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Denver Public Faculties Superintendent Alex Marrero has far fewer efficiency targets this faculty yr. However the targets he does have are extra bold, he stated final month.
For instance, Marrero needs the share of Denver college students in grades 3-8 who meet or exceed expectations on the state literacy take a look at to extend from 40% to 42%. His purpose final yr was for that share to extend by simply 1 share level.
Marrero’s targets, which the college board unanimously permitted at a gathering final month, is likely to be extra bold. However the district nonetheless isn’t on observe to fulfill the tutorial targets he specified by Denver Public Faculties’ strategic plan in 2022.
That plan, for example, requires 49% of third- by means of eighth-graders to fulfill or exceed expectations on the state literacy take a look at by 2025-26. Hitting that purpose would require a giant soar of 9 share factors over two faculty years; lately, district scores have both been flat or climbed by 1 share level annually.
Final faculty yr, Marrero’s efficiency targets included greater than 230 metrics by which the board evaluated him. This yr, his efficiency targets embrace simply 27 metrics.
On the December faculty board assembly, Marrero stated he crafted his targets for the 2024-25 faculty yr with a number of items of suggestions in thoughts, together with that he ought to slender his focus and put extra emphasis on educational outcomes.
Gone are targets associated to scholar attendance, limiting tickets and arrests by law enforcement officials in Denver faculties, and the way a lot produce the district will harvest from its greenhouse. (Final yr’s efficiency targets included a really particular goal harvest of 8,160 kilos of tomatoes.)
Marrero saved targets associated to scholar take a look at scores, highschool commencement charges, and employees retention charges. He additionally added a purpose associated to the board’s faculty closure coverage, underneath which it not too long ago voted to shutter or shrink 10 faculties on the finish of this faculty yr.
The targets are formally referred to as “cheap interpretations.” They’re Marrero’s interpretation of perform the board’s overarching targets for Denver Public Faculties. The board makes use of Marrero’s efficiency targets to guage him, their sole worker, each October.
This previous October, Marrero earned a $17,326 bonus for assembly 85% of his efficiency targets. That greenback quantity is the same as 5% of his annual $346,529 wage. Marrero’s contract permits him to earn a bonus of as much as 12.5% of his wage if he meets all of his targets.
Marrero’s 2024-25 efficiency targets say he’ll:
- Improve the general share of third- by means of Eleventh-grade college students who’re proficient in literacy and math by two share factors, as measured by state standardized assessments.
- Do the identical for teams of underserved college students, together with Black and Latino college students, college students with disabilities, and college students who qualify for sponsored faculty meals.
- Improve the four-year highschool commencement price by two share factors, each general and for a similar teams of scholars.
- Preserve or enhance the go charges for college kids taking college-level programs, in addition to profession and technical training programs.
- Preserve or enhance the variety of college students who graduate with an business certificates.
- Preserve or enhance the variety of college students who graduate with a Seal of Biliteracy affirming that they’ll learn, write, and communicate in two or extra languages.
- Improve the participation of sure teams of scholars in internships or apprenticeships. These teams embrace Black and Latino college students, college students with disabilities, college students who qualify for sponsored faculty meals, and college students studying English.
- Improve the participation of those self same teams of scholars in college-level programs.
- Preserve or enhance the retention charges of academics, assistant principals, and principals of colour; feminine leaders of colour; and bilingual academics.
- Enhance how college students, households, and employees price the district on annual surveys that measure perceptions of well being, security, belonging, and different metrics.
- Audit three district programs to make sure they’re equitable.
- Guarantee the district’s six neighborhood hubs meet the wants of the neighborhood.
- Obtain the targets specified by the district’s local weather motion plan.
- Comply with the necessities of the board’s faculty closure coverage, formally referred to as Government Limitation 18. The coverage requires the superintendent to current a complete enrollment report back to the board every June after which suggest faculties for closure or consolidation by November.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.