Westside schools:
Howbert, Pike lead 3rd grade CSAPs

       Howbert Elementary had the highest Westside score and Pike Elementary the best of the Title 1 schools in District 11 in the recently released Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) third-grade reading scores, according to D-11 officials.
       Eighty-eight percent of Howbert's third-graders and 85 percent of Pike's achieved proficient or advanced levels on the annual statewide test.
       About three-fourths of Pike's students as a whole qualify for free or reduced lunches through a federal program (called Title 1) that's based on family income.
       It was the second year in a row that the two schools led the Westside in the third-grade reading CSAPs. They ranked 8th and 10th, respectively, among the district's 44 schools that have third-graders.
       “It just shows that when you have capable students, they can learn to read and show it on the CSAP,” Principal Manuel Ramsey said.
       Most Westside schools improved on their '07 scores, with Whittier's 19-point increase leading the way. Bristol, Buena Vista and Jackson also showed gains.
       The tests are taken earlier in the spring than the other CSAPs. Overall, the state-standardized tests cover grades 3-10 and also take in writing and math (and in the higher grade levels, science). The rest of the CSAP scores will be announced by the Colorado Department of Education in August.
       Both Pike and Howbert showed slight drop-offs from last year's third grade scores. Pike had been credited with 90 percent in '07 (although it would have been 100 if two low-scoring students from Pike's attendance area who were going to another school hadn't counted against the total) and Howbert 93.
       Here are the other Westside schools' proficient/advanced percentages on the CSAP third-grade reading tests (with last year's percentage in parentheses):
  • Bristol 76 (52).
  • Buena Vista 75 (65)
  • Jackson 74 (68).
  • Whittier 71 (52).
  • Midland 59 (68).
  • Washington 51 (63).
          
           The Bristol Elementary PTA will be running a hot dog stand in conjunction with Ace Hardware at Uintah Gardens Saturday and Sunday, May 24-25.
           Proceeds will benefit the Bristol PTA.
           Peter Jaron, a 10th-grader at Coronado High School, earned first honorable mention at the Colorado Mathematical Olympiad in April.
           A total of 400 middle and high school students participated in the event at UCCS. The students were offered five problems and four hours to solve them, including essay-type solutions.

    Westside Pioneer/press releases