<\/p>\n
Pleasant View Elementary School is one of nearly 100 elementaries in Colorado to earn the<\/p>\n
Schools earn the award by demonstrating significant growth in academic performance, based on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success test scores. Sites are evaluated on their longitudinal academic growth and how they address academic growth gaps, according to the Colorado Department of Education website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jim Parr said that not much has changed in the past five or six years that he has served as principal there, beyond some teacher changes and enrollment fluctuations, but he noted community of Pleasant View is \u201cfantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of support from families out here that you don\u2019t always see in a lot of places,\u201d he said. Parr also is principal of the nearby Lewis-Arriola Elementary School.<\/p>\n Pleasant View Elementary is at the farthest edge of the school district, halfway between Cahone and Yellow Jacket. It has two teachers, a reading specialist and a teacher\u2019s aide.<\/p>\n The school\u2019s small size presents pros and cons, Parr said.<\/p>\n \u201cOne benefit is just the close relationships that are established between a teacher and a student,\u201d he said. \u201cGranted, we have a wide array of skills and abilities. But because our numbers are not as big as a larger school, our teachers have the opportunity to really get to know kids on an individual level and work with their strengths and really help them in areas that they need to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n However, they do face challenges of limited resources. When hiring, they seek teachers comfortable with multigrade levels.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about multigrade teaching, you\u2019re definitely looking for someone who can differentiate between the different grade levels, but still be able to focus on the group as a whole,\u201d Parr said.<\/p>\n The challenges facing their educators come primarily in the preparation aspect, he said. But the multigrade aspect of the job means that teachers are able to develop relationships with students that last over several years.<\/p>\n Parr went up to Denver last month to accept the award at the CDE\u2019s annual awards ceremony<\/a>, and the school was recognized at the latest school board meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly a very few were identified and acknowledged at this ceremony,\u201d said Superintendent Lori Haukeness at the meeting. \u201cSo that\u2019s very, very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time Pleasant View has received the Governor\u2019s Distinguished Improvement Award. It also was awarded the honor in 2011 and 2012, and is the only Montezuma County school to receive it since, according to the CDE.<\/p>\n \u201cOur teachers do a great job working with what they have,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they help these kids move along. At the end of the day, that\u2019s one of our main goals, to make sure they\u2019re ready for the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n