Manaugh Elementary may face state intervention next year, according to the Colorado Department of Education.

Lori Haukeness, superintendent of Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School District, said she and Manaugh Principal Donetta Jones will present an accreditation plan in April to the Colorado Department of Education for approval.

“We will have to present what they call a pathway plan for Manaugh to improve student achievement at that school,” Haukeness said.

The state’s decision will determine Manaugh’s next steps.

All public schools receive a rating each year based on scores on the state’s English and math tests, and educational growth year to year.

Of the more than 1,700 schools in Colorado, 140 received one of the state’s two lowest quality ratings – priority improvement and turnaround – on Dec. 13. Schools with the lowest rankings are placed on the accountability clock and given five years to improve with a state-ordered school improvement plan or face intervention, which may include turning them over to new administrators.

Since Manaugh Elementary has been on the accountability clock for six years, it faces state intervention, along with Martinez Elementary in Greeley.

The four ratings, from highest to lowest, are performance, improvement, priority improvement and turnaround.

As a whole, the Montezuma-Cortez district went off the accountability clock this fall.

“I’m very pleased to see that 98 schools came off the clock this year,” Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes said in a statement. “As a department, we will increase our focus on supporting schools needing improvements, so more of them raise and maintain their students’ performance.”