2015-16 Pilot Overview continued
Finally, as shown in Figure 1.1, Smart Source pilot schools represented all regions in the state, with highest participation in the
Metro, Pikes Peak, and North Central regions. Upon completion of the Smart Source administration, schools were provided
individual reports in February 2016 showing how their responses aligned with best practices and how they compared to state and
regional aggregates where possible.7 Subsequently, districts with participation from at least five schools from one or more school
level received a district-level report showing the percentage of schools reporting best practice within the district compared to
schools reporting best practice in the designated region and the state.
FIGURE 1.1
Percentage of 2015-16 pilot schools and all Colorado K-12 schools by region
Interpreting this Report
This report provides aggregate responses for a selection of Smart Source items within each of the content areas from the
participating schools across Colorado for all three school levels. Unless otherwise noted in the title, figures and tables throughout
this report depict the percentage of schools that have a specified practice or policy in place.8
Despite high participation from schools overall and intentional strategies on the part of CEI staff to recruit schools with
underrepresented characteristics and/or in underrepresented regions, aggregate data from the 2015-16 pilot should not be
considered representative of the state due to sample bias, or differences between participating and non-participating schools.
Additionally, because there are differences in the specific policies and practices that are implemented in elementary, secondary,
and combined schools, the responses for each of these school levels are displayed separately throughout this report. It is also
important to note that although the Smart Source tool addresses all components of school health, Smart Source is meant to
measure the key factors that schools should prioritize, so the tool and its results are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all
health policies and practices. Finally, content areas may not be fully comprehensive due to other tools or efforts already collecting
relevant data in that area.9
Schools throughout every region of Colorado participated in the Smart Source
inventory during the 2015-16 school year, yielding statewide data about the policies
and practices in place in Colorado public schools.
7 In order to provide aggregate comparisons, at least five schools from a given school level (i.e., elementary, secondary, combined) must have participated in order to protect
the confidentiality of participating schools.
8 Figures and tables are, by default, structured in descending order based on the percentage of elementary schools. A few exceptions to this rule occur when items have
chronological order, or when specific items are placed first to further highlight the results.
9 Specifically, items about the school meal program (beyond the number of minutes provided) were not included in the Smart Source tool, as this information is already
collected at the district level via mandated federal and state processes by the Office of School Nutrition at CDE.
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