Avondale, Minnequa schools receive $50,000 awards for math growth from Gov. Polis

Two Pueblo-area schools were recognized for math growth and achievement by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday, March 7.

Avondale Elementary School and Minnequa Elementary School were among the 12 Colorado schools to receive the Governor's Math Bright Spot Award — a $50,000 prize that considers a school's math growth since 2019. Awards are from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief federal fund and may be used for enrichment programs, faculty development, student resources and tutoring services.

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Carlos Perez is in his second year as principal of Avondale Elementary. Despite facing pandemic challenges, he said the school has demonstrated significant growth in its Colorado Measure of Academic Success (CMAS) math scores. In 2018, math scores at Avondale Elementary had a median growth percentile of 38. The following year, Avondale students improved their scores to a MGP of 43. In 2022, the school recorded a MGP of 84.

The growth would not have happened without a committed teaching staff, Perez said.

"Every year is a challenge, obviously, but certainly with COVID-19, online learning, the learning loss ... for them to achieve this, it's really just a testament to their work."

Avondale's strengths go beyond math. In 2022, the school received a "performance" rating of 79.2% from the Colorado Department of Education — the highest School Performance Framework score of any elementary school in Pueblo County School District 70.

Minnequa Elementary also has shown significant growth in its math scores since 2019. The school had a MGP of 35 in 2018, but improved to a MGP of 73.5 in 2022. Katie Harshman, principal at Minnequa Elementary, started with the school 12 years ago as a teacher. Six of those 12 years, the now performance-rated school was in turnaround status.

"It feels really good now where we're at, but we don't forget our beginnings ... it was just chipping away, getting better each day and making improvements, giving real time feedback, loving teachers, because they are our biggest asset."

Polis announced the Math Bright Spot Award winners at a press conference Tuesday in tandem with the announcement of "Colorado Kids + Math = Success," bipartisan legislation that intends to improve post-pandemic math achievement across the state. The legislation includes a $25 million investment in afterschool STEM programs and professional development for more than 36,000 math educators throughout the state.

Harshman was among the Colorado educators and lawmakers to take the podium at Polis' press conference. Students at Minnequa Elementary tuned into a live stream of the press conference to see their principal.

"It was only five years ago that Minnequa faced closure and today we are proud to be a part of this round of Math Bright Spot award winners," Harshman said. "This turnaround was a community effort and it took district leadership, consultant support, educators, scholars and family members working together to make it happen."

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo elementary schools recognized by Gov. Polis for math success