Tag Archives: WPHS

Information about PSAT scores in the district

We need to set the record straight on PSAT scores.

To start with, congratulations WPHS! Our 9th graders scored great, as a recent CORA request revealed! Their mean score of 937 far surpassed the state’s mean of 890, as did all other benchmarks. Well done, Panthers!

Merit Academy also scored great, slightly exceeding WPHS with a mean of 954 vs. 937! They published their school’s PSAT scores on their website, as shown below:

Now, the numbers are good, and the students and teachers deserve credit for a job well done! But there’s some misinformation here which I’d like to straighten out.

For starters, their comparison to the District scores is completely incorrect – I don’t know what district they’re comparing themselves to, but it’s definitely not Woodland Park RE-2 (as our WP data show above). I suspect this error may lie at the CDE level and that this form was generated there, as its style matches the WPHS one. I hope they correct this error quickly so the public is not misled about their academic performance vs. the high school’s.

The other important piece of information to look at is the participation rate – what percentage of 9th graders actually took the test. Using data from the CDE (here, or original source website here), Merit Academy has 27 9th graders. Merit says that 19 took the test, which means only 70% of their students took the PSAT. The district high school has 142 9th graders per the CDE (not 257 as Merit’s data shows), of which 124 took the test, for a participation rate of 87%. Almost one third of Merit students didn’t take this test…it’s hard to say how indicative these test results really are of the student population as a whole. Overall, a good, solid effort, but difficult to draw conclusions from if you ask me.

UPDATE – Merit has corrected their website to show that District scores are pending, and they also claim a 100% participation rate, saying that the ones who didn’t test were home school programs. I’m working to get details to confirm homeschool enrichment numbers.

WPHS class of 2024 sets all-time high SAT score for district

The SAT scores are in, and the WPHS class of 2024 has set a new district record! They achieved a mean score of 1022, which is 33 points higher than the state average and 67 points higher than the national average. This is the fifth year in a row of improved test scores and a testament to the improvements put in place by previous board and administrative teams. With the administrative team mostly changed for next year (district-level admin staff is mostly new, MS and one elementary principals are new), and the mass exodus of high teachers leaving the district this year (plus the adoption of the ‘low level learning’ in the American Birthright standard for social studies), it’s unclear how this upward trend in test scores will be affected.

You can read the email that Principal Burr sent to staff below:

I am pleased to report to you that WPHS SAT scores have been shared with the school, and the class of 2024 continued the school’s remarkable trend of substantial increases in Cohort Scores (year over year).  As well, the WPHS Class of 2024 set an all time high SAT mean score of 1022. 

The 1022 score is 33 points higher than the state average and 67 points higher than the national average. For the fifth year in a row, each class cohort continued to improve (year over year) in comparative data.  Cohort growth is a hallmark of school improvement.  And each cohort continues to exceed previous cohort accomplishments as WPHS sets new achievement benchmarks each year.

Most remarkable of all, the  Class of ’24 SAT Math mean score is just 4 points shy of meeting the Colorado Benchmark for Career and College Readiness.  Comparatively, the State Mean is 16 points lower than the CACR Math benchmark and the WPHS Class of 2019 was 24 points lower than the CACR Math benchmark. 

The Class of ’24 has an Evidence Based Reading and Writing mean score of 525 (which is 55 points higher than the Colorado Benchmark for CACR).

Five years ago, we embarked on a journey to embed the philosophy of Standards Based Learning and Grading.  With the help of Marzano Resources,  the school improvement skill-set within the HS Admin Team and Tina Cassens, the school staff made a commitment to improve post-secondary opportunities for our students.   Substantially enhanced curriculum standards, the use of the Summit Platform (and now, Illustrative Math), and increased Rigor / Academic Expectations all have paid remarkable dividends for WP students.  

Where once, just 22% of our students were meeting Career and College Readiness expectations (2017), the class of 2024 now has 68% of its students meeting EBRW and 44% meeting Math CACR benchmarks (comparatively – state percentages = 59% meeting EBRW CACR and 35% meeting Math — national percentages = 51% meeting EBRW and 29% meeting Math).    Looking ahead, the class of 2026 is currently on pace for 77% to meet the EBRW benchmark and 54% to meet the Math benchmark. 

We are eager to share this outstanding news with our WP Community.  Teachers and administrators across the district have worked hard and contributed much to this incredible outcome.  Celebrating our success is a fundamental tenet of the High Reliability School framework.  We look forward to seeing the reaction of our stakeholders.

Kevin Burr,  Principal

Woodland Park High School