Smith Renaissance Soars

 

Students improving academically by leaps and bounds at Smith Renaissance School

By Principal Jason Krause

As a long time resident of Park Hill and principal of Smith Renaissance School, I am thrilled to share some news about our neighborhood school at 36th and Jasmine. Our goal is that each child enters middle school performing proficiently in core academic areas, and that their elementary school experiences are some of the most positive and happiest moments of their lives. We are now seeing the data demonstrating we are quickly getting close to that goal.
TCAP (Transitional Colorado Assessment Program) results are now out. Since 2011 we have almost tripled the amount of kids at or above mathematics proficiency with 28 students reaching the advanced category. In reading and writing, the percentage of students at proficiency or above has nearly doubled since 2011.
Not only are Smith’s students moving up the proficiency ladder, they are exceeding state and district growth. We were above the 50th percentile in all subjects and were ninth in the state with a math Median Growth Percentile of 85. Smith’s overall growth this year was a cumulative MGP of 201! That is above the district by 38 points in a year the district had the highest cumulative growth score of any district in the state with 163.
At Smith, we house more English Language Learners than any school in Northeast Denver. We had 160 students take the ACCESS exam which is an assessment designed to measure English Language Development. Smith’s students’ median growth percentile was 70, which was 17 points higher than the districts and more than double the growth score Smith earned in 2011.
Smith attributes that growth to a supportive, focused and inviting school culture. On our student surveys, 98 percent of our students responded positively to the question, “Do my teachers care about me?” And 90 percent of parents stated that Smith creates a safe learning environment.
Our early childhood program and primary teachers are establishing a strong foundation for our students. We value teamwork at Smith which includes teacher collaboration. According to 4th grade teacher Laurel Pate, the platooning model in the intermediate grades has also been a huge factor. With the platoon model in the intermediate grades, one teacher gives instruction for reading, writing and social studies, while another teacher instructs science, math and English language development. “This way we get to teach what we love and the kids can see our excitement and passion for what we love,” says Pate. The kids in turn feed off of that excitement. They also develop strong relationships with two phenomenal teachers rather than just one.
We are very proud of the work we are doing. Our mission at Smith is to ensure that every child succeeds. We are excited that our data is showing that we are on the right path.
Principal Krause can be reached at jason_krause@dpsk12.org.