Equity Drives Improvements in Aurora Public Schools

NEWS RELEASE                    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   

Aug. 15, 2019

Press Contact:

Corey Christiansen, APS Public Information Officer

cpchristiansen@aurorak12.org | C: 720-591-0140

 

AURORA, CO – With the Colorado Department of Education’s recent release of achievement data, Aurora Public Schools shows noteworthy momentum by using equity to drive improvements. Students continue to grow and achieve at higher rates year after year. This includes students who are English language learners, minority students, students with disabilities and those who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

APS increased achievement in both English language arts (ELA) and math in 2019, which marks the fifth straight year of improvement for the district. Over the past five years, APS has improved 5.8% in ELA and 5.8% in math. 

A highlight of the 2019 data is the strong growth APS achieved in math. Overall, APS had a median growth percentile of 51 (state average is 50). English language learners had a median growth percentile of 52 in math, the highest ever for this group and an increase of 4% from 2018. Most other disaggregated groups also saw improvements in math growth scores.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are a district that has proven year after year that we will not accept the status quo and continue the hard work of improving student outcomes,” said Superintendent Rico Munn. “I am especially proud that equity is at the heart of our work every day and am honored to work with staff members who recognize the strengths that all of our students bring to our classrooms.”

In addition, APS has closed the graduation gap meaning that our black, white and Hispanic students are all graduating at the same rates. In fact, for the class of 2018, the graduation rate for our black students was 76.7%. The graduation rate for our white students was 76.5% and the graduation rate for our Hispanic students was 76.3%.

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About Aurora Public Schools

Aurora Public Schools is the fifth largest school district in Colorado. APS serves approximately 40,000 students and includes over 60 schools. It is one of the most diverse districts in the state with students from more than 130 countries who speak over 160 languages. Over the past several years, APS has made noteworthy improvements in graduation rates, dropout rates and overall student growth and achievement. In fact, since 2013, APS graduation rates have increased by nearly 25%. During that same period of time, its dropout rate has sharply declined from 4.8% to 2.6%. APS 2020 is the district's strategic plan, which includes three strategic goals: 1) Every APS student will have a plan for his or her future, 2) Every student will have a set of skills to implement his or her plan and 3) Every student will have credentials that open doors. It is the district's vision that every student shapes a successful future.