Highland Schools Letterhead
Dear Parents,
August 17, 2011
Based on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) scores, Highland Elementary has
been placed on Corrective Action on Reading and School Improvement Year 1 for Math. The
school received this status because it did not meet its target goals for Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) in both reading and math for at least two consecutive years. Attached is a list of the
achievement that shows how Highland Elementary compares to the state average on
assessments for reading and math. Your school is committed to ensuring that all children reach
proficient levels of achievement. The school is required to offer you the opportunity to transfer
your student to a higher performing public school in the same school district or a nearby
district. However, there is no other eligible school in our district, so we cannot offer a choice
school. The district administration has approached other districts to create a cooperative
agreement for transferring students. But at this point, no other districts within a reasonable
distance have entered into such an agreement.
Although there is no available public school choice at this time, we are taking multiple steps to
ensure that all of our students continue to improve and succeed academically, such as:
 Additional technology to support computer based literacy programs
 Intervention plans and new support staff that provide for the instruction at the
individual student level
 Summer school program to decrease skill loss over the summer months
 Additional literacy instruction beyond the literacy block specific to skills students need
 The availability of supplemental education services and after-school tutoring.
 Professional development for teachers in a research-based program to expand their
knowledge of reading and writing instructional strategies.
 Teacher training in data analysis which helps teachers to tailor classroom instruction
based on their students’ academic needs.
 Training in and alignment with new state standards to help our school to become more
data driven using actual student achievement data to help teachers make decisions
about what to teach and how
 Implementation of recommendations based on the School Improvement Grant Support
Team’s observations and findings.
 Working with the state on our Unified Improvement Plan.
How can you become involved in helping us address our academic challenges? Parents assist by
working with their students on schoolwork, attending parent conferences, reading monthly
newsletters and making sure their children attend school daily. Also, we invite you to
participate in the following opportunities that will be publicized in monthly newsletters:
 Reading with your child for 15-20 minutes each night
 Becoming a parent volunteer at Highland Elementary
 Keeping well informed about what is going on in the school by reading our website
 Becoming involved with our PTA
Highland Schools Letterhead
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Become involved in the planning for improvement by joining the accountability team
Become a volunteer who reads individually with students at school
If you have questions about the new programs or opportunities listed, don’t hesitate to contact
Mrs. Menke, principal, 970-834-2853.
In Education,
Mr. Robert Ring, Jr, Superintendent