State assessment data shows robust academic growth

The fifth graders in Saquoyah Luecke’s Federal Heights classroom focus intently on the front of the classroom as they take turns completing sentences using their new vocabulary words.

When someone makes a mistake, Ms. Luecke helps them think through the problem and asks them what word might make more sense instead, maybe “difficult” instead of “sensitive,” for example. Each time she does this, the students identify the correct answer on their own.

“It comes down to believing in students, knowing they can do grade-level work and helping them get there,” she said. “It’s just a matter of helping them along the way and giving them immediate feedback so they’re able to learn from mistakes and try again.”

Federal Heights embodies the district’s focus on creating schools where students feel a true sense of belonging, both academically and socially and receive consistent, challenging grade-level instruction every single day, Chief Academic Officer Megan Cain said. 

According to the data, it’s working at Federal Heights and across the district. Recently released assessment data from the Colorado Department of Education shows that Federal Heights students’ growth outpaced their peers statewide – by 4 percentile points in English language arts and 15.5 percentile points in math. Growth is a measure of how much students improve from year to year, and is widely considered to be one of the data points most influenced by classroom instruction. 

District-wide, elementary students’ median growth percentile (MPG) in English language arts rose 4 percentile points to 53, officially exceeding state expectations. In math, elementary students’ MGP increased by 2 percentile points, reaching 51, also exceeding state expectations.

“We appreciate the end result, the touchdown, but that doesn’t happen without the hard, detail-oriented work that our teachers do every single day,” Federal Heights Principal Grant Underwood said. “If you help kids grow step by step, then they're motivated to come to school and you get better outcomes over time.”

At the high school level, all three grade levels that take the PSAT or SAT met or exceeded the state’s MPG expectations in math, and the overall MPG rose to 53, an increase of 4 percentile points. Five Star high schoolers also saw an increase of 1 percentile point on their evidence-based reading and writing MPG, with students in grade 11 demonstrating a 3-point increase compared to the previous year.

“Teachers show kids that they care by showing them that they know they can handle the most challenging assignments in front of them,” Cain said. “What these assessment results show us is that our strategies are working, and we know that we can continue to build on this success year after year.”

CMAS and PSAT/SAT highlights 

Here are some other highlights from the recently released assessment Highlights

ELA: 

• District elementary students’ median growth percentile (MPG) in English Language Arts rose to 53 (an increase of 4 points), officially exceeding state expectations. Middle school MGP remained steady at 48. Grades 4, 5, and 7 met or exceeded state targets.
• The percentage of students meeting state expectations increased year over year from 2025 to 2026 in 4 of 6 grade levels, with only 3rd and 8th grade declining.

Math: 

• The elementary MGP reached 51 (an increase of 2 points), exceeding state expectations. Middle school MGP also increased by 2 points to reach 49. Grades 4, 5, and 8 met or exceeded expectations.
• The percentage of students meeting state expectations increased year over year from 2025 to 2026 (e.g. 3rd grade in 2025 to 3rd grade in 2026) in 5 of 6 grade levels, with only 8th grade declining.

PSAT/SAT Highlights

• Math: The district MGP hit 53 (a 4 point increase), exceeding state expectations of 50. Notably, all three high school grade levels that take this assessment met or exceeded state expectations.
• Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: The district MGP rose to 48 (+1 point). While this remains below the state target, Grade 11 demonstrated a 3-point increase compared to 2025.