After switching its elementary reading curriculum to one aligned with the science of reading, Denver Public Schools is celebrating an increase in the percentage of kindergarten through third grade students who ended the school year reading on grade level.

But the test scores are still below pre-pandemic levels — a vexing outcome the district is acknowledging by adopting a new intervention program to help the most struggling learners. Studies show that students who don’t read proficiently by third grade are less likely to graduate.

The lower test scores show the long tail of pandemic learning loss. They indicate that the pandemic not only affected children who were in school when the virus hit in early 2020, but also those who were too young to be enrolled. This past year’s third graders were preschool age when COVID shuttered school buildings across the country. This past year’s kindergarteners were babies.

In a press release, DPS reported that 61% of kindergarten through third graders this past spring were reading at grade level or above. That’s up from 58% in the spring of 2023.

Read more at chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues. For more, visit chalkbeat.org/co.

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The 2025 NFL Draft is about 10 months away, but that will never stop us from whipping up a mock draft, with the Denver Broncos going all-in around Bo Nix. Yes, let’s whip up a 2025 NFL mock draft. Am I crazy? Maybe, but I do not care.

Mock draft season is always in-season, so we’ll keep with the trend for all of those people who crave mock drafts year-round. The 2025 NFL Draft is months and months away, and the 2024 NFL Draftees have not even taken a snap in a real NFL game yet.

But if all goes well for the Denver Broncos in 2024, they could truly go all-in around Bo Nix for 2025 and beyond, and this is what this mock draft is about.

In a trade down with the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton’s old team, the Denver Broncos land James Pearce Jr, who just might be the best projected EDGE rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft class, which is exactly what this defense could be missing. Don’t look now, but both of Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning could leave in free agency next year.

The Broncos did take Jonah Elliss in the 2024 NFL Draft, so if this happens, the Broncos top EDGE rushers would be Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, and James Pearce Jr. Honestly, that might end up being quite the trio. Denver could also take a top defensive tackle prospect with their first-round pick as well, as a huge need still remains down there.

The Denver Broncos have not taken a tackle in the NFL Draft since Garett Bolles back in the first round of the 2017 draft. This is a huge problem and something that Sean Payton and George Paton need to fix. Jonah Savaiinaea is there for the taking at the top of the second round, and with Bolles set to be a free agent in 2025, they scoop him up.

Heck, even if the Broncos were to re-sign Garett Bolles, they should still look to take a tackle high in he 2025 NFL Draft, and it’s actually insane that Denver has not drafted one in seven years. SEVEN!

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A Denver Health ambulance with a patient onboard was involved in a crash in Englewood Tuesday afternoon.

The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. at Logan St and the Hampden Bypass. According to Denver Health, the ambulance was transporting a patient to Swedish Medical Center when the crash occurred.

According to Denver Health, three additional ambulances were dispatched to the scene. One took the initial patient to Swedish Medical Center. The other two ambulances were for new patients who were involved in the crash.

Denver Health could not share how many additional patients there were or if the initial patient was injured in the crash.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

This is a developing story.