RIDGWAY – Ridgway schools are ahead of the curve in individual student assessments, with a new state growth model bolstering what schools here are already doing.
The Ridgway School Board discussed the new state program briefly at this week’s monthly meeting.
School superintendent Cheryl Gomez said after the meeting that the new model, used for the first time this year in Ridgway schools, will do a lot to help the school track individual students.
Although Gomez called the Colorado Growth Model “just another tool,” she said it ties in with what is already happening at Ridgway’s public schools.
Other growth models are measured by cohort, she said, meaning that the model looks at an entire grade over time, for example, tracking the class of 2018 all the way through school.
But when it comes to helping a student get to the next level successfully, individual tracking works. What’s great about the new state model is that it ties into the student-oriented model that Ridgway Schools have used for a long time, Gomez said.
“For us, it (the state model) greatly applies to our student learning plan we’ve had in place for years, custom-designing and looking at individual results,” she said. “The cohort model is important in big picture stuff and looking at the curriculum.”
Parents will learn about the new growth model at parent-teacher conferences Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Gomez said.
Gomez picked up one student’s report in math to give an example of how information from testing can be useful from an individual standpoint.
“This particular student has moved from partly proficient in the sixth grade, and last year as a tenth grader he was proficient, and how awesome is that?” she said.
But it’s not all good news. The student is barely proficient in math and reading and borderline in writing, which means he needs to do better to reach a higher level.
“If I was his teacher, I would be saying he could slip because he is just barely proficient,” Gomez said.
According to Gomez, such information is useful to parents because it might prompt them to get a tutor for their child or discover an underlying cause of why the boy was struggling.
“Maybe that’s the year Dad and Mom separated,” she said. “Parents will know.”
Parents can learn more about the Colorado Growth Model by logging onto HYPERLINK "http://www.schoolview.org" www.schoolview.org, Gomez said.
“They can get a ton of stuff including things about your district, the Colorado Growth Model, school performance and community connections,” she said. “We have a bunch of information for parents to pull up, and it’s a nice tool in terms of looking at individual student data.”
Ouray County Watch Staff
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Ouray Trail Run Kicks off Saturday
OURAY – Challenge yourself to a 13.9-mile loop run and contribute to regional youth outdoor education programs this weekend. The second annual Ouray Trail Run takes place Saturday, Oct. 3 on the trails above Ouray, but it’s not your average jog in the park.
Comparable in difficulty to the Imogene Pass Run between Ouray and Telluride, the Ouray Trail Run circumnavigates the City of Ouray using the Silvershield, Ice Park and Portland trails. With the unsurpassed views of Ouray and the surrounding fall foliage, this year’s run will no doubt prove to be one of Colorado’s most beautiful fall events.
“The course is unbelievably beautiful,” race Director Erin Eddy said in an interview on Tuesday. “This has to be one of the most scenic runs in the state because of its timing. The course is just awesome and it is a great race.”
Participants are reminded that the course follows steep and rugged, single-track trails in the high altitude terrain, with a base elevation of 7,700 feet. The course gains over 3,600 vertical feet and includes many steep and loose sections. Another factor participants should keep in mind is the unpredictable fall weather of the San Juan Mountains, which can range from mild and sunny to cold and snowy in a matter of minutes. Ultimately, runners are responsible for their own safety and are expected to use good judgment with regards to their ability to complete the race.
The course will be marked with flagging, cones and signs, and a number of volunteer course marshals will be strategically located to keep runners headed in the right direction.
Eddy said that last year’s inaugural event raised approximately $2,000 for local outdoor education programs, including the San Juan Riding Program, the Ouray Cross County Team, and the Ridgway and Ouray schools’ outdoor education programs. He hopes to raise even more for those programs this year.
“This race is all about getting kids outdoors,” Eddy said.
The $50 race entry fee includes an official race T-shirt, aid-station refreshments, and a post-race barbecue. Prizes, custom made by Ouray glassblower Sam Rushing, will be awarded for overall male and female winners as well as male and female age group winners. Door prizes at the post-race awards ceremony will include Osprey packs, arm warmers, socks and shirts from Sugoi, a sport band for an iPod, and gaiters by JoeTrailMan. Race participants will automatically be entered to win prizes, but they must be present at the ceremony to win.
Race registration will occur on Friday at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool between 5 and 7 p.m., or on race day, between 8 and 9:30 a.m. The race starts and ends at the pool, and has a 10 a.m. start time.
Stick around town after the race for some much-deserved relaxation and revelry at the Ouray Oktoberfest and 45th Annual Jeep Raffle. Popular Bavarian band, The Austrian Connection, will perform, and there will be kids’ activities and costume contests with cash prizes. Traditional German food such as brats, potato cakes, apple sauce and German chocolate cake are on the menu, as well as Colorado Boy brews and wine. Call the Ouray Chamber for additional information at 800/228-1876.
The Ouray Trail Run is a 501(c)4 corporation and all race proceeds go directly to local outdoor youth recreational programs and local youth recreational clubs. For more information, go to www.ouraytrailrun.com.
Comparable in difficulty to the Imogene Pass Run between Ouray and Telluride, the Ouray Trail Run circumnavigates the City of Ouray using the Silvershield, Ice Park and Portland trails. With the unsurpassed views of Ouray and the surrounding fall foliage, this year’s run will no doubt prove to be one of Colorado’s most beautiful fall events.
“The course is unbelievably beautiful,” race Director Erin Eddy said in an interview on Tuesday. “This has to be one of the most scenic runs in the state because of its timing. The course is just awesome and it is a great race.”
Participants are reminded that the course follows steep and rugged, single-track trails in the high altitude terrain, with a base elevation of 7,700 feet. The course gains over 3,600 vertical feet and includes many steep and loose sections. Another factor participants should keep in mind is the unpredictable fall weather of the San Juan Mountains, which can range from mild and sunny to cold and snowy in a matter of minutes. Ultimately, runners are responsible for their own safety and are expected to use good judgment with regards to their ability to complete the race.
The course will be marked with flagging, cones and signs, and a number of volunteer course marshals will be strategically located to keep runners headed in the right direction.
Eddy said that last year’s inaugural event raised approximately $2,000 for local outdoor education programs, including the San Juan Riding Program, the Ouray Cross County Team, and the Ridgway and Ouray schools’ outdoor education programs. He hopes to raise even more for those programs this year.
“This race is all about getting kids outdoors,” Eddy said.
The $50 race entry fee includes an official race T-shirt, aid-station refreshments, and a post-race barbecue. Prizes, custom made by Ouray glassblower Sam Rushing, will be awarded for overall male and female winners as well as male and female age group winners. Door prizes at the post-race awards ceremony will include Osprey packs, arm warmers, socks and shirts from Sugoi, a sport band for an iPod, and gaiters by JoeTrailMan. Race participants will automatically be entered to win prizes, but they must be present at the ceremony to win.
Race registration will occur on Friday at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool between 5 and 7 p.m., or on race day, between 8 and 9:30 a.m. The race starts and ends at the pool, and has a 10 a.m. start time.
Stick around town after the race for some much-deserved relaxation and revelry at the Ouray Oktoberfest and 45th Annual Jeep Raffle. Popular Bavarian band, The Austrian Connection, will perform, and there will be kids’ activities and costume contests with cash prizes. Traditional German food such as brats, potato cakes, apple sauce and German chocolate cake are on the menu, as well as Colorado Boy brews and wine. Call the Ouray Chamber for additional information at 800/228-1876.
The Ouray Trail Run is a 501(c)4 corporation and all race proceeds go directly to local outdoor youth recreational programs and local youth recreational clubs. For more information, go to www.ouraytrailrun.com.
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