Announcement
21st CCLC Grant RFP Now Available
Attn: District Personnel, Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Private Schools
The new 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Request for Proposal (RFP) is now available. The centers provide academic, enrichment, and family programming during out of school time for students from low income, low performing schools. Specific criteria are noted in the RFP, including the list of eligible school sites and priority areas.
Any public or private organization or consortia of organizations is eligible to apply for a five-year 21st CCLC grant. Approximately $6 million in funding is available for distribution. Applications are due on Tuesday, February 21, 2012.
There will be two opportunities to receive information regarding this RFP. An application information webinar will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. An in-person grant writing training will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2012. To register for the trainings and to access the RFP, visit the website below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tom Denning
Dropout Prevention and Student Engagement
Phone: 303-866-6791
Email: denning_t@cde.state.co.us
Join the School Library Hotline Listserv Today
Attn: Superintendents; Principals; School Library Coordinators
We have some exciting news that we hope you will be able to share with all school librarians and/or anyone affiliated with Colorado school libraries. We are starting a new listserv exclusively for Colorado School Librarians, called the "School Library Hotline!!!"
This listserv will provide support, ideas, collaboration, professional development opportunities and more for school librarians and personnel statewide.
Why are we starting this now? Well . . .
1) Currently, we have severely limited capabilities of communicating useful, timely, or innovative information to our school librarians throughout the state.
2) We have school librarians who have limited or no central support for when they have pertinent questions that arise. They would benefit from the collective expertise of this group.
3) With budget cuts affecting us yet again this school year, we want to be able to distribute 21st century skills information and other strategies that we hope might be helpful to our constituents statewide.
For these reasons and more, we invite school librarians and/or anyone affiliated with school libraries to join this listserv.
Click on the link below to join our School Library Hotline and JOIN TODAY!!
http://www.cvl-lists.org/mailman/listinfo/schoollibraryhotline
Thanks in advance for sharing this opportunity with as many of your constituents as possible. Feel free to e-mail or call Becky Russell with questions.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Becky Russell
State Library
Phone: 303.866.6772
Email: russell_b@cde.state.co.us
Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching
Attn: Principals and Curriculum Directors
Nominations for the 2012 Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching is now open. Nominate a K - 6 math and science teachers for this prestigious award.
PAEMST is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Since 1983, more than 4,000 teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Barry Cartwright
Academic and Instructional Support
Phone: 303-866-6187
Email: cartwright_b@cde.state.co.us
Colorado Poetry Out Loud High School Competition
Attn: School Leaders and High School Educators
We're excited to announce that, for the 7th consecutive year, Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation competition is available to Colorado High Schools. Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through performance and recitation.
Colorado Poetry Out Loud follows a pyramid structure, with classroom activities, poet visits, and contests running through March, with the Colorado State Finals scheduled for Tuesday, March 20, 2012 and National Finals in Washington, D.C. for May 14 and 15. Additional resources are available at the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Kelleen Zubick- Colorado Poetry Out Loud Coordinator
Academic and Instructional Support-Karol Gates
Phone: (720) 253-3337
Email: Kelleen@zubick.us
Read the December Edition of the CDE Update
Attn: All
The December edition of the CDE Update is available at the link below. The Update provides a brief snapshot of the state's most significant education initiatives and key implementation milestones.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
CDE Communications Office
Phone: 303-866-6822 or 303-866-2334
Email: CDE_Communications_Office@cde.state.co.us
Apply to Be a Part of the Content Collaboratives
Attn: All
In an effort to build upon current levels of educator expertise, the Colorado Department of Education will be establishing leadership and technical development work groups for each content area so that all Colorado educators have the latest and most effective tools, examples and professional development.
These work groups are known as Content Collaboratives. This year, the primary focus of the work of the Colorado Content Collaboratives will be the development of valid, reliable and fair student measurement tools which indicate student academic growth and can be used to evaluate educator effectiveness.
Colorado educators along with state and national experts will establish examples of student growth measures within each content area. These will be piloted in select districts, undergo revision and then be disseminated to all districts.
CDE invites you to learn more about the work of the Colorado Content Collaboratives and access the application for participation by visiting our website.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Angela Norlander
Assessment, Research and Evaluation
Phone: 303.866.6931
Email: norlander_a@cde.state.co.us
Gifted Education News
Attn: Administrators, Gifted Education Directors and Coordinators, Special Education Directors, Teachers, Parents of gifted students and other community/business members interested in gifted student education
The winter edition of the Challenger, a quarterly communication from the Office of Gifted Education is available online at the link below. Regional news can also be found on the website. Please forward this information to potentially interested parents, educators and community members and post to your listservs.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Katherine Keck
Office of Gifted Education
Phone: 303-866-6794
Email: keck_k@cde.state.co.us
Final District and School Performance Framework Reports and Pre-Populated Unified Improvement Plans (UIPs)
Attn: All
Final District and School Performance Framework Reports
On December 6, the final school plan types were adopted by the State Board of Education. The school plan types reflect your schools’ final 2011 School Performance Framework (SPF) reports, including revisions based on any approved requests to reconsider. The district accreditation ratings reflect your district's final 2011 District Performance Framework (DPF) reports, including revisions based on any approved requests to reconsider.
The final DPF and SPF reports are public at http://www.schoolview.org/performance.asp. Districts can also continue to access them in CEDAR; the final versions of the 2011 DPF and SPF reports were posted on December 2 in place of the draft reports.
Final Pre-Populated Unified Improvement Plans (UIPs)
CDE has also finalized the pre-populated UIPs for districts and schools. These are available in PDF in CEDAR and in Word at the customized district link CDE e-mailed to your superintendent and accountability contact in September.
As with the DPF and SPF reports, for most districts and schools, these reports will show identical outcomes and district accreditation ratings and school plan type assignments as was shown on the initial UIP reports released in September. There are, however, a number of districts or schools whose UIPs have been corrected, per the communications sent in October to reflect any updates in the DPFs and SPFs.
Media Event
On Monday, December 12, at 10 a.m., the DPF and SPF results will be highlighted at a media event hosted by the Department at 201 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver. The event will recognize districts Accredited with Distinction, and recipients of the Centers of Excellence Award, John Irwin Award, and Governor’s Distinguished Award.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Somoh Supharukchinda
Accountability and Support
Phone: (303) 866-6778
Email: supharukchinda_s@cde.state.co.us
Conference
Autism Level 2 Training: ABBLS/VB, Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Grand Junction
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Special Education Teachers, Principals, Occupational Therapists, School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Paraeducators
Learn how to use the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) as an assessment and curriculum for the students you are serving as well as the principles of Verbal Behavior, a motivational approach to teaching language. Many districts have the ABLLS but are not using it…come and get ideas on the many benefits the ABLLS has to offer. The ABLLS is based on Verbal Behavior and those techniques will be described and demonstrated for you to use in your classroom. Participants will get practical ideas of how to use tools such as the ABLLS and the VB-MAPP into their classroom incorporating intensive teaching principles.
The training will be held at the Basil T. Knight Staff Development Center, Room A, 596 North Westgate Drive (formerly 2523 Patterson Road), in Grand Junction.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tara Rolfe
Exceptional Student Services Unit
Phone: 303-866-6969
Email: rolfe_t@cde.state.co.us
Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP) 2012 Conferences
Attn: All
Save the date for the Parents Encouraging Parents Conferences, February 2-4 in Colorado Springs and April 26-28, at a location yet to be determined.
Parents Encouraging Parents Conferences bring parents and professionals together to share ideas, discuss concerns, celebrate successes, and obtain information relating to parenting, educating and supporting a child with a disability—from ages birth to 21.
To register and for more information about Parents Encouraging Parents visit the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
DeLinda Rose
Exceptional Student Services
Phone: 303-866-6943
Email: rose_d@cde.state.co.us
Exceptional Students
Office of Special Education Programs Spanish Glossary Project
Attn: All
The Office of Special Education Programs has published a Spanish glossary with more than 200 IDEA-related terms translated from English to Spanish.
Please use the glossary to ensure that Spanish-speaking parents receive information and materials containing consistent terminology, thereby lessening parent confusion; and enhance the ability of Spanish-speaking parents to participate in IEP team meetings and educational decision-making discussions.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Jeanine Pow, Esq., Dispute Resolution Team Supervisor/State Complaints Officer
Exceptional Student Services
Phone: 303-866-6685
Email: pow_j@cde.state.co.us
Reminder
Reminder to Submit Unified Improvement Plan (UIP)
Attn: Superintendents, Accountability Contacts, Federal Programs Contacts, Principals
This is a reminder that selected school and district Unified Improvement Plans (UIPs) must be submitted to CDE for review by Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Districts must submit the district or school(s) plans if:
Under State Accountability
* Schools: Turnaround Plans or Priority Improvement Plans
* Districts: Turnaround Plans or Priority Improvement Plans; High Priority Graduation designation.
Under ESEA Accountability
* Schools: None (districts review schools’ Title I improvement plans)
* Districts: Title I Program Improvement or Corrective Action; 2141c Identification under Title IIA; Title III Program Improvement (missed AMAOs).
All schools and districts are expected to use the UIP template. A blank template is accessible on the CDE website. See the article in this Scoop edition for additional information on accessing your pre-populated template.
Districts will submit plans in 2011-12 using the online Tracker System as they did in 2010-11. The Tracker System is an online tool that allows districts to upload documents and communicate with CDE about those documents. Tracker will open on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 for submissions from districts with plans due Tuesday, January 17, 2012. A summary of the submission process is available at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/Accountability/Downloads/SummaryPlanSubmission.pdf
All school and district plans must be submitted to CDE by April 15, 2012. This includes schools and districts that were required to submit in January. CDE will then post the plans on SchoolView.org.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Medler
Office of Improvement Planning
Phone: 303-866-6993
Email: medler_l@cde.state.co.us
Update
New Colorado Basic Literacy Act Data Collection 2011-2012 School Year
Attn: Superintendents, Principals, and Literacy/Assessment Coordinators
The Colorado Basic Literacy Act data that was previously gathered as a part of the End of Year data collection has been removed from the 2011-2012 EOY and will be a collection on its own. Information regarding the respondent form, frequently asked questions, data elements, edits, and file layout can be found at the link below.
The CBLA collection will open May 1, 2012 and close August 31, 2012. Regional technical assistance meetings and/or training webinars will be held in April 2012. The length of the 2011-12 EOY file layout will remain the same. Districts may zero-fill or populate the CBLA fields as they have been. However, CDE will zero-fill these fields as they are loaded into our database. The CBLA fields will be removed entirely from EOY file in 2012-13.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Dian Prestwich
Office of Academic and Instructional Support
Phone: 303-866-6150
Email: prestwich_d@cde.state.co.us
Unified Improvement Plan Resources
Attn: Superintendents, Accountability Contacts, Federal Programs Contacts, Principals
A wide variety of resources are available to help schools and districts as they update their Unified Improvement Plans (UIPs).
UIP Addenda Forms
CDE has posted UIP addenda forms to supplement district and school UIPs on the CDE website: http://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/UnifiedImprovementPlanningTemplates.asp. For schools and districts with unique requirements (e.g., Title I programs), the forms provide an easy-to-use format to ensure that all requirements are met by pasting the form to a completed UIP template. Schools and districts may use more than one form, if appropriate. Some schools and districts may meet some of the requirements in earlier sections of the UIP. This form provides a way to ensure all components of the program are met through (1) assurances, (2) descriptions of the requirements or (3) a cross-walk of the program elements in the UIP. Note that districts identified through Title IIA (2141c) are required to use the addenda form.
UIP Examples
The Department has added several resources to the CDE UIP website at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/Accountability/UnifiedImprovementPlanningResources.asp. Among the most recent updates are four annotated, reviewed plans from 2010-11.
UIP Cadre
CDE has recently released information for schools and districts to access assistance in improvement planning through the UIP Cadre. Selected because of their established experience with data analysis, root cause analysis and action planning, this is a group of independent contractors, BOCES staff and district staff from all regions of the state. UIP Cadre members participated in intensive training associated with the UIP process. Schools and districts are responsible for contacting UIP Cadre members and negotiating terms of the work. Their contact information is available on the website at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/UnifiedImprovementPlanningCadre.asp.
Coming Soon
Look for announcements for new UIP resources, including online tutorials, video clips and written descriptions of UIP case stories, and training materials.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Medler
Office of Improvement Planning
Phone: 303-866-6993
Email: medler_l@cde.state.co.us
Educator Effectiveness Newsletter
Attn: ALL
The CDE Educator Effectiveness Team has completed training on the Principal/Assistant Principal Evaluation process in 27 pilot districts throughout Colorado. Training was provided to approximately 300 professional educators including teachers, principals, assistant principals, school board members, and faculty from institutions of higher education. To read more, visit the link below for our November/December communication.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Dr. Katy Anthes
Educator Effectiveness
Phone: 303.866.6954
Email: Anthes_K@cde.state.co.us
Webinars
Post Award Revision Process and the Title I, Part A Component of the UIP
Attn: Title I, Part A Directors and Program Coordinators
On Thursday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Title I, Part A will hold its monthly office hour session. This session will provide guidance on the Post Award Revision process and the Title I, Part A component of the Unified Improvement Plan (UIP).
The target audience for this session are Title I, Part A directors and coordinators. Title I, Part A teachers and principals may wish to participate as this webinar will specifically address the Schoolwide (SW) and Targeted Assistance (TA) addendums of the UIP. To join the Dec. 15 webinar, please go to http://connect.enetcolorado.org/titleia101/.
You may also join the call by dialing 1-800-832-0736, and entering MeetingOne Conference Room Number 7133264.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Trish Boland
Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866-6998
Email: Email: boland_t@cde.state.co.us
Webinar on Financial Policies and Procedures Handbook and Chart of Accounts (COA) Changes for FY 2011-12
Attn: Business Managers and Finance Staff
Public School Finance will host a webinar that covers the changes that have been made to the Financial Policies and Procedures (FPP) Handbook and the Chart of Accounts (COA) for FY 2011-12.
The webinar will be held Thursday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.
To join the webinar, please visit http://connect.enetcolorado.org/psfu1/
and sign in as a guest with your name and district name. Once in the meeting room, you may have various audio options by selecting the “meeting” tab. If you need to call into the meeting, the phone number is 1-866-408-1178.
If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before:
Test your connection: http://connect.enetcolorado.org/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview
For More Information, Contact:
Kirk Weber
Public School Finance
Phone: 303-866-6610
Email: weber_k@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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