The 2022-23 state assessment results for the Cherry Creek School District mostly showed no substantial changes from the previous school year, according to a presentation given to the board of education.

Norm Alerta, the school district’s director of assessment and performance analytics, presented the results of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments and the PSAT and SAT on Sept. 11.

Superintendent Christopher Smith said there is much more to students than just their test scores. 

“However, it is important that our students do well on these test scores,” Smith said. “So, in October, Dr. Jennifer Perry — our deputy superintendent — will be presenting our strategic plan in regards to the scores that you will see tonight.”

Overall test scores similar to last year

Students in grades three through eight take the CMAS tests in math and English language arts, according to the Colorado Department of Education. 

In the Cherry Creek School District, 49.7% of students who participated in the 2023 CMAS assessments met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, and 39.9% met or exceeded expectations in mathematics.

Both scores are higher than the statewide scores, which were 43.7% of students meeting or exceeding expectations in English language arts and 32.9% meeting or exceeding expectations in mathematics. 

The school district’s scores are still lower than they were before the pandemic. In 2019, 50.8% of Cherry Creek Schools students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, and 43.1% did so in mathematics.

However, compared to 2022, the school district’s overall scores did not substantially change, Alerta said. 

In 2022, 49.4% of Cherry Creek students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts. This year, that score increased by 0.3% to 49.7%.

In mathematics, the school district saw a 0.3% decrease from 40.2% in 2022 to 39.9% in 2023, according to the Colorado Department of Education.

“Essentially, we just maintained where we were from the previous year,” Alerta said.

According to Alerta’s presentation, 37 schools maintained or increased their percentage of students meeting the benchmark on English language arts from the previous year, and 21 schools decreased their percentage. 

For mathematics, 42 schools maintained or increased their percentage from the previous year, and 16 schools decreased their percentage. 

Regarding the college board state assessments of the PSAT and SAT, overall, there was no substantial change, Alerta said.

“We’re really maintaining where we were in terms of the percent of students who are meeting the college readiness benchmarks on the PSAT9, (PSAT)10 and the SAT, overall,” he said.

According to Alerta’s presentation, the percentage of Cherry Creek students meeting the benchmark for evidence-based reading and writing was 72% in 2022 and 72.2% in 2023, representing an increase of 0.2%.

The percentage of students meeting the benchmark for math was 48.9% in 2022 and 52.1% in 2023, representing a 3.2% increase, according to the presentation.

A push for more participation

Board President Kelly Bates said a lot of students opt out of taking the tests.

According to the Colorado Department of Education, Cherry Creek Schools’ participation rate in the CMAS assessment for English was 90.1% in 2019, 73.1% in 2022 and 74.7% in 2023.

For the CMAS mathematics assessment, the school district’s participation rate was 90.3% in 2019, 73.3% in 2022 and 75.3% in 2023.

“How do we get our parents to understand the significance of this test?” Bates asked Alerta.

Alerta said that if students want to demonstrate that they meet grade level expectations, the state assessments are the only assessments that will do that for the school district. 

“It’s essentially our common assessment across the entire state,” he said. “It really is that one opportunity that our students have to demonstrate their learning. And … that shows up in our accountability reports.” 

The state uses the data from these state assessments to rank schools, he said. 

He said there have been some cases where it appeared that increased participation of students had a positive effect on a school’s accountability rating. 

Overall, board member Kristin Allan said it is important to remember that test scores provide only a snapshot when evaluating students’ academic achievement. 

“The results show that we need to continue focusing on strong universal classroom instruction while meeting the wellness needs of our students as we continue to transition away from the disruptive years of the pandemic,” she said. 

Those interested in viewing Alerta’s full presentation can visit: bit.ly/dataccsd.