When can the community expect to see notable academic gains at Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 elementary schools?

That was the question posed to Superintendent Alex Carter after his update on a University of Virginia turnaround program at Kemper, Manuagh and Mesa elementary schools. In response, Carter said the “first fruits” of progress should be revealed at the end of the 22-month transformation process. The UVA program officially ends in March.

“We’re focused on turnaround,” he said.

Re-1 elementary students trail federal and state expectations – by 26 percentage points in reading, 24 in math, and 29 in writing – according to the district’s Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) released in April.

The UIP report also revealed that the number of students who were proficient and advanced in reading and math was steadily declining. In 2011, for example, 53 percent were proficient or advanced in reading. Last year, only 45 percent were. In math, scores fell from 55 percent in 2011 to 46 percent in 2014.

To reverse the decline, Carter told board members on Tuesday that the district was committed to supporting its teachers, but the district would also hold them accountable.

“We lament over our data, but we rarely act on it,” Carter said. “We’re taking actions, and we will make progress.”

Assistant Superintendent Laurie Haukeness told the board that academic gains had been made, in part, because of the district’s oversight.

“Our top-down model has been flipped,” she said, pointing to a bottom-up approach that focuses on concerns of students and teachers. She also said the district had recruited teachers to help lead a turnaround, expanded teacher support and increased time for collaboration.

Asked by board members to reveal the academic gains, Haukeness said she was updating the data for the board’s November meeting.

State review

In August, the Colorado Department of Education endorsed the district’s UVA turnaround plan, noting that “significant changes” had been made.

“Results of this partnership to date have included academic growth at all levels, an increased graduation rate and decreased dropout rate, improved ACT scores, and increasing student population,” the review panel wrote.

The CDE report praised the UVA program’s requirements for 90-day plans that identify causes of low performance, outline improvement goals and specify action plans.

The report indicated positive returns were likely under current management and staffing. It did not recommend that the district reorganize or close its schools.

Last spring, district elementary school principals admitted they had been quick to blame students and parents for failures, and vowed to examine how teachers and schools could improve.

“We’re accepting our responsibility,” Mesa Elementary principal KD Umbarger told board members in April.

tbaker@the-journal.com