Colorado's Unified Improvement Plan for Schools

Peak Virtual Academy UIP 2024-25

      
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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
  • 11th Grade SAT Median Scale Score in English Language Arts Declining
    		•
  • SAT Preparedness
  • Family Engagement
    		•
  • SAT Test Prep
  • Science of Reading Parent Training K5
  • Middle School Interventions Reading/Math
  • Partnership Coaction Collective
    		•
  • 11th Grade SAT Median Scale Score in Math is Declining
    		•
  • SAT Preparedness
  • Family Engagement
    		•
  • SAT Test Prep
  • Science of Reading Parent Training K5
  • Middle School Interventions Reading/Math
  • Partnership Coaction Collective
    		•
  • CMAS MGP for Middle School ELA Declining
    		•
  • Middle School Intervention
  • Family Engagement
    		•
  • Middle School Interventions Reading/Math
  • Science of Reading Parent Training K5
  • Partnership Coaction Collective
    		•
  • Early Literacy K-5
    		•
  • Family Engagement
  • Parent Training (Science of Reading)
    		•
  • Science of Reading Parent Training K5
  • Middle School Interventions Reading/Math
  • Partnership Coaction Collective
    		•
  • Student Engagement
    		•
  • Family Engagement
    		•
  • Science of Reading Parent Training K5
  • Middle School Interventions Reading/Math
  • Partnership Coaction Collective
    		•


    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


    Peak Virtual Academy is a K-12 school of choice in beautiful Montrose, Colorado where education meets flexibility and innovation. At Peak, we understand that every student has unique learning needs, which is why we offer both hybrid (K12) and fully online models (6th -12th) tailored to empower each learner. Our hybrid model combines the best of both worlds, providing students with in-person instruction alongside virtual classes, allowing for a balanced approach that fosters collaboration and social interaction. Alternatively, our fully online model offers a comprehensive curriculum accessible from anywhere, enabling students to learn at their own pace while receiving support from dedicated educators. Many of our high school courses are now NCAA approved.

    What sets Peak Virtual Academy apart is our commitment to preparing students for real-world success. We offer pathways to earn industry credentials, equipping students with valuable skills and certifications that enhance their employability. Our specialized Outdoor Industry & Recreation career pathway is designed for those passionate about river ecology, nature, adventure, and sustainability, providing hands-on experiences with community partnerships and coursework that explore outdoor leadership, environmental science, and conservation. We offer courses like The Art and Science of Fly Fishing, River Ecology, ESRI GIS, STEM and Drone Academy where students can earn their FAA 107 license.

    Peak Academy currently has 262 students.  Elementary grade level classes cap at 12 students while secondary in-person grade level sections cap at 15 students.  We have varying schedules that allow all students time to connect and get support with their grade-level or content areas teachers.  We have 1 principal, 1 student engagement coordinator, 1 counselor, 11 classroom teachers, 1 electives teacher, 1.5 special education teachers, 1 Spanish teacher, 1 instructional para for elementary, and 3 secretaries.   

    Improvement Plan Information

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


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    Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification


    Description of School Setting and Process for Data Analysis

    Peak Academy is a small School of Choice alternative school in Montrose, Colorado.  Peak Academy opened in 2011 to serve 5 students needing online instruction.  Today, Peak Academy serves approximately 260 students each year in either a hybrid or online model K-12.  Peak continues to be a ''Performance School'' based on the Colorado Department of Education’s School Performance Framework.  As you can see by the demographics below, we serve a diverse student population.  Additionally, Peak serves students in the district who need Homebound Services.

    Demographics:

     

    White

    81%

    Hispanic/Latino

    15%

    Other

    4%

    Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible

    38%

    GATE

    11%

    Students with Disabilities

    11%

    Homebound

    < 1%

     

    Peak Academy has become more diverse in past years.  In 2018-2019 there were about 170 students who attended Peak.  Since the 2019 pandemic, we have opened our doors to more and more students who traditionally would not have applied to a hybrid or online school of choice option as it requires substantial parent oversight.  At the height of the Pandemic we served around 270 students.  In the past two years we have consistently served between 255-265 students. 

    Peak Academy has a School Accountability Committee which meets four times a year.  Current membership is low and has always been a struggle to get parents/community to sit on the committee.  We are grateful for the consistent 2-4 members outside of the school staff who volunteer their time.  As data is available the SAC members are updated on all academic achievement and growth scores.  Throughout the school year we discuss issues that are relevant to the growth of the school and have an impact on students.  Their contributions to Peak go beyond any specific input into the UIP.  They have focused on safety with lighted/solar powered crosswalks on a busy street that impacts two schools, supporting bringing in free lunch and breakfast to our school, which has no cafeteria.  Those contributions do impact the well being of all of our students and have an indirect impact on academic success.


     

    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).

    We continued to focus on implementing interventions for K-8 in reading and math.  We were able to implement those interventions, however, middle school participation from students in the online only program has continued to be a challenge to get them to come in-person for support.  We continue to use weekly data conversations and decision making for our students who are struggling academically.  For the students who did attend, we did see notable growth in their NWEA and CMAS scores.  For this year we are continuing our efforts to engage students and families with intervention and offering online only options if they are not willing to come in-person.

    New Online Elementary Program-We are in year 4 of using a new online curriculum.  Overall when combined with the in-person instruction and interventions has been successful.  Elementary students overall (reading and math) met the state’s expectations for achievement and exceeded expectations for growth.

    WIN Time “All Teacher Help Time”--Continues for middle school.  We have many students who do take advantage of this in the hybrid model–to the point many spaces are full.  We will continue to encourage students and families to participate. We do offer online students the same support on a daily basis.  We have many of the same students come day after day in that program–also filling the space.  Online students can also schedule Zoom time’s for additional support with the online (OL) teachers. Students who take advantage of these supports do better academically. Students in Middle School on CMAS overall met expectations for reading and math achievement; however, Minority Students in English Language Arts had a lower mean scale score and ranked 37th percentile compared to "All Students" who scored in the 84th percentile. Same is true for Math on CMAS: Minority Students had a lower mean score and ranked in the 13th percentile compared to "All Students" who ranked in 70th percentile. Academic Growth "All Students" ranked in the 50th percentile for English Language Arts and in the 47th Percentile for Math; whereas, Free/Reduced-Price Lunch Eligible students scored in the 39.5 percentile in ELA and 44th percentile in Math.
     



     


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

    WIN/Interventions:This school year we swapped out our online teachers who were teaching the intervention classes, so they can focus on supporting and helping their online students and we placed hybrid teachers in those middle school reading and math interventions.  The teachers will focus on a blended approach to intervention.  Reading-students are starting in IXL and then getting some 1:1 support. After the teacher is fully trained in Really Good Reading, she will implement that with the intervention students.  Math-students will have time in Zearn at their level and have 1:1 practice time with the teacher.  Students are scheduled to meet 3 times a week for about 7 weeks. It is becoming clear that we may need a half time interventionist and this is something we will be requesting.  We also surveyed parents to see if they prefer in-person intervention or if they would rather do a program like IXL, Achieve 3000, Zearn at home with specifics on how much to complete each week.  We are interested to see if this approach will be embraced and consistent enough to decrease learning gaps for families not wanting to come in-person.

    Elementary Programming: One new hurdle with our online programming is they switched to a new learning management system, which has caused many tech issues with our families using iPads.  We are looking at switching all elementary students to Chromebooks perhaps mid-year to help with this.  We are also taking a hard look at math intervention K8.  Groups have begun and they are working with an instructional paraprofessional who has been trained in Bridges Intervention.  Reading interventions are continuing as well. New this year is that our primary and intermediate teachers are hosting Science of Reading Parent classes to better support at-home learning with early reading skills.



     

    Current Performance

    Peak Academy did not meet minimum state and federal accountability expectations for middle growth—we were at Approaching.  Disaggregated:

    Elementary-CMAS

    • Elementary Academic Achievement
      • Language Arts-Free/Reduced Lunch-DNM
      • Math-Free/Reduced Lunch-Approaching

    Middle-CMAS

    • Middle Academic Achievement
      • Language Arts-Minority Students-Approaching
      • Math-Minority Students-Approaching
    • Middle Academic Achievement
      • Language Arts-Free/Reduced Lunch-Approaching
      • Math-Free/Reduced Lunch-Approaching

    **For Elementary and Middle school there are many groups that are not reportable due to having low student numbers in each disaggregated group:  n < 16 for Achievement and n < 20 for Growth.

     

    ***In 2023 we did not have any disaggregated data for Elementary or Middle Schools due to low numbers in those disaggregated areas with one exception–Elementary Math-Free/Reduced Lunch-Approaching.  Therefore we look at other data and detailed student data for students who were with us in both years.  Each student continues to make great growth gains in each subject area.  

     

    High School (CMAS and College Board)

    • Academic Achievement
      • CO PSAT Reading and Writing
        • Minority Students-Approaching
        • Students with Disabilities-DNM
      • CO PSAT Math
        • Minority Students-Approaching
        • Students with Disabilities-DNM
      • CMAS-Science
        • Overall Approaching n < 16, so no disaggregated data
    • Academic Growth
      • CO PSAT/SAT Reading and Writing
        • Overall Approaching n < 20, do no disaggregated data
      • CO PSAT/SAT Math
        • Minority Students-Approaching
        • Students with Disabilities-Approaching
    • Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness
      • CO SAT-Reading and Writing
        • Minority Students-Approaching
      • CO SAT-Math
        • Minority Students-Approaching
      • Dropout Rate
        • Free/Reduced Lunch-Approaching
        • Minority Students-Approaching
    Read Act Analysis

    2022-2023

    Grade Level

    % SRD Outgoing

    % Met GLE

    Kinder

    25%

    75%

    First

    40%

    60%

    Second

    25%

    75%

    Third

    20%

    80%

    Total K-3

    24% 6/25

    76% Met GLE

     

    2023-2024

    Grade Level

    % SRD Outgoing

    % Met GLE

    Kinder

    38%

    62%

    First

    50%

    50%

    Second

    50%

    50%

    Third

    40%

    60%

    Total K-3

    43% 13/30

    57% Met GLE

     

    2024-2025 BOY

    Grade Level

    % SRD  

    % Met GLE EOY

    Kinder

    40%

     

    First

    64%

     

    Second

    20%

     

    Third

    22%

     

    Total K-3

    37% SRD

     

    The number of students on a Read Plan has climbed over the last 3 years: 22-23 (6), 23-24 (13), starting in 2025 currently there are (12)


    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​**For High School there are many groups that are not reportable due to having low student numbers in each disaggregated group:  n < 16 for Achievement and n < 20 for Growth.

    ​    Peak Academy has become more diverse in past years.  In 2018-2019 there were about 170 students who attended Peak.  Since the 2019 pandemic, we have opened our doors to more and more students who traditionally would not have applied to a hybrid or online school of choice option as it requires substantial parent oversight.  At the height of the Pandemic we served around 270 students.  In the past two years we have had around 255-265 students.  Peak Academy offers small class sizes in our hybrid model, we can individualize more in both online and hybrid, students schedules are more flexible, all of which are enticing to families.  However, it does present its own challenges as students who likely need a 5-day a week program with professional support from general education teachers, special education teachers, special service providers, interventionists and counselors are now in a program where the professionals may little or no time at all with the student or the family to make academic progress or meet social/emotional needs.  We continue to enroll as many students as possible into the hybrid program where we can at least have eyes on them 2-3 days a week where in-person monitoring is possible, while also continuing to maintain the small class sizes that attract parents and students.  We have addressed this through evaluating the number of applications at each grade level and making decisions on which grades can have additional sections.  We also scheduled our online only teachers to teach one hybrid grade level in middle school to support the workload of the traditional group of hybrid teachers.  


    In the past four years we have moved our online building four times—it is now (in SY 24/25) on the main campus in its permanent location.  Additionally, in SY 23/24 we moved our primary students from an alternate location to our main site.  This has been a great transition for families to be more connected to Peak.  Having all elementary in one building has allowed us to be creative and refine interventions quickly. We also dedicated our one instructional para to exclusively support K5 only to help struggling students with early reading and math development (She used to serve K8). We have aligned with MCSD to support Career Pathways allowing students to potentially attend classes at other schools.  Although this is relatively new, we are hoping this will entice more students to engage in school in their areas of interest.

    This year we have also began work with Rocky Mountain Family Engagement and Coactive Collective in an effort to foster our relationships further and increase attendance, especially with our online families.

    New this year is the piloting of proficiency scales in a few classrooms (hybrid and online) and before the end of the school year all teachers will be trained in this practice and will begin implementing more schoolwide. We are hopeful that a closer more consistent look at grade level expectations will increase the rigor of student output.

    We are in year two of implementing data notebooks K-8. Teachers as of now have met with students to goal-set following BOY NWEA testing. This will continue throughout the school year.

    Luckily, we are still small enough that we really get to know all of our students and families very well and can continue to build strong relationships, offer programming that re-engages them with school, offer them opportunities for intervention in an effort to close gaps as well as connect them with wrap-around services as well continue to provide high-interest courses and meaningful outings for the general population of students.



     

    Trend Analysis

    Trend Direction: Increasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    The number of students on a Read Plan each year is increasing from 21-22 to 23-24 (5 to 13). To start 2025 we currently have 12 students.
    Trend Direction: Increasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    9th Grade PSAT Reading & Writing median scale score has increased from 2021-2024 from 480.0 to 486.5, ranking remained “Meets”
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    Elementary Math median scale score has decreased from 2022 (764.6) to 2024 (747.1) as as measured by CMAS moving rankings from “Exceeds” to “Meet”
    Trend Direction: Increasing then decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    11th Grade SAT Reading & Writing median scale score has been up/down from 2021-2024 (534.1, 507.6, 531.1, 488.9) ranking moved from “Meets” to “Approaching” in 2024; Additional data-State Average for 11th Grade MSS 500. Peak 11th Grade SAT -Online MSS-443.37/Hybrid MSS-503.86. Online falling below state average. District average MSS 476.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    Elementary ELA median scale scores have decreased from 2022 (756.2) to 2024 (750.4) as measured by CMAS–Students still are ranked in the “Meets” category.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    Middle School Math median scale score has decreased from 2022 (742.9) to 2024 (733.8) as measured by CMAS, staying ranked at “Meets”
    Trend Direction: Increasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    Middle School ELA median scale scores have increased from 2002 (742.1) to 2024 (748.5) as measured by CMAS, staying ranked at “Meets”
    Trend Direction: Increasing then decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    11th Grade SAT Math median scale score has been up and down from 2021-2024 (494.4, 465.7, 479.5, 449.4) ranking moved from “Meets” to “Approaching” in 2024; Additional data-State Average for 11th Grade MSS 477. Peak 11th Grade SAT -Online MSS 412.02 / Hybrid MSS 463.77 both falling below state average. District Average MSS was 459.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing then stable
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Growth

    Math Academic Growth for PSAT/SAT (9th-11th) stayed fairly stable from 2022-2024 Median SGP (52.5, 48.5, 48.0) falling below the State SGP of 50.0
    Trend Direction: Increasing then decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Growth

    Reading & Writing Academic Growth for PSAT/SAT (9th-11th) increased then decreased from 2022-2024 Median SGP (35.0, 58.5, 46.0) falling below the State SGP of 49.0.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Growth

    CMAS MGP for Middle School Math has significantly decreased from 2021-2024 from 84.5 to 40.5, ranked as “Meets”
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Growth

    CMAS MGP for Middle School ELA has significantly decreased from 2021-2024 from 79.0 to 35.0 with a ranking change from “Meets” to Approaching”
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness

    Dropout rate for FRL Eligible Students decreased from 6.5% (two-year average) to 2.9% (three-year average) changing our rating from Does Not Meet to Approaching.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness

    Our dropout rate decreased slightly from two-year average of 2.3% to three-year average of 2.0% moving from Approaching to Meets
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Student Engagement

    Students in the hybrid program engage in school and task completion at a higher rate than students in the online only program. Matriculation alone has nearly doubled from our 2023-2024 looking at the 4-year trend from 20.3% in 2023 to 39.8% in 2024.
    Trend Direction: Increasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Disaggregated Achievement

    CO PSAT/SAT EBRW(9th-11th) the number of FRL Eligible Students doubled from 2023 to 2024 from 17 to 33. Their MSS increased from 470.6 to 481.8. 2021 data unreportable due to low n-count.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Disaggregated Achievement

    CO PSAT/SAT Math (9th-11th) the number of Minority Students increased from 20-27 from 2023-2024. Their MSS decreased from 438. to 424.1, remained in the Approaching rating. 2021 data unreportable due to low n-count.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Disaggregated Achievement

    CO PSAT/SAT EBRW (9th-11th) the number of Minority Students increased by 7 from 2023 to 2024 (20-27). Their MSS dropped from 462.5 to 451.9 changing the ranking from Meets to Approaching. 2021 data unreportable due to low n-count.
    Trend Direction: Decreasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Disaggregated Achievement

    CO PSAT/SAT Math (9th-11th) the number of FRL Eligible students increased from 17 to 33 from 2023-2024. Their MSS decreased from 454.7-449.1, remained in the Meets rating. 2021 data unreportable due to low n-count.

    Additional Trend Information:

    Due to low n-count some disaggregated could not be reported publicly.  We are seeing an increase in FRL, Minority and Students with Disability in our enrollments.  

    Priority Performance Challenge and Associated Root Cause

    Priority Performance Challenge:  11th Grade SAT Median Scale Score in English Language Arts Declining

    The MSS on SAT for 11th grade ELA has been up and down over the past several years. In 2024 it declined to the point it changed our rating from "Meets" to "Approaching".

    Area of Focus: English/Language Arts achievement


    Root Cause: SAT Preparedness

    Preparing all students for the type of questions they will encounter on SAT and how to approach solving them in a timely manner on a standardized/timed test.

    Root Cause: Family Engagement

    Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.


    Priority Performance Challenge:  11th Grade SAT Median Scale Score in Math is Declining

    The MSS on SAT for 11th grade Math has been up and down over the past several years. In 2024 it declined to the point it changed our rating from "Meets" to "Approaching".

    Area of Focus: Math achievement


    Root Cause: SAT Preparedness

    Preparing all students for the type of questions they will encounter on SAT and how to approach solving them in a timely manner on a standardized/timed test.

    Root Cause: Family Engagement

    Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.


    Priority Performance Challenge:  CMAS MGP for Middle School ELA Declining

    Our MGP for middle school ELA declined significantly over the past several years changing our rating from "Meets" to "Approaching"

    Area of Focus: English/Language Arts growth


    Root Cause: Middle School Intervention

    We have tried several methods of offering interventions at the middle school level for both hybrid and online students without having a certified interventionist that is separate from our content teachers. We are seeing this is becoming more of a challenge with the changing diversity of Peak. We also see that perhaps with a schedule change we could have more intervention engagement if it was scheduled during a different part of the school day.

    Root Cause: Family Engagement

    Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.


    Priority Performance Challenge:  Early Literacy K-5

    Although we are in the "Meets" category for CMAS reading, we know we have students with significant reading challenges and we will continue to address those challenges.

    Area of Focus: Early literacy


    Root Cause: Family Engagement

    Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.

    Root Cause: Parent Training (Science of Reading)

    Elementary is a hybrid only model where students must learn outside of their scheduled in-person time. What we are finding is that parents need more support in understanding how to help teach their kids on at-home days with early literacy skills. As partners in their child's education, we believe giving our parents the tools necessary to foster that learning at home will support growth and achievement especially for our struggling learners.


    Priority Performance Challenge:  Student Engagement

    Since the pandemic our matriculation has nearly doubled, students' attendance and overall engagement in online programming is a huge need.

    Area of Focus: Student Engagement (e.g. attendance, mobility, chronic absenteeism)


    Root Cause: Family Engagement

    Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.


    Why were these challenges selected and what is the magnitude of the overall performance challenges:

    As we are a K12 School, really diving into the various instructional level needs is crucial to understanding Peak Academy as an entirety.  The team believes the data above is reflective of the change in the diversity of our population over the past several years.  We can clearly see there is a need for support from kindergarten through 12th grade.  In general, as our enrollments are growing our scores are declining.  
     
    At the elementary level we had been hyper focused on reading interventions for the past few years, this year we will have a balance of both reading and math interventions K-5.  Additionally, we are seeing a need for our parents to learn about the Science of Reading as it pertains to primary and intermediate grade levels with a clear breakdown of Language Comprehension and Word Recognition Skills. Parents are an integral part of our programming especially at the elementary level.  They are learning coaches.  When they are supporting their children at home, having some skills and tools and a deeper understanding of why each component is so important to the students’ overall success in becoming a skilled reader is an important approach.  
     
    When we dive into individual student scores, however, we can see that one of our biggest needs is providing middle school intervention for both hybrid and online students, so they are better prepared for high school (PSAT/SAT).  The challenge remains the lack of a certified interventionist to support our middle school students.  We tried using online teachers to do intervention, but that took away from their time to support online students in their courses.  This year we have assigned interventions to our hybrid teachers, but already we are seeing an impact on both their course loads and the time to prep all their hybrid courses and intervention effectively.  We truly are at a place where we need a part time interventionist.  We also see the need to adjust our middle school hybrid schedule so that intervention is not scheduled as the last period of the day.  This is a bigger scheduling issue as it impacts our online teachers who teach a 7th grade hybrid class and must work around scheduled virtual classroom time.  Also, it will be an school culture shift as many of our families schedule their pick-up times around the last general education course of the day.
     
    At the high school level, we are seeing our SAT median scale scores (MSS) declining below the ''meets'' rating, especially true for 11th graders.  The impact of adding high school students to the online program late in their high school careers, and often students with attendance issues and failing grades have impacted our MSS.  Though this is a challenge, we know we are giving these students, families, and the community what they need in order to graduate high school.  We believe our hybrid and online programming is rigorous; however, we also believe some SAT prep in our high school courses that is embedded in each math course as well as offer credit for students who come in for a 6-hour SAT Prep will support an overall increase in the MSS.

    In response to our student engagement, the population/enrollment of Peak has changed dramatically since pre-pandemic times with higher matriculation, and more diverse population of students.  

    How were the Root Causes were selected and verified:

    Introduction

    In order to enhance student achievement and foster a supportive educational environment, our UIP team has identified key priorities that address critical areas of need. This rationale outlines the reasoning behind these priorities—Family Engagement, SAT Preparedness, Middle School Intervention, and Parent Training in the Science of Reading—emphasizing their significance for our students and community. These were chosen and verified by the Peak Admin Team, members of the School Accountability Committee as well as input from our elementary teachers and electives' teacher.

    1. Family Engagement

    Rationale: Active family engagement is essential for student success. Research shows that when families are involved in their children’s education, students tend to perform better academically and socially. By fostering stronger relationships between families and the school, we can create a more supportive environment that enhances student motivation and achievement. With Peak's two unique instructional models, hybrid and online, students that attend PEAK need and receive much more support and instruction from families at home than other school models, so supporting family engagement and parent training would help students that are in this unique model to be more supported and successful.

    2. SAT Preparedness

    Rationale: As students approach high school graduation, SAT performance becomes a critical factor in college admissions and scholarship opportunities. This priority was chosen to address gaps in test preparedness that can limit students’ future prospects. By implementing targeted SAT preparation, we can equip students with the skills and confidence needed to excel. This focus not only prepares students for standardized testing but also promotes a college-ready mindset.

    3. Middle School Intervention

    Rationale: Middle school is a pivotal time for student development, both academically and socially. Early intervention can address challenges before they escalate into larger issues in high school. This priority was identified based on data showing that students in this age group often struggle with transitional adjustments and academic rigor. By implementing targeted intervention programs we can help students build the necessary skills for success in high school and beyond.

    4. Parent Training in the Science of Reading

    Rationale: Literacy is a foundational skill for academic success, and parents play a critical role in supporting their children’s reading development. This priority was selected to empower parents with knowledge about effective reading strategies and the science behind how children learn to read. By providing training sessions and resources, we can equip families with the tools to support their children’s literacy at home. This focus will help to bridge the gap between school instruction and home practices, ultimately improving reading outcomes for all students.

    Conclusion

    The priorities identified—Family Engagement, SAT Preparedness, Middle School Intervention, and Parent Training in the Science of Reading—are essential for creating a comprehensive support system for our students across grade levels. By addressing these areas, we can foster a more collaborative educational environment, enhance academic preparedness, and empower families to play an active role in their children’s education. Together, these initiatives will contribute to improved student outcomes and a stronger school community.


     

    Action and Progress Monitoring Plans

    Major Improvement Strategy and Action Plan

    > >

    SAT Test Prep

    What will success look like:

    		Students in 11th grade EBRW and Math will have higher MSS on the spring 2025 SAT Test.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		Practicing for the digital version of the test will help you identify the areas where you need the most support so you can sharpen your focus while studying. Plus, since the content on the SAT is tied to what you’re learning in school, practicing for the SAT will set you up for success in your classes too. Historically, students who used Official SAT Practice on the paper and pencil version of the test for 6+ hours raised their scores from the PSAT/NMSQT® to their first SAT by 39 points more than students who did not use Official SAT Practice.https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/why-should-i-practice-sat.pdf

    Strategy Category:

    		Data-Informed Instruction

    Associated Root Causes:

    SAT Preparedness: Preparing all students for the type of questions they will encounter on SAT and how to approach solving them in a timely manner on a standardized/timed test.

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status
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    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status
    > >

    Partnership Coaction Collective

    What will success look like:

    		Complete two-year partnership with Coaction Collective to increase family engagement partnerships at Peak Academy. Success with the partnership will be measured by positive family surveys over the course of the next two years specific to the strategy we are working on at the time.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		There's a multitude of research that supports family engagement in schools from early childhood through high school and in career planning. From the American School of Psychology to EdWeek and beyond--references to the positive impacts in attendance, grades, graduation rates, positive social and emotional benefits for students is evident. The benefits of working with Coaction Collective as a K12 school of choice include: enhanced collaboration, innovative solutions for the unique challenges of Peak, targeted professional development, strengthening family partnerships and community involvement, goal oriented and data-driven insights helping Peak set goals and track progress for long-term growth and sustainability. Overall, partnering with Coaction Collective aligns with Peak Academy’s mission to “engage students in an innovative, personalized, rigorous learning environment that prepares students for the 21st century and beyond.”

    Strategy Category:

    		Family and Community Engagement

    Associated Root Causes:

    Family Engagement: Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status

    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status
    > >

    Middle School Interventions Reading/Math

    What will success look like:

    		Increased student participation in interventions. Increased students' growth and achievement scores on NWEA from one benchmark to the next.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		Middle school interventions focused specifically on math and literacy are particularly beneficial for students, and research underscores their effectiveness in several key areas: targeted skill development, development of foundational skills, and increased engagement. Overall, focused math and literacy interventions in middle school not only enhance academic performance but also foster a positive learning experience, setting students on a path toward future success. At Peak, we have an ever growing need to fill gaps with our middle school students. Refining this process will be a key factor in increasing academic achievement and growth.

    Strategy Category:

    		Targeted Student Academic Supports

    Associated Root Causes:

    Family Engagement: Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.

    Middle School Intervention: We have tried several methods of offering interventions at the middle school level for both hybrid and online students without having a certified interventionist that is separate from our content teachers. We are seeing this is becoming more of a challenge with the changing diversity of Peak. We also see that perhaps with a schedule change we could have more intervention engagement if it was scheduled during a different part of the school day.

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status

    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status
    > >

    Science of Reading Parent Training K5

    What will success look like:

    		As a baseline--we will have parents attend the focused trainings dedicated to specific aspects of the Science of Reading with one success criteria being more informed parents supporting the at-home instruction of K5 students in early literacy development. Additionally, a success criteria will be students performing better on DIBELS and NWEA and becoming more skilled readers.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		Research on training parents in the "Science of Reading" indicates that when parents actively learn about the key components of reading development, like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and then apply these strategies at home, it significantly improves their children's reading skills and overall literacy development, fostering a stronger foundation for future learning; this is especially beneficial for children who may struggle with reading acquisition. Key findings from research on parent training in the Science of Reading: positive impacts on reading outcomes, fostering parent engagement and collaboration with the child’s teacher and a focus on key literacy skills--all of which are priorities for Peak Academy.

    Strategy Category:

    		Family and Community Engagement

    Associated Root Causes:

    Parent Training (Science of Reading): Elementary is a hybrid only model where students must learn outside of their scheduled in-person time. What we are finding is that parents need more support in understanding how to help teach their kids on at-home days with early literacy skills. As partners in their child's education, we believe giving our parents the tools necessary to foster that learning at home will support growth and achievement especially for our struggling learners.

    Family Engagement: Fostering deeper relationships with or students and families. We have many new families joining Peak, it's crucial to connect often with all of families as this model really is representative of true partnership between home and school.

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status

    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status

    Progress Monitoring: Student Target Setting

    Priority Performance Challenge : 11th Grade SAT Median Scale Score in English Language Arts Declining

    Performance Indicator:

    		 Academic Achievement (Status)

    Measures / Metrics:

    		 R
    ANNUAL
    PERFORMANCE
    TARGETS
    2024-2025: We see a 3% increase in individual student's MSS for 11th graders on SAT from 2023-2024.
    2025-2026: We see a 3% increase in individual student's MSS for 11th graders on SAT from 2024-2025.

    INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

    		 1. Teachers are meeting the expectations of SAT Prep in their courses. 2. Daily in-person SAT Prep is observed. 3. Scheduled SAT Prep for the online prep version has good attendance.

    Priority Performance Challenge : 11th Grade SAT Median Scale Score in Math is Declining

    Performance Indicator:

    		 Academic Achievement (Status)

    Measures / Metrics:

    		 M
    ANNUAL
    PERFORMANCE
    TARGETS
    2024-2025: We see a 3% increase in individual student's MSS for 11th graders on SAT from 2023-2024.
    2025-2026: We see a 3% increase in individual student's MSS for 11th graders on SAT from 2024-2025.

    INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

    		 1. Teachers are meeting the expectations of SAT Prep in their courses. 2. Daily in-person SAT Prep is observed. 3. Scheduled SAT Prep for the online prep version has good attendance.

    Priority Performance Challenge : CMAS MGP for Middle School ELA Declining

    Performance Indicator:

    		 Academic Growth

    Measures / Metrics:

    		 R
    ANNUAL
    PERFORMANCE
    TARGETS
    2024-2025: Individual growth goals are being met on NWEA MOY and EOY benchmark. Overall MGP moved from"Approaching to Meets" on CMAS
    2025-2026: Individual growth goals are being met on NWEA MOY and EOY benchmark. Overall MGP is in the "Meets" category 2-years in a row on CMAS

    INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

    		 1. Consistent student attendance in interventions 2. Progress monitoring shows gaps are being filled 3. Students are growing on MOY and EOY Benchmarks for NWEA

    Performance Indicator:

    		 Academic Growth

    Measures / Metrics:

    		 M
    ANNUAL
    PERFORMANCE
    TARGETS
    2024-2025: Individual growth goals are being met on NWEA MOY and EOY benchmark. Overall MGP moved from "Approaching to Meets" on CMAS.
    2025-2026: Individual growth goals are being met on NWEA MOY and EOY benchmark. Overall MGP moved from "Approaching to Meets" on CMAS 2-years in a row.

    INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

    		 1. Consistent student attendance in interventions 2. Progress monitoring shows gaps are being filled 3. Students are growing on MOY and EOY Benchmarks for NWEA

    Priority Performance Challenge : Early Literacy K-5

    Performance Indicator:

    		 Academic Growth

    Measures / Metrics:

    		 R
    ANNUAL
    PERFORMANCE
    TARGETS
    2024-2025: Individual DIBELS and NWEA growth goals are being met by each student.
    2025-2026: Individual DIBELS and NWEA growth goals are being met by each student.

    INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

    		 1. Parents attend SoR trainings (attendance sheets) 2. Parents report they feel more comfortable supporting early literacy skills at home (parent questionnaire) 3. Growth data on DIBELS and NWEA reflect positive trends

    Priority Performance Challenge : Student Engagement

    Performance Indicator:

    		 Other

    Measures / Metrics:
    ANNUAL
    PERFORMANCE
    TARGETS
    2024-2025: Family Surveys will show we have met or exceeded our "Family Outcome" goals. Goal: Relationship Building (Family Outcomes)- 80% of families report that they feel valued as a partner in their child’s education. Goal: Communication (Family Outcomes)- 80% of families report that their child’s teacher shares positive information about their child. Goal: Collaborative Goal Setting and Academic Partnership (Family Outcomes)- 80% of families report that their child’s teacher keeps them up-to-date with how their child is performing in class.
    2025-2026: In 2025-2026 we will move to "Teacher Outcome" goals. Those goals will be determined by the Family Engagement Leadership Team

    INTERIM MEASURES FOR 2024-2025:

    		 Family Survey results in October 2024 and again in January/February 2025

    Attachments List

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