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[JPG 229KB]  The Littleton Academy (LA) charter school of about 450 K-8 students has fulfilled the "more for less" promise of more student academic achievement for less taxpayer dollars.  The total operating and capital expenditures budget per LA student is far below that for the other LPS students.  For example, the LA "playground" in this picture also is an access road and a parking lot.  Some other school information is available in the LA brochure [PDF 64KB]. 

For the past few years Littleton Academy has been one of the best-performing elementary schools and middle schools in the entire state of Colorado.  Both elementary and middle schools at LA consistently have won the annual John Irwin School of Excellence awards for their "Excellent" performance on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) tests.

The school average for CSAP 2006 Reading grades 3-8 (next table below) was 96% proficient or advanced, which was a small gain from the 95% average in 2005.

  --------- LA CSAP % ---------  
Reading P+A A P PP U S
           
G3 2006 92 10 82   6   2 50
G3 2005 92 22 69   6   2 49
G3 2004 96 12 84   4   0 50
G3 2003 96 16 80   4   0 51
G3 2002 94 31 63   6   0 52
G3 2001 98 24 75   2   0 51
G3 2000 92 12 80   8   0 49
G3 1999 88 20 67 12   0 49
G3 1998 76 14 62 20   4 50
           
G4 2006 100 23 77   0   0 48
G4 2005 96 21 75   4   0 53
G4 2004 90 12 78 10   0 49
G4 2003 92 23 69   8   0 52
G4 2002 98 22 76   2   0 49
G4 2001 85 27 58 15   0 52
G4 2000 82 16 66 16   2 50
G4 1999 78 12 67 16   6 51
G4 1998 78 10 67 20   2 49
G4 1997 71   2 69 23   4 48
           
G5 2006 96 31 65   4   0 51
G5 2005 94 23 71   6   0 52
G5 2004 98 44 54   2   0 50
G5 2003 98 24 75   2   0 51
G5 2002 96 24 73   4   0 51
G5 2001 91 21 70   8   2 53
           
G6 2006 92 23 69   8   0 48
G6 2005 100 47 53   0   0 51
G6 2004 100 33 67   0   0 48
G6 2003 91 32 60   6   2 47
G6 2002 93 24 70   7   0 46
G6 2001 91 13 78   9   0 46
           
G7 2006 100 40 60   0   0 47
G7 2005 96 22 73   4   0 45
G7 2004 94 24 70   6   0 50
G7 2003 96 22 73   4   0 45
G7 2002 90 29 60 10   0 48
G7 2001 90 15 75 10   0 48
G7 2000 84   7 77 16   0 43
G7 1999 80 16 64 12   4 50
           
G8 2006 98 34 64   2   0 47
G8 2005 94 38 56   6   0 48
G8 2004 98 27 71   2   0 45
G8 2003 93 27 66   7   0 44
G8 2002 93 27 66   7   0 41
G8 2001 90 13 78 10   0 40

Key: A = Advanced, P = Proficient, PP = Partially Proficient, U = Unsatisfactory, S = Students.

The school average for CSAP 2006 Writing grades 3-8 (next table below) was 90% proficient or advanced, which was a small loss from the 91% average in 2005.

  --------- LA CSAP % ---------  
Writing P+A A P PP U S
           
G3 2006 68 12 56 30   2 50
G3 2005 82 14 67 18   0 49
G3 2004 80 24 56 20   0 50
G3 2003 92 43 49   8   0 51
G3 2002 81 13 67 19   0 52
           
G4 2006 94 27 67   6   0 48
G4 2005 91 13 77   9   0 53
G4 2004 88 27 61 10   2 49
G4 2003 85 25 60 15   0 52
G4 2002 92 27 65   8   0 49
G4 2001 71 23 48 29   0 52
G4 2000 72 14 58 24   2 50
G4 1999 69 12 57 29   2 51
G4 1998 68 22 46 28   2 50
G4 1997 63 15 48 31   4 48
           
G5 2006 96 33 63   4   0 51
G5 2005 87 23 63 13   0 52
G5 2004 96 58 38   4   0 50
G5 2003 94 35 59   6   0 51
G5 2002 94 35 59   6   0 51
           
G6 2006 88 33 54 13   0 48
G6 2005 98 55 43   2   0 51
G6 2004 94 46 48   6   0 48
G6 2003 91 34 57   9   0 47
G6 2002 80 15 65 20   0 46
           
G7 2006 100 62 38   0   0 47
G7 2005 96 42 53   4   0 45
G7 2004 94 50 44   6   0 50
G7 2003 96 31 64   4   0 45
G7 2002 85 29 56 15   0 48
G7 2001 85 29 56 15   0 48
G7 2000 84 23 60 16   0 43
G7 1999 74 32 42 14   0 50
           
G8 2006 91 40 51   9   0 47
G8 2005 90 31 58 10   0 48
G8 2004 93 22 71   7   0 45
G8 2003 82 39 43 18   0 44
G8 2002 88 41 46 12   0 41

Key: A = Advanced, P = Proficient, PP = Partially Proficient, U = Unsatisfactory, S = Students.

The school average for CSAP 2006 Math grades 3-8 (next table below) was 94% proficient or advanced, which was a small gain from the 93% average in 2005.

  --------- LA CSAP % ---------  
Math P+A A P PP U S
           
G3 2006 88 38 50 12   0 50
G3 2005 96 57 39   4   0 49
           
G4 2006 100 65 35   0   0 48
G4 2005 92 47 45   8   0 53
           
G5 2006 98 67 31   2   0 51
G5 2005 88 62 27 12   0 52
G5 2004 100 84 16   0   0 50
G5 2003 94 63 31   4   2 51
G5 2002 94 65 29   6   0 51
G5 2001 89 38 51 11   0 53
G5 2000 NA NA NA NA NA NA
           
G6 2006 90 54 35 10   0 48
G6 2005 94 84 10   6   0 51
G6 2004 98 69 29   2   0 48
G6 2003 91 62 30   6   2 47
G6 2002 85 48 37 15   0 46
           
G7 2006 94 74 19   6   0 47
G7 2005 98 71 27   2   0 45
G7 2004 92 54 38   8   0 50
G7 2003 82 42 40 18   0 45
G7 2002 73 46 27 23   4 48
           
G8 2006 96 62 34   4   0 47
G8 2005 92 56 35   8   0 48
G8 2004 89 40 49 11   0 45
G8 2003 77 52 25 23   0 44
G8 2002 78 39 39 15   7 41
G8 2001 63 35 28 30   8 40
G8 2000 54 17 37 28 13 46

Key: A = Advanced, P = Proficient, PP = Partially Proficient, U = Unsatisfactory, S = Students.

The school average for CSAP 2006 Science grade 8 (next table below) was 85% proficient or advanced, which was a large loss from the 92% average in 2005.

  --------- LA CSAP % ---------  
Science P+A A P PP U S
           
G5 2006 75 31 43 24   2 51
           
G8 2006 85 23 62 15   0 47
G8 2005 92 27 65   8   0 48
G8 2004 89 22 67 11   0 45
G8 2003 86 32 55   9   5 44
G8 2002 83 22 61 12   5 41
G8 2001 73 10 63 25   3 40
G8 2000 61 11 50 33   4 46

Key: A = Advanced, P = Proficient, PP = Partially Proficient, U = Unsatisfactory, S = Students.

The incredible performance improvement started when this K-8 charter school began in September, 1996 with students from all over the LPS district.  At that time the LA Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) averages were below LPS districtwide averages.  Most LA ITBS average obtained total scores for Reading, Language, and Mathematics also were below comparable LPS averages.  However, the LA ITBS scores for these “Three R’s” and the other ITBS categories soon became far above the LPS averages for every one of the ITBS subtests! 

In July, 2002 the Colorado Department of Education announced the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) final results for school year 2001-2002.  The LA Third Grade students were runners-up to the best LPS CSAP scores, and LA students got all 15 of the first-place LPS “blue ribbons” for Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8!  Littleton Academy CSAP scores (proficient or advanced) for the past few years have been the highest overall school averages for each of those subjects at nearly every one of the other 16 LPS elementary schools and the other five LPS middle schools.

Those “blue ribbon” academic achievements are even more outstanding when considered in the light of this charter school’s disadvantages:  

  • LA building space (area in square feet/student) was less than one-third of  LPS average.
  • LA outdoor space is less than two acres (less than one-third of LPS average).
  • LA capital improvement funds came from operating revenues, not LPS bond issues.
  • Teachers and other LA staff are paid below LPS averages.
  • Many other LA handicaps (no bus transportation, no library until 2004, no cafeteria, very small playground, school was started instantly as grades K-8 in 1996 from scratch, etc.).

These high student proficiencies can be attributed to a combination of key factors:

  •  A curriculum based on skills mastery and high-level content areas.
  •  A highly qualified and dedicated teaching staff.
  •  Achievement grouping in math and reading at all grade levels.
  •  Consistently strong parent support for the educational process.
  •  Numerous quantitative measurements of student performance for diagnostic purposes.
  •  Clear and concise action plans to target individual academic needs.

Littleton Academy has an outstanding, well-developed performance pay program:

  • LA does not have any collective bargaining agreement (all staff are "at will" employees).
  • LA also has salaries well below LPS pay rates for comparable positions.
  • However, LA adds large one-time payments for that year's performance:
    • Each teacher submits a "Teacher Profile Form" to claim credit for accomplishments.
    • Most parents submit an annual "Parent Opinionnaire" that rates professional attributes and subject-specific performance areas with open-ended comments for each factor for every teacher of each child in that family.
    • The principal also considers formal evaluator(s) ratings of 17 professional attributes and contributions.
    • The principal enters summary data from those forms into the performance pay evaluation grid for each teacher and then allocates payments proportional to performance.
  • The LA Governing Board, principal, and nearly all staff are very pleased with that performance pay program.
  • The entire school (including parents) is very pleased with LA overall performance.  In fact, LA ranked 29th highest elementary school (top 3.0%) and 5th highest middle school (top 1.1%) in Colorado based on the 2005 School Accountability Report scores for elementary schools and for middle schools (2006 scores are not yet available).

The 46-page Littleton Academy Annual Progress Report, 2001-2002 [PDF 1406KB] includes information about student performance results, summary of 2000-2001 Action Plan for School Improvement, suspension and expulsion report, community satisfaction, school accountability accomplishments, school accomplishments, ITBS/CogAT results, academic achievement summary, and summary of survey results.  No other LPS school published such an Annual Progress Report, which became optional after 2001.

 

Last modified: 09/16/2006

 

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