The Colorado Legacy Foundation believes that increased student achievement for all Colorado students requires effective leaders in every school, effective educators in every classroom, and healthy and engaged students who come to school ready to learn.

Colorado Legacy Schools are launching students into college and doubling math and science achievement.

What are Colorado Legacy Schools?

A critical strategy in Colorado’s education reform agenda, Colorado Legacy Schools is a statewide math-science initiative focused on dramatically closing achievement gaps and increasing college readiness for all students. In partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative’s (NMSI) Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP), Colorado Legacy Schools will significantly increase the number and diversity of students enrolling in and passing math, science and English Advanced Placement exams across Colorado. The program combines financial incentives for students and teachers with extensive resources, training and additional time on task.

Proven Return on Investment:

• In 2009-10 alone, 75 public high schools across the U.S. implemented this program and realized an 84.6% increase in the number of students who passed math, science or English AP exams. The schools reported a 107.3% increase in math, science and English AP exams passed by African American and Hispanic students, and a 91.5% increase in exams passed by female students.
• A recent study shows African American and Hispanic students exposed to this program in particular were 69% and 83% more likely, respectively, to graduate from a four-year university than students who were not.
• The average cost per math, science or English AP student is $500. This cost is reduced when all Pre-AP students impacted by this program are included.

What is the connection to Colorado’s education reform movement?

Colorado Legacy Schools provides a working example of policy in practice across many reform initiatives, including closing achievement gaps and school turnaround, teacher training and compensation tied to student gains, college readiness programs for underserved students and direct investments in effective math and science teaching and learning with tangible student outcomes.

Within a few years of implementation, Colorado Legacy Schools will impact statewide policy around how the education system prepares all students for college and careers in math and science. Notably, currently in Colorado, for every 1,000 minority juniors and seniors who take AP math, science and English exams only 29 pass, compared to 141 juniors and seniors among all students.

What is the current status of Colorado Legacy Schools implementation?

NMSI offered the Colorado Legacy Foundation a challenge grant of $150,000 in January 2010 to generate local funding in support of program start-up. The Legacy Foundation completed this match by June 2010, with funding from the Daniels Fund, El Pomar Foundation, Anschutz Foundation, Amgen Foundation and Xcel Energy.

With start-up funds secured, the Legacy Foundation partnered with seven high schools across Colorado. In preparation for program implementation, the schools increased enrollment in their math, science and English AP programs by about 80 percent for the 2010-11 school year; including increases in one school by as much as 211 percent. Additionally, 41 teachers attended math, science and English AP and Pre-AP trainings during summer 2010, and all schools participated in a leadership training regarding implementation roles and responsibilities for principals, counselors and department leads. Between January and June 2010, an additional 50 schools statewide signed on for implementation over the next three years.

Full implementation, future scaling and long-term sustainability of Colorado Legacy Schools was dependent on Colorado’s Race to the Top proposal; in August 2010, Colorado received notice that it was not awarded federal funds. The Colorado Legacy Foundation is now working with NMSI and state and national partners to identify funding to maintain momentum in the seven Legacy Schools in the short-term, and ensure statewide scaling of the program in the long-term.