KUSA - Every year, schools are assigned a grade based heavily on academic performance and growth in conjunction with other data from the Colorado Department of Education.
"The difference between our rating system and their rating system even though we use the exact same data is that we grade on a curve," Kristina Saccone, spokesperson for ColoradoSchoolGrades.com, said. "So that you actually know which schools are in the top 10 percent, top 20 percent of all schools in the state."
Schools are given a letter grade from "A to F" to give parents an easy-to-understand interpretation of how each school in Colorado is performing.
9NEWS is a partner with ColoradoSchoolGrades.com to provide this free service to parents around the state.
"It makes school choices far more simpler for parents and for community members and teachers and parents to understand exactly how their school is doing," Saccone said.
The top-rated elementary schools in Colorado are Bear Creek, Bergen Valley Intermediate, Parker Core Knowledge, Dry Creek, Heritage, Hulstrom Options K-8, Aurora Quest K-8, Steck, Swigert International, and Traut Core Knowledge.
The best middle schools are Stargate Charter, DSST: Byers, Flagstaff Charter Academy, Slavens, Altona, Aspen Community Charter, Montessori Peaks Charter, Ouray, Windsor Charter Academy, and McAuliffe International.
The high schools receiving the highest grades are Ridgeview Classical Charter, Edison Junior-Senior, Liberty Common Charter, TCA College Pathways, the Vanguard School, DSST: Stapleton, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Denver School of the Arts, the Classical Academy and Palmer Ridge.
At Cotton Creek Elementary in Westminster, teachers like Keri Roberts are celebrating. A few years ago, the Adams 12 Five Star School was struggling.
"We had the heart of what teaching should be," Roberts, fourth grade teacher, said. "We just didn't have the standards and the rigor that was involved. I think people were still learning what we needed to do. So, at that time, we were kind of spinning our wheels."
But, Principal Bill Kempsell wanted that to change. So, he worked on creating a collaborative environment focused on increasing student achievement.
"It's a community effort between the teachers, our classified staff, para educators, parent volunteers," Kempsell said. "This is truly a partnership. It's not just me."
In 2012, Cotton Creek received a "C" rating from ColoradoSchoolGrades.com. In 2013, the grade increased to a "B". For 2014, Cotton Creek has made the leap to an "A" school ranked as a top 60 elementary school out of more than 1,100.
"I think it means that we are a school that is definitely working very hard," Roberts said. "We're working to make challenges."
If you want to see how your school is rated, visit: http://coloradoschoolgrades.com/default.aspx
"Parents do access the website," Kempsell said. "They do look at those things as they shop for schools and so on."
Since ColoradoSchoolGrades.com launched five years ago, some have criticized it for listing schools with low grades like "D" or "F" creating a stigma for those schools. Saccone does not see it that way.
"Even though a lot of people will take it as a negative, we like to think of it as a positive," Saccone said. "This is a chance for you to improve and figure out how your kids can be doing better."
Colorado School Grades is an online tool created by a coalition of 18 nonprofit community organizations that helps Colorado parents, students, educators, and community members better understand how their local schools are performing. The goal is to give these groups the information they need to improve their local schools and make better school-choice decisions.
Colorado School Grades nonprofit coalition members are A+ Denver, ACE Scholarships, The Adolph Coors Foundation, The Anschutz Foundation, Catapult Leadership, Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Children's Campaign, Colorado Succeeds, The Daniels Fund, Donnell-Kay Foundation, Independence Institute, Qualistar Colorado, Together Colorado, Morgridge Family Foundation, Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE), Stand for Children, The Urban League of Metropolitan Denver, and Walton Family Foundation.
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