Eleven Colorado High Schools Selected to Benefit from Advanced Placement Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 09, 2014

Third Cohort of Schools Selected to Implement the Colorado Legacy Schools Program 

DENVER, CO – The Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) announced today 11 schools to participate in the Colorado Legacy Schools initiative with funding from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). Colorado Legacy Schools is a local replication of NMSI’s proven College Readiness Program, which has an unparalleled record of closing achievement gaps and increasing college readiness in program schools.

“The Colorado Legacy Schools initiative provides students with the opportunity to develop the academic content knowledge, skills and intellectual capacity to succeed beyond the walls of their classroom,” said Dr. Helayne Jones, President and CEO of The Colorado Education Initiative. “These 11 schools present a unique opportunity to expand Advanced Placement success into rural communities across the state.”

The Colorado Legacy Schools initiative supports students in both geographically and demographically diverse schools to increase accessibility and success in rigorous math, science and English Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The initiative provides funding for extensive teacher training, student exam fees, classroom equipment and supplies, awards for those who excel and extra time on task for students during Saturday Study Sessions.

The 11 participating high schools are:

• Jefferson High School, Jeffco Public Schools
• Vista PEAK Preparatory High School, Aurora Public Schools
• Wheat Ridge High School, Jeffco Public Schools
• Battle Mountain High School, Eagle County Schools
• Glenwood Springs High School, Roaring Fork School District
• Grand Valley High School, Garfield School District
• Paonia High School, Delta County School District
• Cedaredge High School, Delta County School District
• Alamosa High School, Alamosa School District RE-11J
• Englewood High School, Englewood Schools
• George Washington High School, Denver Public Schools

These schools will receive support to dramatically increase the number and diversity of students succeeding in AP math, science, and English courses for three school years beginning in 2014-2015.
The first 13 schools to participate in the Colorado Legacy Schools initiative increased the number of students earning qualifying scores on AP math, science and English exams by 68% in just one year. In this same year, these schools increased the number of female students earning qualifying scores in math and science by 78%, and the number of African American and Hispanic students earning qualifying scores by 106%. The 10 schools of cohort 2 have increased AP enrollment even more dramatically (113%) and expect to make an even greater impact on student achievement.

Initial funding for the Colorado Legacy Schools initiative was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense and Exxon Mobil Corporation. These investments led to CEI receiving the Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant through the U.S. Department of Education to expand this work throughout the nation.
To learn more about the Colorado Legacy Schools program, please click here.

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