Aspen School District (ASD) serves approximately 1,526 students across three public schools?Aspen Elementary School (AES), Aspen Middle School (AMS), and Aspen High School (AHS)?and one charter, the Aspen Community School (ACS). All schools are located in Pitkin County, with AES, AMS, and AHS sharing the same campus. The district operates as an International Baccalaureate (IB) system, with authorization complete for both the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP). IB prin…
ciples provide the foundation for inquiry-based learning, reflection, and continuous improvement. ASD employs a unified data system that integrates state, district, and classroom-level assessments to inform instructional decisions and drive strategic improvement. The district follows a systematic and collaborative process for data analysis involving multiple stakeholders and diverse data sources. State-level assessments such as CMAS, PSAT/SAT, and WIDA are triangulated with local benchmarks, including STAR Reading and Math, as well as school-based assessments. School leadership teams, instructional coaches, and IB coordinators engage in data inquiry cycles each semester, examining proficiency, growth, and subgroup trends. The District Accountability Committee (DAC) and School Accountability Committees (SACs) review data trends and provide stakeholder perspectives on findings and next steps. Data dives inform student growth, curriculum implementation, and instructional outcomes, allowing leaders to link data analysis directly to practice. The district is in the process of creating and using a unified data dashboard to visualize student growth, support school-level reflection, and connect curriculum implementation fidelity with achievement outcomes. Through this comprehensive process, the district identified several systemwide trends and root causes. While AMS and AHS generally meet or exceed state expectations, AES performance remains at the ?Approaching? level, signaling a need for stronger pacing and alignment in early literacy and numeracy. Districtwide, variability in Tier 1 instruction, limited vertical articulation between grade levels, and inconsistent progress-monitoring practices contribute to uneven student outcomes. Additionally, communication with families regarding intervention goals and supports needs greater consistency. These insights guide ASD?s improvement strategies focused on strengthening Tier 1 instruction, ensuring coherent curriculum alignment, developing a unified MTSS framework, and expanding equitable supports for Multilingual Learners (MLs) and Students with Disabilities (SWDs). Collectively, these structures sustain a culture of reflection, collaboration, and data-informed decision-making across the Aspen School District.
Accredited with Distinction - This is assigned to the highest performing districts. These districts are meeting or exceeding expectations on the majority of performance tasks.
Accredited - Districts with an overall rating of Accredited are meeting expectations on the majority of performance metrics.
Accredited with Improvement Plan - These districts are identified as lower performing. They may be meeting expectations on some performance metrics, but they are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on many.
Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan - These districts are identified as low performing. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these districts until they improve.
Accredited with Turnaround Plan - These districts are identified as among the lowest performing districts in the state. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these districts until they improve.
Accredited with Insufficient State Data - These districts are assigned this accreditation rating when the state does not have enough data to report publicly. To better understand why a district received an Insufficient State Data rating, all publicly reportable data are reflected in the performance framework report. More information about these ratings is available here.
School Ratings
Performance Plan - Schools with a Performance Plan are meeting expectations on the majority of performance metrics.
Improvement Plan - These schools are identified as lower performing. They may be meeting expectations on some performance metrics, but they are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on many.
Priority Improvement Plan - These schools are identified as low performing. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these schools until they improve.
Turnaround Plan - These schools are identified as among the lowest performing schools in the state. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these schools until they improve.
Insufficient State Data - These schools are assigned this plan type when the state does not have enough data to report publicly. To better understand why a school received an Insufficient State Data rating, all publicly reportable data are reflected in the performance framework report. More information about these ratings is available here.