The Bayfield School District saw its cumulative state test results drop slightly in 2023-24, with the exception of one of its schools.
Bayfield Middle School (52.2%) and Bayfield High School (57.4%) saw their scores drop 3.7% and 5.3%, respectively, going from 2022-23 to 2023-24, according to a news release on the district’s website. However, Bayfield Intermediate School saw a 4.3% increase at 66.9% in 2023-24.
The district’s 2023-24 cumulative results were at 58.1%, down 4.6% from the previous year but still in the “accredited” status, according to the release.
Bayfield Intermediate School and Bayfield High School received “accredited” statuses, while the middle school received an “accredited with priority improvement plan” status, the release said.
Superintendent Leon Hanhardt said during the district’s first-ever District Advisory Accountability Committee meeting on Sept. 17, which is designed to keep residents and stakeholders abreast of education issues, that Bayfield Middle School “lost two full-time teachers in core subject areas early in the school year,” and 16 middle school students “were not accounted for” when it came to the state test, both of which contributed to the school’s lower score, the release said.
It was later revealed that 12 of those 16 middle school students had stopped attending school at least three months before state testing began last spring, the release said.
The District Advisory Accountability Committee was formed to meet a mandate included in Colorado House Bill 1338, which passed in 2018, to increase educator effectiveness, the release said. Another goal is to gather input from residents to guide future actions and decision-making.
After reviewing the state data from the previous year, Assistant Superintendent Bill Hesford revealed during the District Advisory Accountability Committee meeting that the district created a 2024-25 scorecard “to capture a wider set of data and craft a more comprehensive approach to school improvement and student success,” the release said.
“The scorecard work is a district effort to help align goals and priorities from the board and district level all the way down to the schools, administrators and teachers in the buildings,” he said.
However, the district’s scorecard goes a bit further by factoring in “the culture of schools,” from staff to students and families, to defining relationships between staff members and leadership, the release said.
Such goals set by the district include results in areas like academic achievement (at least 56%), academic growth (at least 56%), perception surveys for students (60% favorability) and staff (50% favorability), plus staff retention (aiming to return 80% of staff for 2025-26).
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com
