2019 FIELD GUIDE TO Education IN COLORADO About Colorado Succeeds Colorado Succeeds is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings business leaders across the state together to ensure all of Colorado’s children are educated to their greatest potential, and all the state’s businesses have the homegrown talent needed to thrive. We harness the business community’s expertise, influence, and capital to: n Create Change We work to remove public policy barriers and consistently improve the educational ecosystem to work for all kids. n Invest in What’s Working We identify and invest in promising initiatives and practices, focused on a high return on investment and sustainable impact. n Scale Success We expand access so that all learners can benefit from a relevant and responsive educational experience. And we’re in good company. Our network represents over 100 companies and partners across the state, reaching Coloradans in all 64 counties. Join us. For more information, contact: Colorado Succeeds [email protected] Connect Online: www.coloradosucceeds.org facebook.com/coloradosucceeds twitter.com/cosucceeds www.linkedin.com/company/colorado-succeeds Introduction This handy Field Guide is designed to give you quick and easy access to key data that will support you in your work to improve education in Colorado. There’s a common understanding in business that what gets measured gets done. Using data, we can continue to hold Colorado’s education system accountable and ensure that limited resources are not only well spent, but also invested in the areas most needing improvement. The Field Guide puts the education data that matters the most at Coloradan’s fingertips. We hope you will use this tool in your efforts to bolster education outcomes and join our calls for continuous improvement. Contents Executive Summary 5 The Basics 19 Student Performance 39 Education & The Economy 51 State Leadership 61 Our Coalition 69 1 Vision 2030 Framework THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION A Call-To-Action Children sitting in kindergarten classrooms today will graduate from high school in the year 2030. Experts predict that 85% of the jobs available in that same year have yet to be invented. Though the economy and labor market are evolving in ways we can’t predict, one thing is certain: the future needs raw human ingenuity, collaboration, and emotional intelligence; people who are empowered to shape technology, rather than be replaced by it. Will Colorado rise to the challenge? Colorado’s Challenge Our current education system was built for a past era, when humans were manufacturing goods on assembly lines and computers didn’t exist. This system has not kept pace with the changes to the economy and external environment. As a result, Colorado has a sizable skills gap and one of the largest achievement gaps in the country. The Next Revolution Today’s workforce is globally connected, network-based, knowledge-based, and where we’re headed is rapidly evolving. The Solution Futurists agree that education needs to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet, to work with tools that have yet to be created, and to solve problems that have yet to be identified. We are calling this new era the Age of Agility. Colorado Succeeds believes in 7 principles to help Colorado create an agile education system that supports agile learning providers and develops agile learners who are prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing environment. 2 FIELD GUIDE TO EDUCATION IN COLORADO | INTRODUCTION Principles For Action n Set expectations, get out of the way n Focus on outcomes, not inputs n Equip all families with information and access n Empower local learning providers n Fund students, not systems n Eliminate silos, share everything n Measure performance, continually improve Student Competencies Student Experiences Education Principles Learn more here: https://coloradosucceeds.org/vision-2030- framework/ 3 4 Executive Summary Executive Executive Summary Executive Summary Executive Summary 5 EARLY LITERACY Currently, 15.7% of CO K-3 students have a Significant Reading Deficiency (SRD). SUBGROUP RESULTS: READ ACT 2017 ASSESSMENT (K-3) 51% 29% 24% 23% 25% Students English Students with Hispanic Black Qualifying for Free Language Disabilities & Reduced Lunch Learners PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WITH A SIGNIFICANT READING DEFICIENCY (SRD) Source: Colorado Department of Education (2018) 6 STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN MATH Only 36% of 5th grade students and 28% of 8th grade students meet (or exceed) CO’s state standards for math proficiency. STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN MATH Grade 5 (2018) Grade 8 (2018) 28% 36% 64% 72% % Students at Grade Level % Students Below Grade Level Source: Colorado Department of Education (2018) 7 STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN SCIENCE Only 36% of 5th grade students and 31% of 8th grade students meet CO’s state standards for science proficiency. STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN SCIENCE Grade 5 (2018) Grade 8 (2018) 36% 31% 64% 69% % Students at Grade Level % Students Below Grade Level Source: Colorado Department of Education (2018) 8 STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGE ARTS Only 47% of 5th and 44% 8th grade students meet CO’s state standards for proficiency in English Language Arts. STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGE ARTS Grade 5 (2018) Grade 8 (2018) 47% 44% 53% 56% % Students at Grade Level % Students Below Grade Level Source: Colorado Department of Education (2018) 9 ACT Only 45% of CO’s high school students are meeting ACT college-readiness benchmarks. 6-YEAR TREND: ACT SCORES In 2017, 100% of Colorado graduates 45% took the ACT. As the state transitioned the statewide test from ACT to SAT, participation fell to 30% in 2018. 25% 25% 26% 25% 26% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Percentage of test takers that met all 4 benchmarks Source: ACT (2018) 10 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE At 79%, CO’s high school graduation rate has increased slightly since 2011 but is below the 2016 national average of 84%. 4-YEAR TREND: COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES 79% 79% 77% 77% 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 Source: National Center for Education Statistics (2018); Colorado Department of Education Graduation Dashboard (2017) 11 READINESS FOR COLLEGE COURSES 77% of incoming students at 4-year colleges and 44% of incoming students at 2-year colleges do not require remediation. COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES NOT PLACED INTO REMEDIATION (2017) 4-YEAR COLLEGES 2-YEAR COLLEGES 100% TARGET 77% 44% Percentage of high school graduates NOT Percentage of high school graduates NOT placed into remediation at 4-year colleges placed into remediation at 2-year colleges Source: Colorado Department of Education (2018) 12 COLLEGE GRADUATION RATE CO’s college graduation rate at 4-year colleges is 63% and at 2-year colleges is 34%. GRADUATION RATE AT 4- & 2-YEAR COLLEGES (2018) 4-Year Colleges 2-Year Colleges 63% Colorado 34% Colorado 65% United States 38% United States 82% Highest in US (IA) 64% Highest in US (SD) Percentage of 4-year college Percentage of 2-year college students that graduate within 6 years students that graduate within 6 years Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (2018) 13 CREDENTIALS AND DEGREE ATTAINMENT Only 34% of high school graduates go on to successfully complete a postsecondary credential (a certificate, associate degree or bachelor’s degree) within 4 years. POST-SECONDARY CREDENTIAL COMPLETION 74% 2020 TARGET 34% Percentage of students completing a post-secondary credential within 4 years Source: Colorado Department of High Education (2018) 14 NATIONAL COMPARISON - MATH CO is ranked 16th nationally in 4th grade and 14th nationally in 8th grade math. MATH: GRADE 4 & GRADE 8 (2018) Grade 4 Grade 8 42% Colorado 38% Colorado 40% United States 33% United States 53% Highest in US (MA) 50% Highest in US (MA) Percentage of students at proficiency Percentage of students at proficiency Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (2017) 15 NATIONAL COMPARISON - READING CO is ranked 13th nationally in 4th grade and 8th nationally in 8th grade reading. READING: GRADE 4 & GRADE 8 (2018) Grade 4 Grade 8 40% Colorado 41% Colorado 35% United States 35% United States 51% Highest in US (MA) 49% Highest in US (MA) Percentage of students at proficiency Percentage of students at proficiency Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (2017) 16 ACHIEVEMENT GAP CO has some of the largest racial and socio-economic achievement gaps in the country. There is a 31% point gap in 5th grade language arts proficiency rates between students in poverty and their more affluent peers. 5TH & 8TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS PROFICIENCY (CDE, 2018) 61% 58% 56% 54% 53% 39% 32% 30% 27% 31% 29% 29% 11% 8% Students Students not English Not English Hispanic Black White in Poverty in Poverty Language Language Learners Learners 5TH GRADE 8TH GRADE Percentage of students meeting or Percentage of students meeting exceeding state proficiency state proficiency Source: Colorado Department of Education (2018) 17 18 The Basics The Basics The The Basics The Basics As a society, we expect constant improvement in all aspects of our lives – technology, healthcare, and consumer goods. There is no reason, therefore, why we shouldn’t see continuous improvement in the education we deliver to our children. This section provides demographic information and important insights into Colorado’s education system to help policymakers, business and civic leaders, students, parents, and the public effectively engage in improving it. 19 Who Attends Colorado Public Schools? Total Pupil Count for 2017-2018 School Year: 910,280 This is