King-Murphy cracks state top 10 for CSAP
Awards and accolades are nothing new to Clear Creek’s
King-Murphy Elementary School, but with its latest honor,
the school’s academic status has moved from excellent to
elite.
The school has been a regular recipient of the annual John
Irwin Award, which recognizes elementary schools that rank
in the top 8 percent academically statewide. For some
schools, membership in those ranks is considered an
extraordinary accomplishment, or a goal to aim for. For
King-Murphy, it’s business as usual.
The school now ranks in the top 1 percent among Colorado
public elementaries. In simpler terms, the school can now
boast that it is one of the top 10 elementary schools in the
state.
King-Murphy placed 10th on the list, which includes several
schools that cater specifically to gifted and/or talented
students. While King-Murphy has its share of similarly
designated students, and participates in the districtwide
gifted program, the school has no special gifted/talented
designation.
The Colorado Department of Education annually ranks schools
based on analysis of data collected from the Colorado
Student Assessment Program tests that are given to all
public school students annually.
While the school has seemingly been on the fast track toward
an accomplishment such as this, some worried that the loss
last year of principal Marcia Joachim might create at least
a temporary hiccup in the school’s momentum. Joachim
shepherded the school from solidly performing status to its
recent years winning multiple Irwin Awards.
King-Murphy’s ascension into the top 10 is clearly a feather
in the cap of first-year principal Denise Hayden. Hayden
cited her district’s commitment to strong teaching staffs,
small class sizes and educational excellence, while also
emphasizing what many believe is the X factor for all great
schools: “tremendous parental involvement.”
Board of Education secretary Peter Monson, who is also a
King-Murphy parent, and head of the district’s marketing
committee, wasted no time in including the recent
development in the committee’s literature. The group
promotes the Clear Creek School District to prospective
families, potential faculty members, as well as to realtors
and other prominent community representatives.
Outgoing district Superintendent Doug Price expressed that
while it is notable that King-Murphy reached this milestone,
he is proud of all of the Clear Creek schools. Price noted
that Clear Creek High School ranks in the top 23 percent
statewide, while Carlson Elementary and Clear Creek Middle
School consistently place in the upper half among Colorado
schools. Price stated each of the district’s schools has
shown positive recent momentum academically.
The recent rankings are based on 2005-06 CSAP scores. CSAP
testing for the 2006-07 school year concludes this week,
with results to be released this summer.