The Colorado Department of Education released today the results of the 2000 statewide comprehensive assessment for fourth grade reading and writing and seventh grade reading and writing. These results represent the fourth year of the administration of the fourth grade assessments and the second year of the seventh grade assessments. This is a three percent increase over the previous three administrations. This represents a two percent increase from the 1999 administration of the test.
Today marks an important milestone on Colorado's journey to educational excellence.
We are pleased that scores have improved in all four of the testing areas we report on today. We are particularly pleased to see this advance is being led by the scores of some of our neediest children. Be they Title 1 youngsters, special education children, or any of our disadvantaged populations, we have to commend those teachers who have made possible these gains through their dedication to these children. It is increasingly clear that we know what works. We also must be accountable for making what works known to more schools and teachers.