Thursday Churn: Student voices

What’s churning:

Jefferson County school board members tonight are expected to hear the results of student surveys on the climate, rigor and relationships in the state’s largest school district.

The survey, “Make your voice heard,” is administered every two years in grades 2 through 12. This year’s survey, conducted in January and February, was online, confidential and achieved a response rate topping 85 percent.

Students are asked to rate their schools from 1 to 4 – with 4 the highest mark – in areas such as staff-student relationships, perceptions of safety and teacher feedback.

The slideshow prepared for tonight’s board meeting breaks the responses down into two large groups, those in grades 2-6 and those in grades 7-12. But the results are surprisingly similar.

For example, all of the responses are above 2.5, considered the mid-point on the scale. But both grade groups of students gave the lowest mark on the same area – academic challenge. Younger students rated that area a 2.69 while older students provided an average rating of 2.79.

See the board presentation. Tonight’s Jeffco board meeting starts with a study session at 5 p.m. and the meeting begins at 6 p.m. It’s at district headquarters, 1829 Denver West Drive in Golden.

Other agenda items include a vote on the district’s unified improvement plan to be submitted to the Colorado Department of Education and a vote on the 2012-13 calendar, shortened for budget reasons.

What’s on tap:

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education meets at 2:30 p.m. today at the State Capitol in the Old Supreme Court Chambers. Agenda.

Good reads from elsewhere:

Flat is the new up: A 9News report on state lawmakers avoiding major Colorado budget cuts includes the impact on K-12 funding.

Crackdown on 4/20: CU-Boulder has announced a crackdown on students participating in the annual April 20 marijuana rally, according to this story in the Longmont Times-Call.

The EdNews’ Churn is a daily roundup of briefs, notes and meetings in the world of Colorado education. To submit an item for consideration in this listing, please email us at EdNews@EdNewsColorado.org.