Just meeting expectations on the state’s school performance report for 2022-2023 is not enough for Powell schools

While the district’s traditional schools all met expectations, Superintendent Jay Curtis said PCSD1 is looking into how to exceed them next year.

That’s especially true for English language proficiency (ELP) which has been a weak spot for the district. PCSD1 has a total of 32 ELP students in the district, and 26 of these students are split between Southside Elementary School (15) and Powell High School (11), neither of which met expectations for the 2022-2023 academic year. Neither Parkside Elementary nor Clark Elementary schools had ELP students, while Westside Elementary School and Powell Middle School both had only three ELP students.

Jason Sleep, PCSD1’s assistant superintendent, is pursuing ways to improve ELP in the district. A task force will be in place this year, with hopes of implementing its findings next year and seeing a turnaround by the following year. The task force will also be visiting other districts in the state that have success with their ELP program, Sleep said.

Park County School District 1 uses an EL plan with nine categories and each category contains multiple steps. The plan includes English language learning aids, parent communication and special class time. But schools have difficulty helping students achieve English language proficiency before they graduate, depending on when students enter the district and the level of proficiency at which they enter.

Students who require ELP services usually come into Powell schools in kindergarten and first grade but Sleep said high school students have come in at the same level.

“You're not going to get them to proficiency in six years, because we don't have them [for six years].”

If students test into ELP services at the secondary school level, Sleep said there is more vocabulary to learn, and students must take the WYTOPP test, which includes grade level vocabulary. This is where the district has been encountering problems and what the task force will be looking into, Sleep said. 

Students who come in as K-5 students enter the system when a lot of language acquisition occurs. If they are able to grasp vocabulary and phonic foundations these students will enter the regular reading program with an English learning aide.

Powell High School had met or surpassed its 15 year long term goal for ELP students on English and Language Arts WYTOPP test last year,  this information was not available for elementary schools. However, last year’s school performance report shows that both Southside Elementary and Powell High were not on track to meet their 15 year goal for overall English learner progress.

Sleep said that when an English language learner enters the district they receive an ACCESS test. If their score is below a 4.3 composite and 4.6 literacy score they qualify for ELP services in the district. Once a child qualifies for the services they have six years to become proficient.

Depending on the composite score the timeline will change. Students with a composite of 4.0-4.5 are expected to gain proficiency in three years, while students with a composite of 3.0-3.9 have four years. Students below a composite of 3.0 students will have between five and six years, according to the Performance Rating Models Implementation Handbook.

“We don't have a lot of these kids to throw a lot of resources and staff at, because they're just a smaller population. It doesn't mean they're not important though,” Sleep said. “That's why we're gonna get the task force going and study it, because it's a tough one.”