Announcement
Upcoming Assessment Stakeholder Committee Meeting Dec. 11
Attn: All
The next Assessment Stakeholder Committee meeting will be Dec. 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westin Tabor Center, 1672 Lawrence St. in Denver. This is the third of eight committee meetings scheduled for the next 10 months. The 35-member Assessment Stakeholder Committee was identified by Commissioner of Education, Dwight D. Jones. The charge to the committee is to provide advice to the CDE concerning the redesign of the state system of assessment. Stakeholders will forward ideas, suggestions, and recommendations to CDE concerning the design of the next generation of system of assessments. The public is invited to observe the meetings and questions or comments will be collected from public attendees at the conclusion of the meeting.
The agenda items include: a review of the revised content standards and a discussion of the framework for assessment system redesign. The committee will also prepare for the upcoming subcommittee selection process. There will be two guest speakers, Damian Bettebenner will present, “The Colorado Growth Model: New directions in the use of large scale assessment data” and Stanley Rabinowitz will present, “The merits of growth and recognized Industry Standards for the Design of Sound Assessments.”
More information regarding the assessment revision, including the list of Assessment Stakeholder Committee members and a timeline for work related to the revision of the state assessment system, can be found at the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Emmy Glancy
Learning and Results
Phone: 303-866-6118
Email: glancy_e@cde.state.co.us
Computer Specifications Reporting System
Attn: Superintendents, Technology Directors Title II Part D Coordinators
As part of the Title II Part D reporting requirements from the U.S. Department of Education, each local education agency is required to report the internet connectivity of instructional computers, at each school.
CDE has developed an online reporting system to capture this data. Each LEA will need to report the number of computers at each school that is connected to the internet through a High Speed or Dial Up internet connection. In addition, the LEA will report the number of instructional computers that are not connected to the internet.
The reporting system is now open and will close on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010.
To access the reporting system or for additional information regarding this reporting requirement can be found at the link below.
The system uses the same username and password as the eighth grade literacy reporting and the ET-IL Plan Portal systems. If the LEA does not have the username and password, contact Tina Tamayo at tamayo_t@cde.state.co.us.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
DeLilah Collins
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303.866.6850
Email: collins_d@cde.state.co.us
SchoolView Update
Attn: Title I Directors, Superintendents
SchoolView has been updated to include 2008-2009 NCLB accountability data. The new NCLB data joins the Colorado growth model and assessment data that was previously posted on the site and includes the following:
2008-2009 school, district and state Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determinations
2009-2010 Title I Improvement status (School Improvement and District Program Improvement)
2009-2010 Title I school status and grade ranges
2008-2009 Highly Qualified (HQ) teacher and classroom data, including teacher education level and licensure information
Title III accountability data, Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO), for district and/or consortium
You can access SchoolView at the link below. The NCLB accountability data is found under the “School Performance” link, under “District and School Performance Reports” (http://www.schoolview.org/SchoolPerformance/index.asp). Once you select your district, use the “Accountability Data” link to access the AYP, HQ and AMAO information.
One of the goals of SchoolView is to include all the necessary data for NCLB annual reporting requirements. At this time, all of the reporting requirements have been met, except for reporting the Highly Qualified teacher data disaggregated by low and high poverty schools. This information is still being processed and will be updated in the next few weeks.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Alyssa Pearson
Office of Federal Programs Administration
Phone: 303-866-6855
Email: pearson_a@cde.state.co.us
Federal Programs
Title I Online Comparability System
Attn: Title I Directors, Human Resource Directors, Federal Program Contacts
Thanks to those who have started work on the Online Comparability Reporting System. For those who have not completed updating your data, or have yet to start, time is running out. The system will close on Tuesday, Dec. 15. All Title I schools must be comparable when the system closes – either by the preferred method or an alternative method. Schools that are not comparable must have a plan for becoming comparable by Monday, Jan. 4.
If you think you will need to use an alternative method, keep in mind that you must submit alternative calculation data with documentation far enough in advance that CDE can review it by the Dec. 15 deadline.
Demonstrating comparability, a key requirement for accepting Title IA funds, validates that Title IA schools are funded at the same level as non-Title IA schools – prior to any Title IA allocations [Section 1120A(c)]. Failing to submit data in the online system or being out of compliance will jeopardize a district’s ability to draw down Title I funds and operate a Title I program.
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For More Information, Contact:
Donna Morganstern
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866-6209
Email: morganstern_d@cde.state.co.us
Reminder
Unified District Improvement Plan Regional Trainings
Attn: Superintendents, Title I Directors, Title II Directors, Title III Directors, District Leadership Teams
The Colorado Department of Education has developed a unified district improvement plan template that incorporates state and NCLB improvement and accountability requirements into a single improvement plan. CDE has finalized the plan template and is making it available for use this school year. Districts that are expected to complete an improvement plan this year for accreditation, Title I (Program Improvement or Corrective Action), Title IIA (2141c) and/or Title III (missed AMAOs) are strongly encouraged to use this template. The unified district improvement plan template can be downloaded from the CDE Web site (go to the link below).
Regional Trainings
CDE is providing regional professional development on the unified district improvement plan template and planning process to district leadership teams. The trainings are listed below:
Tuesday, Dec. 8 Limon
Wednesday, Dec. 9 Westminster
Thursday, Dec. 10 Pueblo
Wednesday, Dec. 16 Grand Junction
Monday, Jan. 11 Castle Rock, CO
A registration form for the regional trainings is available at the link below. Participants will receive an e-mail confirmation with detailed workshop location and logistic information, upon registration.
CDE will be eliciting feedback from districts in the upcoming months as part of the refinement process as the CDE revises, finalizes and transitions to the unified improvement planning process and template for the 2010-2011 school year.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Syna Morgan
Phone: 303-866-6858
Email: morgan_s@cde.state.co.us
To Do
NCLB- Title I Annual Reporting Requirements
Attn: Title I Directors, Superintendents
CDE will be monitoring districts’ annual report to the public again this year. The monitoring will be part of the C-FIRS Tracker January instrument and is due to CDE by Friday, Jan. 15.
Based on the guidance previously provided (http://www.cde.state.co.us/FedPrograms/nclb/reportcard.asp), districts may meet the annual reporting requirement by notifying families about the specific data available in SchoolView.org and offering to provide a hard copy of the report if requested. To provide evidence in the Tracker system, upload a copy of the notification that was sent to families (including all language versions of the letter) and a description of how this notification was communicated. The requirement may also be met by uploading a copy of the district’s annual report.
If the district regularly communicates with families in a language(s) other than English, the annual report must be provided in those languages. It is the districts’ responsibility to ensure that the report is provided to families in the language most understandable, to the extent practicable. We are working on getting SchoolView translated into Spanish, but it will most likely not be available by the Friday, Jan. 15 deadline. However, we are working to create a document with the text shown in SchoolView translated into Spanish for districts to be able to use for their own reports. The sample notification letter has been translated into Spanish and will be posted after Thanksgiving.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Michael Seymour
Office of Federal Programs Administration
Phone: 303-866-6065
Email: seymour_m@cde.state.co.us
Update
Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) Data Effectiveness Survey Update
Attn: Superintendents, DACs, District Data Coordinators
Out of 920 SLDS surveys issued, CDE received a total of 224 responses. The results have been compiled and posted to the SLDS project Web Site under the General Bulletin Board page, see the link below. We will follow up with those respondents that indicated they wanted to be contacted over the course of the next month.
Thanks again to those of you who completed the survey. Please let us know if you have other questions or comments.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Dan Domagala
IMS
Phone: 303-866-6961
Email: domagala_d@cde.state.co.us
Early transitions from IDEA Part C services to IDEA Part B services
Attn: Special Education Directors, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinators
The Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Human Services Division for Developmental Disabilities have issued a joint memorandum and technical assistance document on early transitions from Part C services to Part B services. Please view memorandum at the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Susan Smith
Early Childhood Initiatives/Preschool Special Education
Phone: 303-866-6712
Email: smith_s@cde.state.co.us
Colorado Department of Education
201 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado
80203-1799
Phone: 303-866-6822 or 303-866-2334
Do you know somebody in your school district who needs to read The Scoop each week? Send an e-mail to: CDE_Communications_Office@cde.state.co.us with "Sign Me Up For The Scoop" in the subject line. If you are having trouble signing up, please call the communications office at the telephone numbers above.
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