The majority of Denver Public Schools students do not meet state standards — and the academic goals set by Superintendent Alex Marrero’s administration do not expect them to.

Marrero’s first strategic road map in 2021 set a goal of 10% improvement by 2026.

“The tragic truth is that, when we don’t narrow gaps in access and opportunity, it perpetuates the advantage of some over others,” Marrero’s plan for success said in 2022. “When we don’t eliminate these gaps, we are contributing to an oppressive system.”

In 2022, 39.4% of Denver students met or exceeded state expectations in English Language Arts and 28.8% in math, according to the Colorado Measures of Academic Success or CMAS. Four years later, those numbers are 42.46% in English and 34.99% in math.

On Thursday, the education board received Marrero’s monitoring report, which is used to gauge his job performance.

Marrero’s target was 42% proficient in English and 35% in math. Those goals, if met, mean 58% of students still do not meet state expectations in English and 65% in math.  

In his July 31 monitoring report, Marrero described the district’s responsibility more broadly.

“I interpret that I must ensure the district’s primary responsibility is to ensure every student demonstrates continuous academic growth and achieves proficiency in core subjects that prepare them for postsecondary and lifelong success,” Marrero wrote. “Progress toward this End requires equitable access to rigorous instruction and safe, supportive learning environments. We have a collective responsibility to close the gap for our historically underserved and underestimated communities.”

Board President Xóchitl Gaytán told The Denver Gazette before Thursday’s meeting that she was unsure who created the benchmark.

“I’m not sure if it’s determined by us or by the state,” Gaytán said of Marrero’s goals.

Gaytán pushed back on characterizing the majority of DPS students as falling short of state standards, noting that the group includes students who partially met or approached expectations. She also pointed to challenges associated with educating students in a large urban district, where schools often serve higher concentrations of low-income students and students with needs that extend beyond the classroom.

The monitoring is used, in part, to determine Marrero’s compensation.

A satisfactory evaluation triggers the district’s purchase of an additional year of service credit with the Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) on his behalf. Under his previous contract, his evaluation also determined whether he received a performance bonus, which totaled $17,326 or 5% of his base pay, in 2024. The bonus is not included in his current contract.

The CMAS targets were developed by Marrero and district leadership.

“The district sets annual targets using a combination of historical data trends, cohort growth projections, and the strategic milestones outlined in DPS’s Strategic Roadmap,” Scott Pribble, a district spokesperson, said in an email. “These benchmarks are calculated using standard district-level progress models that measure expected year-over-year percentage-point gains rather than assuming a single-year jump to universal proficiency.”

Marrero’s goals, Pribble added, were “explicitly designed as incremental benchmarks.”

Director Kimberlee Sia told The Denver Gazette that she would like board to think about academic progress differently.

If a struggling sixth grader’s academic performance, for example, only improves by 1% or 2% each year, there’s a good chance that student will still not be proficient at graduation, she said.

“The increases every year don’t feel like we’re pressing as hard as we can,” Sia said.

The board also received other monitoring reports that include discipline and school resource officer citations.

During this monitoring cycle, DPS reported that just 1% of discipline resolutions were considered impermissible, below its 7% target. And school resource officers issued 55 citations, below the district’s target of 65.

The board accepted the monitoring reports — as encouraged by Marcus Johnson, senior attorney and policy director for the district — without discussion.

The board reserved its questions for Marrero’s strategic road map, which several said they found lacking.

The administration presented a strategic roadmap containing desired directions — increase proficiency and graduation rates, decrease absenteeism — without saying how much improvement would constitute success.

Several board members pushed Marrero to put numbers behind his goals.

Marrero expressed concern about numerical targets being tied directly to his performance evaluation — saying no other employee is judged that way — but ultimately agreed that the roadmap needs specific “X to Y” targets and proposed working them out with the board.