Academic Standards

Curriculum and Instruction is intentionally planned and delivered to be important, focused, engaging, demanding, and scaffolded. ​This category seeks to ensure there is commitment to and practice of defining learning targets for students, then intentionally planning for and using a variety of instructional strategies so EVERY student is challenged. There are three elements in Curriculum and Instruction: Curriculum, Instructional Planning, and Instructional Practice (adapted from Carol Ann Tomlinson) 

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​​Professional Learning: Continuous improvement practices increase educator effectiveness and improve results for all students. An effective teacher has been demonstrated to have the highest impact on student learning and so professional learning is an essential category of system support reviews. The elements of professional learning are learning communities, leadership, resources, data, learning designs, implementation, and outcomes. (Standards for Professional Learning from Learning Forward) 

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The district has a high-quality leadership and management team with a clear vision, ambition, and goals. The team has a sense of purpose and high aspirations, with an action plan aligned to priorities, focused on student success. It has an organization structure with defined roles, and a system of continuous improvement. 

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The school has a welcoming, positive, safe, accepting, and empowering environment that fully engages students in their learning. Students have a growth mindset; they are resilient and engaged in learning. ​These spaces are most often characterized as having a welcoming and positive, safe and accepting and empowering environment that fully engages students in their learning and inspires them to work toward high levels of achievement The elements of learning climate are welcoming and positive, safe and accepting, and empowering. 

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Finances of a district should reflect district priorities and meet all transparency compliance standards. ​The budget should reflect the district's allocation of available resources (e.g. time, material, personnel) to maximize district effectiveness in response to strategic priorities.

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The infrastructure and facilities of the district should support and not inhibit student learning. ​The district maximizes its use of all available resources, including technology, to support student learning. The elements of infrastructure and facilities are impact on learning and safety.

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Family and community is a vital part of student success. Where there is family and community connection, the district 1) has a range of regular, two-way methods for communicating with parents, guardians, and the wider community; 2) takes steps to encourage active engagement in the education of their children and involvement in the life of the school through 3) partnerships for shared decision-making. The elements of Family and Community are Communication, Active Engagement, and Partnerships/Shared decision-making.

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These materials are a collective work [and are copyright] of the Core Partners supporting the Student-Centered Accountability Program (Core Partners). [Link to website]. While this is an attempt to provide useful information, the Core Partners assume no responsibility arising from or related to your use or interpretation of the materials.

In pursuit of its mission to ensure that all students reach their learning potential, the Board of Education has established the following graduation requirements.

College and career readiness

The Colorado State Board of Education has adopted state graduation guidelines that identify college and career readiness measures in English (Reading, Writing, and Communicating) and Math (Mathematics). The Board has selected its own measures from these state graduation guidelines.

Students must complete at least one English measure and one Math measure and meet or exceed the measure’s corresponding cut score or criteria to demonstrate college and career readiness in English and Math. The Board’s approved measures and cut scores are outlined in this policy’s accompanying exhibit.

Exceptions to the Board’s required measures and cut scores/criteria

If a student has demonstrated college and career readiness by completing an assessment or other measure that is not included in this policy’s accompanying exhibit but is included in the state graduation guidelines, the principal or principal’s designee may determine that such assessment or other measure is acceptable and meets the district’s graduation requirements.

District academic standards

To receive a high school diploma from the district, students must meet or exceed the district’s academic standards prior to becoming eligible to graduate. Graduation from high school is a culminating event that results from the foundations built at the elementary and middle levels. Graduation is a collaborative effort among levels in a student's public school career. Each level of school and each staff member or parent/guardian who instructs or counsels a student shares responsibility for the ultimate ability of that student to demonstrate proficiency in the district’s academic standards and to meet the expectations for graduation.

Students must complete the minimum number of semester credits in the academic areas outlined below to qualify for graduation. In addition, students must demonstrate college and career readiness in English and math based on at least one measure approved by the Board of Education. Graduation requirements will be based on units of credit earned in grades 9-12 including four years and/or eight semesters of full-time attendance. A total of 24 credits earned during grades nine through twelve is required for graduation. 

Credits	Area
4	English
3	Math
3	Science
3	Social Studies
1.5	Physical education (1 semester must be taken in the 9th grade year)
0.5	Health (must be taken in the 9th grade year)
4	Academic Electives (2 semesters/1 year World Language required)
4	General Electives
1	Fine Arts
24	Total

Academic electives include English, math, science, social studies, and world language classes taken in excess of the stated requirements. General electives include all other elective courses other than academic electives.

Students entering from outside the district must meet the district graduation requirements. The principal, or designee, must determine whether credit toward graduation requirements will be granted for courses taken outside the district. Students who are currently enrolled in the district and wish to obtain credit from outside institutions, or through “online” programs, must have prior approval from the principal. The district must accept the transcripts from a home-based educational program. In order to determine whether the courses and grades earned are consistent with district requirements and district academic standards, the district must require submission of the student’s work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit toward graduation is sought. In addition, the district may administer testing to the student to verify the accuracy of the students’ transcripts. The district may reject any transcripts that cannot be verified through such testing.

In accordance with applicable state law, college courses completed pursuant to the student’s participation in a “dropout recovery program” must count as credit toward completion of the district’s graduation requirements. A student seeking to enroll in a dropout recovery program must work with their high school principal or designee in selecting college courses.

High school credit may be awarded to middle school students for courses taken during middle school years provided that at least one of the following conditions are met (middle school classes validated for high school credit will be designated as such on a student’s transcript):

• Students take the class at a District high school
• Students will receive high school credit if classes taken are a part of Gifted and Talented plan (ALP)
• Classes taken at the middle school are of the same level of course rigor as high school, validated and approved by the appropriate Content Facilitator.