Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Reports

This chapter provides an introduction to the state report, as well as a description of Colorado’s accountability system under ESSA and information regarding the long-term goals and measurements of interim progress. This chapter also includes a description of Colorado’s system for meaningfully differentiating all public schools, including the indicators and methods used, and the names of all schools identified for comprehensive or targeted support and improvement.

This chapter includes information regarding student achievement and growth on academic assessments, the progress of English learners on achieving English language proficiency and results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Graduation and dropout rates are also presented, as well as progress towards meeting the long-term goals. Rates of suspensions and expulsions and the number of students enrolled in preschool programs and in accelerated coursework are also included. Information is presented for all students, as well as for the following student groups: major racial and ethnic groups, economically disadvantaged students, children with disabilities and English learners. When applicable, information is also presented by gender, migrant status, homeless status, status as a child in foster care and status as a student with a parent who is a member of the Armed Forces on active duty.

This chapter provides information on the professional qualifications of teachers in Colorado. Comparisons are made between high-poverty and low-poverty schools regarding the number of inexperienced teachers, the number of teachers with emergency or provisional credentials and the number of teachers not teaching in the subject area for which they are certified.