Announcement
2006-2007 Graduation and Dropout Rates
Attn: Superintendents
Detailed information from the 2006-2007 Student End of Year data collection will be posted on the CDE website on Wednesday April 2nd. Please keep the summary information below confidential until the official release date.
Graduation Rate
The graduation rate for the class of 2007 was 75 percent - a 0.9 percentage point increase from the class of 2006 rate of 74.1 percent.
Dropout Rate
Students attending Colorado’s public schools during the 2006-2007 school year had a dropout rate of 4.4 percent. This was a 0.1 percentage point improvement from the 2005-2006 school year dropout rate of 4.5 percent.
Achievement Gaps by Race/Ethnicity and Gender
The graduation rate for black students increased by 2.7 percentage points compared to the prior year (65.4 percent for the class of 2007 vs. 62.7 percent for the class of 2006). This reversed a four year trend of an increasing gap between the graduation rates for white and black students in the state. Despite the improvement, this “graduation gap” is still considerable (82.0 percent for white students vs. 65.4 percent for black students – or 16.6 percentage points difference).
The graduation rate for Hispanic students increased by 0.4 percentage points compared to the prior year (57.1 percent for the class of 2007 vs. 56.7 percent for the class of 2006). As a result, the graduation rate gap between white students and Hispanic students increased for the fourth year in a row. White students graduated at a rate nearly 25 percentage points higher than Hispanic students in 2007.
Mobility Rate
The 2006-2007 school year marked the first year CDE collected and reported information on student mobility. The Student Mobility Rate is an unduplicated count of how many individual students moved into or out of the school or district during the year. The statewide Student Mobility Rate for 2006-2007 was 25.9 percent.
For More Information, Contact:
Peter Fritz
Data & Research
Phone: (303) 866-6175
Email: fritz_p@cde.state.co.us
School Leadership Grant Program Announced by U.S. Department of Education
Attn: Superintendents
The School Leadership program is designed to assist high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) in the development, enhancement, or expansion of innovative programs to recruit, train, and retain principals through such activities as
- Providing financial incentives to aspiring new principals
- Providing stipends to principals who mentor new principals
- Carrying out professional development programs in instructional leadership and management
- Providing incentives that are appropriate for teachers or individuals from other fields who want to become principals and that are effective in retaining new principals.
For a letter of support, contact Lisa Medler (info below). For more information on the specifics of the grant visit the link provided.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Medler
Consolidated Federal Programs
Phone: (303) 866-6993
Email: medler_l@cde.state.co.us
RFP for Supplemental Online Program Grant
Attn: Superintendents, Technology Directors
Grants up to $5,000 per eligible district or charter school are available for reimbursement of expenditures associated with the purchase of supplemental online coursework during the 2007-2008 school year.
The RFP for receiving this grant funding will be posted on the Unit of Online Learning website on Monday, March 24th and must be submitted by May 1, 2008. Grantees receiving funds will also be eligible to submit an RFP for the second year, 2008-2009 funding cycle. Any school district or charter school that does not currently export an online program to students outside of the school district’s geographic boundaries, and has a student enrollment of less than 3,000 students, will be eligible to apply. Follow the link below for more information.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Ryan DeHerrera
Unit of Online Learning
Phone: 303-866-3295
Email: DeHerrera_R@cde.state.co.us
FYI
E-Mail News Service from CDE
Attn: Superintendents, Principals, District Staff
Stay Informed! You can stay in touch with the activities at the Colorado Department of Education by signing up for the department’s e-mail news service. News and announcements will be sent directly to your e-mail inbox, letting you stay on top of all the latest updates around “CDE.” You'll receive information about events, announcements and activities from the department along with regular updates about the Colorado Board of Education’s agenda and decisions.
To sign up for this service, follow the link below. Every e-mail you receive will include information about how to unsubscribe.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Mark Stevens
Communications
Phone: 303-866-898
Email: stevens_m@cde.state.co.us
Minutes from March 7th Financial Policies & Procedures Meeting
Attn: Superintendents, Finance Officers
The minutes from the March 7th Financial Policies and Procedures Committee meeting are available on the CDE website at:
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Vody Herrmann
Financing Public Schools
Phone: 303-866-6845
Email: herrmann_v@cde.state.co.us
Important Due Date
April 4 Deadline for the CPKP Reapplication and Annual Report
Attn: Colorado Preschool and Kindergarten Program (CPKP) Coordinators
The Reapplication and Annual Report for the Colorado Preschool and Kindergarten Program is due on Friday, April 4, 2008.
The annual report is a requirement for all school districts participating in the program in the 2007-08 school year.
For More Information, Contact:
Lori Goodwin Bowers
Financing Public Schools
Phone: 303-866-6783
Email: bowers_l@cde.state.co.us
News
Commissioner Comments Regarding CAP4KIDS
Attn: Superintendents
Following are the highlights of a letter from Commissioner Dwight D. Jones to Gov. Ritter yesterday evening:
The 'Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids' has its sights set on the right target. The intent of the bill is to mesh the P-12 and Higher Education environments in a way that prepares all students to be successful as they enter college or the workforce.
While the bill is ambitious and has many moving parts, at its core the proposal is sensible and headed in the right direction. For example, it begins with the end in mind by creating common agreement on the definitions of 'postsecondary and workforce readiness.' The bill calls for a process that is designed to accomplish the purpose. It empanels a team that includes leadership of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of Education.
The bill sets forth a timetable that is compatible with the schedule that the Colorado Department of Education has developed to revise K12 standards and assessments. This review process is appropriate. In fact, the State Board of Education and I announced work in this direction in September 2007. It is important to approach this process one step at a time. To that end, the revision of standards should precede the effort to revise assessments.
While revising standards and assessments is a necessary first step, it is not sufficient to guarantee greater success for all students. There are many steps necessary on the path to increasing graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates. Our hope is that through the legislative process this bill is trimmed in a way that brings tighter focus and leaves intact the core ideas.
Finally, I am working with David Skaggs at CDHE on the idea of creating a seamless P-20 environment for all students.
Sincerely, Commissioner Dwight D. Jones
For More Information, Contact:
Mark Stevens
Phone: 303-866-3898
Email: stevens_m@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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