Sheridan School District No. 2

Contact: Mark Stevens

303-495-8699 (mobile) • 720-328-5488 (office)

 

 

Sept. 26, 2018

 

At its work session meeting this week, the Sheridan Board of Education continued to evaluate school performance data. Maegan Daigler, Director of Assessment, presented the school performance frameworks for Sheridan schools as well as results from the federal accountability system, known as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

 

Both state and federal results give Sheridan the opportunity to apply for improvement grants to bolster district strategies. Daigler told the board that the district is having a preliminary conversation with the state about a possible appeal. Last month, the board learned that preliminary results from the Colorado Department of Education indicate that the rating for Sheridan School District 2 may slip back one category, to “priority improvement.”

 

Based on the state’s informal response to the additional data that the district would like the state to consider, said Daigler, the district will decide whether to file a formal appeal by October 15.

 

Under the state’s school performance frameworks, Sheridan High School is very close to moving to the state’s top school category, known as ‘Performance Plan.’ The high school is only .4 percentage points below the cutoff mark. Fort Logan Northgate School is rated one category below, ‘Improvement Plan,’ and SOAR Academy (the district’s alternative school) is rated as “Priority Improvement.”

 

 

Earlier in the day Tuesday, board members toured Fort Logan Northgate School as part of its regular series of “Learning Walks” to see schools and classrooms in action. Superintendent Pat Sandos and other staff members also joined the tour.

“It was impressive and there was really a lot of interaction,” said board president Bernadette Saleh in reviewing the walk at the board meeting. Board member Daniel Stange noted the “calm” classroom atmosphere. 

Fort Logan Northgate School principal Nelson Van Vranken said the school is working to boost the level of rigor in classrooms and engage students to take more of the “cognitive load.”

 

“We saw kids owning their work,” said Superintendent Sandos at the board meeting. Sandos also noted the friendly front office staff and many visitors commented on the energy-saving system, which automatically lowers overhead lights when plenty of natural daylight is coming through the windows. 

Board members reviewed plans for participation in the big Sheridan Celebrates parade on Saturday, Sept. 29. In all, the school district has 11 entries in the parade. This year’s theme is “Trikes, Trains, and Automobiles.” The Children’s Parade kicks off at 9:45 a.m. and the Grand Parade at 10 a.m. 

Located southwest of Denver, Sheridan School District 2 seeks high-level post-secondary options for all students through continuous improvement of quality instruction. More: www.ssd2.org 

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