Announcement
March Quarterly ARRA Report
Attn: ARRA grantees
As another quarter draws to a close, the mandatory ARRA quarterly report is due from ARRA subgrantees. The report must be uploaded through Tracker to your individual local education agency or administrative unit access portal by Thursday, March 10.
The March quarterly report should include an estimate of FTE funded by ARRA from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, in accordance with the definite term calculation method. For more information on calculating FTE, as well as other ARRA requirements, please visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/scripts/federalstimulus/detail.asp?itemid=227006.
Please note:
*A separate Scoop message will be released, instructing Jobs Bill awardees on quarterly reporting requirements for those grants. The instructions in this message do not necessarily apply to Jobs Bill awards.
*Grantees who have expended and received all of their ARRA funds and submitted an ARRA report marked as final in line 5 of the monthly reporting template for a particular grant are not required to submit a March quarterly report for that grant.
*All subrecipients of ARRA funds, except those that meet the criteria in the previous bullet, must submit ARRA reports regardless of the award amount. This guidance modifies any prior guidance that may have implied that only subrecipients awarded $25,000 or more must submit an ARRA report.
*Please also be aware that, in order to maintain consistency in FTE reporting, CDE requires all grantees of ARRA funds to use the “definite term” methodology to calculate ARRA funded FTE. Guidance on this methodology can be found on pages 20-21 of the OMB guidance at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-08.pdf and in the PowerPoint on ARRA subrecipient reporting posted on CDE’s ARRA webpage.
Please also note that a new definite term began on July 1, 2010, for the FY10-11 fiscal year and only FTE that was or will be funded by ARRA from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 should be included in the quarterly report.
For More Information, Contact:
Andy Lake
Grants Fiscal Management Unit
Phone: (303) 866-6829
Email: Lake_A@cde.state.co.us
Provide Input This Month to the State Council for Educator Effectiveness
Attn: Educators, School Board Members
The council is charged with providing recommendations in April to the state board for developing a new educator evaluation system to improve teaching, learning and achievement for all Colorado students. Draft recommendations were presented on Feb. 9.
The Council is using multiple strategies to gather input on the draft recommendations. Tell us what you think!
• A conversation with the council on Wednesday, March 9: RSVP to Vanessa Roman (contact information below) by Thursday, March 3 to attend this facilitated session hosted by the council on Wednesday, March 9 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Board Room at the Jeffco Public Schools administration building, 1829 Denver West Dr., #27, in Golden. The purpose is to hear about best hopes, worst fears, advice and resources needed to implement a new educator evaluation system. Consider attending if you are a superintendent; administrator; teacher; specialist such as a nurse, counselor or psychologist; or school board member.
• Online survey through March 28: Can’t attend on March 9? Give input anytime at your convenience. Click on the following link through Monday, March 28 for a brief online presentation and survey: http://www.cde.state.co.us/EducatorEffectiveness/Partner-SCEE-Survey.asp
The conversation with the Council, online survey and other efforts under way are part of a longer term process of gathering feedback that will continue as the state board reviews the Council’s recommendations.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Vanessa R Roman
Office of Learning & Results
Phone: 303-866-6678
Email: roman_v@cde.state.co.us
Conference
Autism Level II Training: Social Skills – Thursday, March 3 in Castle Rock
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Special Education Teachers, Principals, Occupational Therapists, School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Paraeducators
The Colorado Department of Education’s Exceptional Student Leadership Unit (ESLU) is pleased to present another edition of its Autism Level II: Social Skills training on Thursday, March 3, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Douglas County Fairgrounds & Event Center in Castle Rock.
This one-day training is a must for all team members working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum. As curriculum needs increase, there is no greater demand in the field than the need for social skills ideas and planning. All levels of functioning and all ages will be addressed - from preschool through high school.
This Level II workshop is designed for administrators, consultants, general and special education teachers, interventionists, occupational therapists, paraeducators, physical therapists, school psychologists, and speech and language pathologists. It is open to all participants who have previously attended the three-day Autism Introduction training. Those who do not meet this minimum but who have a similar content background are encouraged to inquire below for individual enrollment decisions.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tara Rolfe
ESLU
Phone: 303.866.6969
Email: rolfe_t@cde.state.co.us
Autism Training, Level II: Preschool – Friday, March 11 in Montrose
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Special Education Teachers, Principals, Occupational Therapists, School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Paraeducators
This one-day workshop is for practitioners working with young students with autism in the school setting. The topics will include classroom setup, scheduling, and curriculum, use of peers, communication strategies, as well as an examination of evidence based program models and their components.
The Level II Autism Training is open to participants who have previously attended the three-day Autism Introduction training. If others feel they have similar content background they can inquire below regarding individual decisions.
The training will be held at the MCSD Outdoor Classrooms North and South, 930 Colorado Ave., in Montrose.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tara Rolfe
ESLU
Phone: 33.866.6969
Email: rolfe_t@cde.state.co.us
Autism Training Level I: Screening, Evaluation and Educational Identification - Wednesday, March 9 in Loveland
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Child Find Teams, Psychologists, SLPs, OTs, Early Childhood Special Education Teachers
This training is for Child Find and IEP teams assessing children birth to 21. The manual Screening, Evaluation and Educational Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders, which was co-authored by members of the State Autism Task Force and JFK Partners, will be introduced.
The training will detail Level 1 and 2 screenings and the recommended evaluation process using best practices for the educational identification of students aged three to 21 suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder. Screening children birth to three and recommendations when autism is suspected will also be covered. The training will be held at the Thompson School District R2-J Administration Building, 800 S. Taft Ave. in Loveland.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tara Rolfe
ESLU
Phone: 303.866.6969
Email: rolfe_t@cde.state.co.us
Autism Level II Training: ABLLS/VB – Tuesday, March 8, in Pueblo
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 serve. Many districts have the tool but are not using it. The ABLLS is based on Verbal Behavior and those techniques will be described and demonstrated for you to use in your classroom. The tool will be broken down into teachable sections including how to score it and put it into immediate practice. This is a great training for practitioners responsible for developing concrete, intensive programs for students with autism and other developmental disabilities.
The Level 2 Autism Training is open to participants who have previously attended the three-day Autism Introduction training. If others feel they have similar content background they can inquire below regarding individual decisions. The training will be held at the Pueblo Convention Center, 320 Central Main St., in Pueblo.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tara Rolfe
ESLU
Phone: 303.866.6969
Email: rolfe_t@cde.state.co.us
Autism Training, Level II: Progress Monitoring, Friday, March 11, in Glenwood Springs
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Special Education Teachers, Principals, Occupational Therapists, School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Paraeducators
This practical, user-friendly training will focus on data collection and the rationale and necessity for using it, types of data collection, behavior data collection systems and how to establish criteria for how and when to collect data for ideal classroom settings.
The Level II Autism Training is open to participants who have previously attended the three-day Autism Introduction training. If others feel they have similar content background they can inquire below regarding individual decisions.
The conference will be held at the Glenwood Springs Community Center, 100 Wulfsohn Rd., in Glenwood Springs.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tara Rolfe
ESLU
Phone: 303.866.6969
Email: rolfe_t@cde.state.co.us
Event
CDE Nutrition Unit to Offer HealthierUS School Challenge Trainings
Attn: Principals, Superintendents, Food Service Directors, Health/PE Educators, School Wellness Coordinators
CDE's Nutrition Office will offer nine HealthierUS School Challenge Trainings in March to assist, prepare and provide information to schools about the Healthier US School Challenge. The trainings will focus on the key areas of the challenge, such as menu planning, physical activity and nutrition education. In addition to the challenge training presentation, a representative from the Western Dairy Association will present information related to the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and how it correlates with the challenge.
The HUSSC is a USDA initiative to improve student health and well-being. It is a school based challenge for which winners will receive state and national recognition, and the award comes with a monetary incentive.
The CDE Nutrition Unit and the National Food Service Management Institute will conduct nine regional trainings March 14 through March 18.
To register, please contact Ann Lynn at the contact information provided below. The first 15 participants to register for each training will receive substitute pay if needed. For training locations, see the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Ann Lynn
Nutrition
Phone: 303-866-6661
Email: Lynn_a@cde.state.co.us
DIBELS Next Training April 19-21
Attn: Principals, Teachers, Literacy Coaches, and Curriculum Coordinators
CDE in partnership with Dynamic Measurement Group will provide training from April 19-21 on DIBELS Next foundations, administration and scoring, introduction to DIBELS Next data interpretation, and more. Please use the link below to register and obtain more information.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Dian Prestwich
Literacy Grants & Initiatives
Phone: 303-866-6150
Email: prestwich_d@cde.state.co.us
Online Class: RtI for Learners Who are Culturally and/or Linguistically Diverse Suspected of Having Disabilities
Attn: Special Ed Directors
The appropriate referral, identification, and placement of Culturally and/or Linguistically Diverse (CLD) learners suspected of having an educational disability is necessary to ensure students' civil rights as well as a free and appropriate public education. This online Blackboard training module will focus on a multi-tiered system of support in working with CLD learners and early identifiers that may be indicative of special education needs.
Online registration is available from March 1 – 15, on a first-come first-served basis. Registration is limited to 30 participants per session. PLEASE NOTE that if you plan to participate in this training, you should register for only ONE session. A CDE certificate of completion will be offered to those participants completing all course requirements.
First session: March 21 through May 1, 2011
Second session: May 16 through June 26, 2011
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Fran Herbert
Exceptional Student Leadership
Phone: 303.866.6604
Email: herbert_f@cde.state.co.us
Important Due Date
March Quarterly Jobs Bill ARRA Report
Attn: Jobs Bill Grantees
As another quarter draws to a close, the mandatory Jobs Bill ARRA quarterly report is due from Jobs Bill subgrantees. A report is required of all subrecipients, regardless of whether funds have been requested. The March quarterly report should include an estimate of FTE funded by the Jobs Bill from January 1 through March 30 as well as transfers, if made during the same period, of expenditures from non Jobs Bill revenue sources to the Jobs Bill even if the expense being transferred was originally incurred in a prior period.
The report must be e-mailed to Elizabeth Conway at Conway_E@cde.state.co.us by Thursday, March 10. Please title your e-mail with your LEA name followed by “March quarterly Jobs Bill ARRA report.” The report must be attached to the e-mail as an Excel document. These e-mails will be automatically processed, so correspondence in the body of the e-mail will not be answered. If you have a question about your report, please submit the question in another e-mail.
Please note:
*The request for funds template has been updated several times. Please download the request for funds from CDE’s Web site each time that funds are requested. Do not use old forms as they may not be accepted in our internal system. Download the current request for funds form at http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdefisgrant/Allocations.htm.
*All subrecipients of Jobs Bill funds must submit the March ARRA report regardless of the award amount. This guidance modifies any prior guidance that may have implied that only subrecipients awarded $25,000 or more must submit a report.
*Jobs Bill allocations have been finalized and 100 percent of each grantee’s allocation amount is now available to request.
For More Information, Contact:
Elizabeth Conway
Phone: 303-866-6886
Email: Conway_E@cde.state.co.us
News
Short Training on How to Quickly Analyze Your Growth Flat File
Attn: Superintendents, Principals, DACs, Improvement Plan Writers
CDE has produced a 14-minute video demonstrating how you can use a powerful feature of Microsoft Excel to look at a large spreadsheet quicker and easier.
If you have Microsoft Excel, you already have this tool, called Filters. With it you can look at your data and answer questions like, “Which of my students are not catching up in math?” or “How many students were excluded from our reported median growth percentile in reading because they were not enrolled by Oct. 1, and what kind of growth did they make?”
Filters make answering these kinds of questions fairly easy and you can get up and running using them today. Great for digging into your data for Unified Improvement Plans! Direct link to the video: http://www.cde.state.co.us/media/GrowthModel/QuickStart/UsingExcelFiltersQuickstart.htm
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Bill Bonk
Research and Evaluation
Phone: 303-866-6763
Email: bonk_w@cde.state.co.us
Colorado Legacy Foundation Announces Funding Availability Through “Putting Policy into Practice for Healthy Colorado School Districts” Grants
Attn: Principals, Superintendents, BOCES, Health and Wellness Staff
The Colorado Legacy Foundation is releasing a new round of competitive grants to be awarded to Colorado K-12 school districts, Colorado BOCES and charter school organizations in order to advance best practices in health and wellness as an evidence-based strategy to improve student and school climate outcomes.
Putting Policy into Practice for Healthy Colorado School Districts Grants will provide:
· Funding of $10,000/year for two years is available to at least six school districts, BOCES or charter school organizations to put policy informed by the Colorado Legacy Foundation’s Health and Wellness Best Practices Guide for Colorado School Districts into practice.
· The awards will cover a two year grant cycle (July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2013).
· In order to qualify for the two years of funding, school districts, BOCES and charter school organizations must address two or more of the following areas of Best Practices in Health and Wellness: comprehensive health education, nutrition, physical activity, school health services, and workplace wellness.
· Only one proposal will be considered per applicant organization.
Grant submissions are due Friday, April 15, by 5 p.m.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Stephanie Wasserman, Director of Health and Wellness
Phone: 303-736-6477, Ext. 3
Email: swasserman@colegacy.org
Pest Problem for March -- Clover Mites
Attn: Facility managers, teachers, staff
Clover mites are common nuisances around buildings. They are very small (slightly smaller than the head of a pin) and range in color from red to brown but can also be dark green. When they are crushed, they leave a rusty red stain. As it warms up in early spring, large numbers of clover mites enter schools through cracks around windows and doors, especially on the south or southwestern exposure areas. They are noticeable from late February to early May. Whether indoors or out, most of the mites congregate on the sunny side of the building.
Clover mites do not bite, transmit diseases or feed on clothing or furniture. They feed on the leaves of grass causing the leaves to turn brown. Providing supplemental water is helpful for the health of the turf grass.
Mites don’t readily cross loose, clean cultivated soil, so providing a three-foot “grass-free” buffer between the building and any turf will limit their ability to enter the building. You can also caulk and seal all exterior openings to prevent indoor migrations and spread a fine layer of talc-containing baby powder, baking soda, corn starch or diatomaceous earth along those same southerly exposures around buildings. If clover mites enter the building, vacuum them up rather than crush the mites thus preventing red stains on surface areas.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Deborah Young
Colorado State University
Phone: 970-491-1377
Email: deborah.young@colostate.edu
Reminder
EDX Meeting Thursday, March 10 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Open to All)
Attn: Chief Information Officers, District Technology Leaders, System Architects, Data Experts
CDE is partnering with districts to host an Education Data eXchange Council. Share solutions, discuss best practices and advise the state on strategies to more efficiently and effectively exchange education data.
Help guide the vision of a next-generation data exchange system and collaborate with your technology peers across the state. This meeting is open to everyone throughout the state.
Items to be discussed at this meeting are statewide longitudinal data system project, educator ID - educator of record and teacher-student data link.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Colorado Springs 11 School District, 1033 North Franklin St., in Colorado Springs.
You may also call in to participate. The dial up number to listen and participate is 1-866-764-6750. If you are interested in any of the topics please join us, this discussion is open to all.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Dennis St. Hilaire
IMS
Phone: 303-866-6840
Email: st.hilaire_d@cde.state.co.us
Update
TELL Colorado Survey Window Extended Until Friday, March 4
Attn: Principals, Superintendents, District Administrators, Teachers
There is still time to participate in the TELL Colorado survey! The survey window was extended to Friday, March 4 because the state has had such a great response from the field. There were also a good number of schools and districts so close to that 50 percent participation threshold to receive data back that a little extra time seemed helpful. More than 26,500 educators (42 percent) have already voiced their perceptions of teaching and learning conditions in their schools. Help us get a majority of Colorado educators (approximately 32,000) to participate by Friday.
Kudos to the 700 Colorado schools that have already surpassed the 50 percent participation rate. Forty-seven districts have also hit the participation rate. Not sure how the results look in your area? Take a look at the live response rate tracker: http://www.tellcolorado.org/response_rate/.
Congratulations to Park Elementary in Durango (89 percent participation) and Penrose Elementary in Colorado Springs (61 percent participation) for being selected by CEA in the weekly TELL drawing. Schools that get at least 75 percent participation will be entered into a final drawing through CEA for $1000! The League of Charter Schools will also being doing a drawing at the end of the survey for $500 for charter schools that get 75 percent participation. Best of luck to all of you.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Medler
Phone: 303-866-6993
Email: medler_l@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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