After overcoming a bad reputation and low standardized test scores, Colorado Springs' Centennial Elementary School has once again proven just how far it's come by earning a 2017 America's Best Urban Schools Award.
With a 95 percent rate of free and reduced lunch, and located in one of Colorado's areas of highest crime, Centennial Elementary School's staff and students had a lot of odds stacked against them. But that hasn't stopped them from going from one of the lowest performing schools in the state just a few years ago to one of the highest. Their substantial growth made them one of 27 schools in the nation (and the first ever in Colorado) to be awarded the National Center for Urban School Transformation's prestigious 2017 America's Best Urban Schools Award on Tuesday, May 16. School and district leaders from Harrison School District 2 traveled to Nashville to accept the award, which is given to schools with low-income students and test results better than the state average for students in every demographic. High attendance, low suspension/expulsion rates, and excellent STEM curriculum are also considered.
This isn't the first award for Centennial. They were given the National Blue Ribbon School distinction in 2015 for "closing achievement gaps and demonstrating that all students can attain high levels of performance," according to The Gazette. Their principal Kimberlee Noyes was also honored by the Colorado Department of Education in 2014 and 2015.
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Photo Via, ThompsonSchools.org[/caption]
Photo Via, ThompsonSchools.org[/caption]
However, the school's success didn't always seem to be in the cards. In 2011, state assessment test scores showed that less than one third of fifth graders were proficient, while only 25 percent of Centennial's third graders were proficient in writing. After unveiling a new mission ("Achievement NOW!") and getting everybody onboard to help turn things around, those scores began to see a marked improvement within two years' time.
A commitment from students included changing their mindset from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset knowing that with hard work they can be anything they want to be... Centennial Elementary is proving that zip codes no longer determine academic success." - Official Statement Centennial Elementary School
With the recognition and awards beginning to roll in, it seems that the "Achievement NOW!" mission has really caught on. Well done, Centennial!
Let's let Centennial Elementary know how proud we are! Congratulate them in the comments below!
