VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 39
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
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Stars fill stage for ‘Raices’ flamenco show Mixed academic
recovery across school districts, with persistent achievement gaps
cient name Romans gave to the Iberian Peninsula, what is today Spain. This word was first used in the English language in the 1500s, under this context. It was used later in the United States to describe individuals from a Spaniard descent who settled in the Southwest. And after 1970, it became a Census term, the box you check to identify of Spanishspeaking descent, even if you don’t speak the language.
The latest release of standardized test score results provide a glimpse into how well students across the metro area are doing. The data shows they’re still rebounding from the effects of the pandemic, and many students are struggling with the basics, including reading and math. For instance, the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS, results show only a third of students at Adams Five Star Schools meet grade-level standards in math. And, a little more than half of third through eighth-graders in Jefferson County Schools achieved grade level or above in reading scores. In both examples, the scores are a little higher than the year before, a common trend in the tests, which measure proficiency in districts across Colorado. Growth scores are calculated on a 100-point scale based on their grade level. Numbers greater than 50 indicate that struggling students below grade level are gaining ground and catching up with their peers. The district results across metroarea counties, including Adams 12, Cherry Creek, Douglas County, Elizabeth and Jefferson County, are mixed. Some saw steady growth from last year and others, decline. All but Adams 12 Five Star Schools surpassed the state’s average proficiency rates in the test’s English Language Arts (ELA) and math portions. To date, Douglas County remains the only metro-area district to have surpassed reading and math levels seen before the pandemic.
SEE FLAMENCO, P7
SEE GAPS, P9
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• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
BUSINESS
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Maria Vazquez, a Spanish immigrant from Seville, Spain, founded Flamenco Denver after she moved to Denver in 2002. •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
PHOTO BY AMANDA TIPTON PHOTOGRAPHY
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LOCAL
Flamenco takes center stage as Hispanic Heritage Month continues 3 5 8 11
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
BY EVA REINOSO TEJADA SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
No doubt that celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month in Denver is an enriching experience. Not only do we have a diversity of Hispanic
cultures, we also have the human muscle to do it. There is a plethora of institutions, organizations and groups that prepare for months to show a glimpse of their best cultural assets during this month, via dances, visual art, food and celebration. With that said, it might catch some by surprise the fact that Spanish flamenco art is a cornerstone of “Hispanidad.” In fact, the term “Hispanic” comes from the Latin word hispanicus, which relates to Hispania, the an-
BRIEFS: PAGE 2 | OBITUARIES: PAGE 5 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 11
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