Basic School Facts DSST: Cole High School is located at 3240 Humboldt St, Denver, C0 80205. Mission and Vision: DSST's Mission: DSST Public Schools transform urban public education by eliminating educational inequity and preparing all students for success in college and the 21st century. DSST Public Schools is a values-driven organization and a deliberately integrated community, serving students from all walks of life. The vision for DSST: Cole HS is that all students will be prepared for post …
secondary success in college and the 21st century. Assessments (Local and State), Curriculum and Instructional Models and Choices We use the PSAT, SAT, Access test, and DSST network aligned interims Our teachers create their own curriculum that is standards aligned and backwards planned from internal and external assessments. In 9th and 10th Math we have adopted the Illuminate Math curriculum. In 9th and 10th ELA, we are piloting curriculum from Novel Education partners. Available curriculum also used by teachers for classroom supplements and intervention: Engage NY, IXL, and iReady Monitoring and response to data For every interim assessment, as well as pre- and mid-year practice assessments (SAT and ACCESS), we do a thorough data analysis and response to data plan. We break down all data by the following subgroups: quartiles, IEP status, MLL status, gender identity, race, and class. This allows us to pinpoint early any strengths and gaps in who is learning more or less. We then target our staff professional development and 1:1 coaching to address any subgroup gaps. MTSS Process Our MTSS process is led by our culture team. The culture team adds MTSS to their agenda biweekly to look at student data and our intervention data. We identify strengths for what is working with interventions and look for gaps from previously identified students in the process. We also look to see if any students should be added or taken out of the process. Our culture team then works with our grade level chairs (GLCs) to add this to their meeting agendas, and grade level teams meet weekly during staff PD and follow an MTSS protocol that is similar to what we do in our culture leadership team meeting. Partner Programs (What they do and impact) We partner with outside agencies, non-profits, and companies for our Internship program in the 12th grade Our biggest partnership this year is with EL Achieve who runs a professional development series called Constructing Meaning. We are sending leaders, department heads, and many other content teachers to this five-day training throughout the year to better support both our multi-language learners and all students. We have also partnered with Art Lab and they have provided us with art education at no cost Words Beyond Walls- Provides formerly incarcerated young adults with leadership experience, paid employment, and an opportunity to learn and grow within their communities, while providing younger teens, specially those under justice system supervision, with an opportunity to have a safe and welcoming after school experience. ASSET- a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping teachers and schools with tools to help their students reduce stress and build resilience. ASSET's curriculum is rooted in mindfulness and positive psychology. ASSET Education is a registered 501(c)3 with the United States Internal Revenue Service. Sources of Strength - Nationally recognized evidence-based suicide prevention program. For 3 years, we have received funding from the Colorado State Attorney General's office to fund our training, run our own peer leadership group, and provide supplies for our programming Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives - Longtime local activist Leon Kelly Jr. runs an 8th grade young men's group to provide culturally responsive practice, build student leadership, and support students in making positive, healthy choices GRASP - Gang Reduction and Support Project - provides consultation and 1:1 mentoring to impacted students. GRID - Gang Reduction of Denver Provides 1:1 mentoring and support to at-risk youth Remembrance Wellness and Yoga - Leads 45 minute weekly zoom class to support students in developing self-knowledge, coping skills and assist in trauma recovery. In addition, around the election we provided resources to our community from Soul 2 Soul Sisters, Councilwoman CdeBaca's office, The Colorado Black Health Collaborative and CLLARO (Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization). School Culture and Climate We have two Deans who lead on school culture. We have weekly admin culture meetings that include our mental health team. Grade level teams then meet weekly to work as a collective on driving school culture. We are committed to ensuring our student culture continues to stay safe, supportive, consistent, predictable, grade-level appropriate, and joyful. We utilize the DPS Discipline Ladder and Framework and report all behavior incidences in Infinite Campus. Family and Community Engagement The PTO (formerly called Science Tech Parents (STP)) is our family involvement and outreach entity. PTO meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month from 4:30 to 5:30. We are also committed to having at least one fun parent/student event per quarter, in addition to our parent teacher conferences we have each trimester.
Accredited with Distinction - This is assigned to the highest performing districts. These districts are meeting or exceeding expectations on the majority of performance tasks.
Accredited - Districts with an overall rating of Accredited are meeting expectations on the majority of performance metrics.
Accredited with Improvement Plan - These districts are identified as lower performing. They may be meeting expectations on some performance metrics, but they are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on many.
Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan - These districts are identified as low performing. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these districts until they improve.
Accredited with Turnaround Plan - These districts are identified as among the lowest performing districts in the state. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these districts until they improve.
Accredited with Insufficient State Data - These districts are assigned this accreditation rating when the state does not have enough data to report publicly. To better understand why a district received an Insufficient State Data rating, all publicly reportable data are reflected in the performance framework report. More information about these ratings is available here.
School Ratings
Performance Plan - Schools with a Performance Plan are meeting expectations on the majority of performance metrics.
Improvement Plan - These schools are identified as lower performing. They may be meeting expectations on some performance metrics, but they are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on many.
Priority Improvement Plan - These schools are identified as low performing. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these schools until they improve.
Turnaround Plan - These schools are identified as among the lowest performing schools in the state. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these schools until they improve.
Insufficient State Data - These schools are assigned this plan type when the state does not have enough data to report publicly. To better understand why a school received an Insufficient State Data rating, all publicly reportable data are reflected in the performance framework report. More information about these ratings is available here.