The Akron School District became a member of S-CAP (Student-Centered Accountability Program) last spring. S-CAP was designed by a group of Colorado rural school districts with the idea of providing an alternative accountability system that works to provide schools and districts with feedback for continuous improvement. To accomplish this, the districts use multiple measures of student success to expand results beyond a single state test score. Classroom assessments, as well as dispositions that characterize a successful student, are used to describe student achievement and growth. S-CAP uses an on-site audit of districts to evaluate the system components needed to support student success.
As part of Akron School’s involvement in this program, teachers and administrators from the district have taken part in on-site audits at other schools this year. An added benefit of these site visits have been the sharing of ideas and practices that are in place at other schools. This year, small groups of Akron staff have been a part of site visits at Buena Vista, La Veta, Las Animas, Buffalo (Merino), and Haxtun with an additional site visit yet to come at Holyoke. Akron’s school site visit took place on Wednesday, January 23rd. Weather conditions on January 22ndprevented some of the S-CAP schools from the southern part of our state from making it to the Akron site review, but other area S-CAP schools were able to send additional representatives to conduct the review. In addition to peers from other school districts, representatives from the Colorado Department of Education, University of Colorado, and Generation Schools Network helped conduct the Akron site review.
Prior to the review, Akron administrative staff gathered schedules, assessment data, background information, maps, curriculum information, and prepared descriptions of our programs. Additionally, students, parents, and staff participated in focus groups and surveys about the school. Rubrics were prepared and used during the review to evaluate the school climate and culture, as well as curriculum and instruction. The results of the review have been shared with the administration and will be shared with staff in the near future. The results of the review will be helpful as the school board, administration, and staff work to set strategic goals and priorities for the future.
S-CAP is currently in its third year of existence. The original five S-CAP districts include: Buena Vista, Buffalo (Merino), Kit Carson, La Veta, and Monte Vista. The S-CAP group has grown to now include Holyoke, Akron, Las Animas, and Haxtun. Several other districts have expressed interest and are planning to join the program. One of the primary goals of the S-CAP program is continuous improvement. As part of the program for continuous improvement, the Akron School will be going through a similar process again next school year. The Akron School District wishes to thank everyone who supported and participated in the Akron S-CAP site review this year.