Colorado's Unified Improvement Plan for Schools

Coal Ridge Middle School UIP 2024-25

Content

Document icons and definitions
Priority Performance Challenges
Root Cause
Major Improvement Strategies
Action Steps
Progress Monitoring
Trend Direction

Executive Summary

Priority Performance Challenges	Root Cause	Major Improvement Strategies
Academic Growth-Reading	Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support Inconsistent collaborative planning around research-based instructional practice	Continued Implementation of SIOP Strategies Increase use of Thinking Maps across all content areas Implementation of school-wide writing rubric for CERC

Academic Growth-Math	Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support Inconsistent collaborative instructional planning	Continued Implementation of SIOP Strategies Increase use of Thinking Maps across all content areas Implementation of school-wide writing rubric for CERC

Access the School Performance Framework here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolview/performance

Access the Literacy Curriculum Transparency Dashboard here: https://www.cde.state.co.us/code/literacycurriculumtransparency-dashboard

Improvement Plan Information

Additional Information about the school

At Coal Ridge Middle School, we are dedicated to providing a dynamic educational experience that fosters both academic rigor and the development of well-rounded individuals. Our vision is to be an exemplary institution that nurtures the whole child, promoting high standards of learning through intentional practices. We believe that collaboration between staff, parents, guardians, and the community is essential in supporting each student’s success.

Our academic programs are designed to challenge students while cultivating critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. With a focus on academic rigor, we provide a diverse range of courses and enrichment opportunities to inspire a passion for learning, encouraging students to explore their interests and reach their full potential.

Our mission is to create a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environment where every student feels a sense of belonging. We empower our students to thrive, with the support of all stakeholders, by ensuring they have the resources and guidance necessary to succeed. At Coal Ridge Middle School, we are committed to the academic, social, and emotional development of each student, preparing them to be lifelong learners and responsible members of their community.

Improvement Plan Information

The school/district is submitting this improvement plan to satisfy requirements for (check all that apply):

-->

Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification

Prior Year Targets

Provide a summary of your progress in implementing the Major Improvement Strategies and if they had the intended effect on systems, adult actions, and student outcomes (e.g. targets).

Based on your reflection and evaluation, provide a summary of the adjustments that you will make for this year's plan.

Current Performance

On CMAS, over the last three years, the Percent Met or Exceeded scores in ELA are as follows for 6th grade:

2022-CRMS: 30/District: 47

2023-CRMS: 49/District: 48

2024-CRMS: 44/District: 50

On CMAS, over the last three years, the Percent Met or Exceeded scores in ELA are as follows for 7th grade:

2022-CRMS: 40/District: 44

2023-CRMS: 48/District: 52

2024-CRMS: 58/District: 53

On CMAS, over the last three years, the Percent Met or Exceeded scores in ELA are as follows for 8th grade:

2022-CRMS: 44/District: 45

2023-CRMS: 44/District: 46

2024-CRMS: 43/District: 49

On CMAS, over the last three years, the Percent Met or Exceeded scores in Math are as follows for 6th grade:

2022-CRMS: 17/District: 28

2023-CRMS: 38/District: 35

2024-CRMS: 30/District: 36

On CMAS, over the last three years, the Percent Met or Exceeded scores in Math are as follows for 7th grade:

2022-CRMS: 20/District: 29

2023-CRMS: 20/District: 31

2024-CRMS: 41/District: 38

On CMAS, over the last three years, the Percent Met or Exceeded scores in Math are as follows for 8th grade:

2022-CRMS: 43/District: 43

2023-CRMS: 38/District: 41

2024-CRMS: 28/District: 42

When comparing these scores over the past three years with our overall District scores, ELA and Math Growth remain priorities so that we continue to look for and improve upon research based teaching strategies.

At the end of Quarter 1, students with 2 or more failing grades.

2023-2024 6th Grade: 28

2024-2025 6th Grade: 16

2023-2024 7th Grade: 30

2024-2025 7th Grade: 13

2023-2024 8th Grade: 24

2024-2025 8th Grade: 28

CMAS ELA Mean Scale Score - Disaggregated Student Groups

CMAS Math Mean Scale Score - disaggregated student groups

CMAS ELA Growth - Disaggregated student Groups

CMAS Math Growth - Disaggregate Student Groups

ACCESS for ELLs Growth

Coal Ridge Middle School, as a whole is underperforming in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Our achievement overall should be above both state and district averages. We are also significantly underperforming, when looking at our disaggregated achievement, specifically where it concerns our students with disabilities and our Multi Language Learners. This is evident in our CMAS scores and the number of students failing 2 or more courses. Our Student Performance Priorities are meant to address this

Priority Performance Challenge and Associated Root Cause

Priority Performance Challenge: Academic Growth-Reading

Area of Focus: English/Language Arts growth

Root Cause: Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support

Inconsistent implementation of rigorous, standards-based Tier 1 instruction, utilizing current data and the curriculum-instruction-assessment cycle.

Root Cause Category: Instruction

Root Cause: Inconsistent collaborative planning around research-based instructional practice

Inconsistent collaborative planning time for examining the data on the usage of research-based instructional practices that support the growth in reading for students on IEPs or who are identified as multi-language learners.

Root Cause Category: Instruction

Priority Performance Challenge: Academic Growth-Math

Area of Focus: Math growth

Root Cause: Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support

Inconsistent implementation of rigorous, standards-based Tier 1 instruction, utilizing current data and the curriculum-instruction-assessment cycle.

Root Cause Category: Instruction

Root Cause: Inconsistent collaborative instructional planning

Inconsistent collaboration time between ML teachers and special education teachers in order to support the implementation of research-based strategies to increase growth for students with IEPs and students identified as a multi-language learner.

Action and Progress Monitoring Plans

Major Improvement Strategy and Action Plan

> >

	Continued Implementation of SIOP Strategies
Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:	A number of studies examined the effectiveness of the SIOP Model in terms of student outcomes. These studies sought to discover whether students taught using the SIOP Model would experience greater growth in English proficiency or higher achievement on standardized test scores than students who were not taught using SIOP. Most found that the SIOP Model had a positive effect on the achievement of English learners. Several mentioned that fidelity to the model was important to improve student performance. (See, for example, Alnusayan & Al-Salouli, 2020; Ebedy, 2019; Friend, Most, & McCrary, 2009; Guzman, 2015; Hayden, 2019; Ingram, 2018; McIntyre et al., 2010; Merritt et. al., 2016; Rivera, 2019; Vidot, 2011; Watkins & Lindahl, 2010; Whittier & Robinson, 2007; and Wong, Meadows, & Ober, 2021).
Strategy Category:	Research-based Instructional Practices

Associated Root Causes:

Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support: Inconsistent implementation of rigorous, standards-based Tier 1 instruction, utilizing current data and the curriculum-instruction-assessment cycle.

Inconsistent collaborative planning around research-based instructional practice: Inconsistent collaborative planning time for examining the data on the usage of research-based instructional practices that support the growth in reading for students on IEPs or who are identified as multi-language learners.

Inconsistent collaborative instructional planning: Inconsistent collaboration time between ML teachers and special education teachers in order to support the implementation of research-based strategies to increase growth for students with IEPs and students identified as a multi-language learner.

Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Benchmark Name	Description	Start/End/Repeats	Key Personnel	Status
Growth in ACCESS and CMAS scores for MLs			Admin and ML teachers

Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Name	Start/End Date	Key Personnel
Professional Development in SIOP	09/04/2024 11/14/2024	Admin
Implement PLC Protocol	11/22/2024 05/20/2025	admin
Common Assessments implemented in all content	01/27/2025 05/26/2027	admin/teachers

> >

	Increase use of Thinking Maps across all content areas
Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:	Thinking Maps is aligned with evidence-based practices reviewed by What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) and included in their Evidence-based Practice Guides. According to Alikhan (2014), there are many benefits to using Thinking Maps for all learners. Thinking maps foster students’ thinking and reasoning skills since they provide visual representations of cognitive processes. They visually represent the natural patterns developed in the brain thus making learning and understanding more meaningful. Their focus is on thinking skills and in-depth understandings and applies to grade levels and subject areas for all learners.
Strategy Category:	Continuous Improvement

Associated Root Causes:

Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Benchmark Name	Description	Start/End/Repeats	Key Personnel	Status
Student writing and comprehension will increase with informational text.			admin

Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Name	Description	Start/End Date	Resource	Key Personnel	Status
PD on Thinking Maps		09/04/2023 05/22/2025		admin
Create time for staff calibration/review of writing prompts		09/11/2023 09/25/2025		admin

> >

	Implementation of school-wide writing rubric for CERC
Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:	The use of rubrics in the classroom allows students to understand what is meant by an acceptable level of performance when performing a given task. Effective rubrics also help students to realize the extent to which their current performance meets each criterion of importance and what future steps can be taken to enhance the quality of their work. Although rubrics are useful for grading and assessment, many authors claim that well-designed rubrics can also be used as an instructional tool to facilitate student learning. Below we have provided a summary of some of the previous research findings on rubrics in a variety of disciplines in higher education. While some researchers, such as Campbell (2005) and Tunon and Brydges (2006), noted the benefits of using rubrics for evaluative purposes, Song (2006) argued that rubrics can provide constructive feedback which can help students identify areas for improvement. Nevertheless, Andrade (2005) claimed that instructors can use rubrics as a teaching tool to promote active learning in the classroom. Rubrics help to clarify targets for students' work, help students regulate their progress and make grading more fair and transparent.
Strategy Category:	Research-based Instructional Practices

Associated Root Causes:

Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Benchmark Name	Description	Start/End/Repeats	Key Personnel	Status
Increased student scores on written responses in all content areas			admin

Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Name	Description	Start/End Date	Resource	Key Personnel	Status
Staff identifies consistent strategies that will be used for writing/reasoning		10/14/2024 05/22/2026		teachers/admin

Progress Monitoring: Student Target Setting

Priority Performance Challenge : Academic Growth-Reading

Performance Indicator:

Measures / Metrics:

ANNUAL
PERFORMANCE
TARGETS

2024-2025:	55 MGP or higher on all student groups on CMAS
2025-2026:

INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

Priority Performance Challenge : Academic Growth-Math

Performance Indicator:

Measures / Metrics:

ANNUAL
PERFORMANCE
TARGETS

2024-2025:	55 MGP or higher on all student groups on CMAS
2025-2026:

Colorado's Unified Improvement Plan for Schools

Coal Ridge Middle School UIP 2024-25

Content

Document icons and definitions

Executive Summary

Improvement Plan Information

Additional Information about the school

Improvement Plan Information

Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification

Prior Year Targets

Current Performance

Priority Performance Challenge and Associated Root Cause

Priority Performance Challenge: Academic Growth-Reading

Area of Focus: English/Language Arts growth

Root Cause: Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support

Root Cause Category: Instruction

Root Cause: Inconsistent collaborative planning around research-based instructional practice

Root Cause Category: Instruction

Priority Performance Challenge: Academic Growth-Math

Area of Focus: Math growth

Root Cause: Lack of rigorous instruction with appropriate support

Root Cause Category: Instruction

Root Cause: Inconsistent collaborative instructional planning

Action and Progress Monitoring Plans

Major Improvement Strategy and Action Plan

Continued Implementation of SIOP Strategies

Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

Strategy Category:

Associated Root Causes:

Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Professional Development in SIOP

Implement PLC Protocol

Common Assessments implemented in all content

Increase use of Thinking Maps across all content areas

Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

Strategy Category:

Associated Root Causes:

Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

PD on Thinking Maps

Create time for staff calibration/review of writing prompts

Implementation of school-wide writing rubric for CERC

Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

Strategy Category:

Associated Root Causes:

Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

Staff identifies consistent strategies that will be used for writing/reasoning

Progress Monitoring: Student Target Setting

Priority Performance Challenge : Academic Growth-Reading

Performance Indicator:

Measures / Metrics:

INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

Priority Performance Challenge : Academic Growth-Math

Performance Indicator:

Measures / Metrics:

INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

Attachments List