Announcement
Application for Colorado Model Autism and Significant and Support Needs Program (COMASP): Sites for Learners with Autism
Attn: Superintendents, Special Ed Directors, Principals, Consultants, Sp Ed Teachers
The Exceptional Student Leadership Office is excited to announce an opportunity for your school district to partner with CDE in a collaborative project to develop a quality program across all levels (PK-Post Secondary Transition) for your students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
This multi-year project will be a collaborative effort between the Exceptional Student Leadership Office, Institutions of Higher Education, the RtI/PBIS Office and your administrative unit. School district staff will use CDE’s Quality Indicators to assess current programming and identify areas to target for improvement. The CDE team will assist by recommending evidence based interventions to support the program and increase the achievement of the students involved in the project.
Training and ongoing coaching will be individualized to meet the needs of each school district. A site visit will be conducted by the CDE Team as part of the selection process. Applications will be accepted from school districts that demonstrate a foundation of evidence-based practices in the following regions: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Melinda Graham or Brooke Young
Exceptional Student Leadership
Phone: 303-866-6707 (Melinda) or 303-866-6691 (Brooke)
Email: graham_m@cde.state.co.us or young_b@cde.state.co.us
Application for Colorado Model Application for Colorado Model Autism and Significant and Support Needs Program (COMASP) – Sites for Learners with SSN
Attn: Superintendents, Special Ed Directors, Principals, Consultants, Sp Ed Teachers
The Exceptional Student Leadership Office is excited to announce an opportunity for your school district to partner with CDE in a collaborative project to develop a quality program across all levels (PK-Post Secondary Transition) for your students with Significant Support Needs.
This multi-year project will be a collaborative effort between ESLU, Institutions of Higher Education, the RtI /PBIS Office and your administrative unit. The school district staff will use CDE’s Quality Indicators to assess current programming, and identify areas to target for improvement. The CDE team will assist by recommending evidence based interventions to support the program and increase the achievement of the students involved in the project. Training and ongoing coaching will be individualized to meet the needs of each school district. A site visit will be conducted by the CDE team as part of the selection process. Applications will be selected from the school districts that demonstrate a foundation of evidence-based practices in the following regions: North Central / Northeast and Pikes Peak.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Gina Quintana
Exceptional Student Leadership
Phone: 303 866-6605
Email: quintana_g@cde.state.co.us
TELL Colorado Survey Data to be Shared with Schools and Districts on Friday, March 25
Attn: Superintendents, Principals, District Administrators, School Leaders
The 2011 TELL Colorado Survey closed at the beginning of March with close to 30,000 educators (47 percent) participating in the event. Congratulations to the 847 schools and 73 districts that will be able to access their own data.
When will data be available? The data is currently being prepared for release by the New Teacher Center (survey vendor). Superintendents and principals in districts and schools that hit the participation thresholds will receive an e-mail by March 25 with a password to view results online. The password protection will remain for a couple of weeks, and then be lifted by April 15 for public release. Note that the decision has been made that districts that got 40 percent participation (and an n-size of 20 or more) will be able to access their data, as well. The threshold for schools and small districts will remain at 50 percent participation (an an n-size of 5 or more) to ensure confidentiality of participants.
Is there assistance available on how to use the survey results? A new toolkit on how to unpack the TELL Colorado data will be available by the beginning of April. CDE and the New Teacher Center will also be offering a webinar on Thursday, April 7 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. that will provide an overview on how to read, interpret and use the data. (See related item in 'Webinar' section of this issue of The Scoop to register.)
How will the state be using the results? CDE will release an interim report in May that provides statewide trends of the survey results. A more extensive report will be published at the end of the year that examines the relationships between the survey results and other data sets (e.g., student growth, teacher retention). The reports will be used to guide state level policy making and technical assistance efforts.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Medler
Phone: 303-866-6993
Email: medler_l@cde.state.co.us
Allocation Availability for QZAB Program
Attn: Superintendents
CDE is currently accepting applications for Qualified Zone Academy Bonds allocations. Please submit complete applications to CDE Capital Construction Division. Applications are located at the link below.
The program is a way for school districts to obtain low or interest free financing for renovation, repair projects and other needs. Currently Colorado has $17,555,000 in available allocations for 2009, $18,468,000 for 2010, and $5,527,000 for 2011. CDE does not provide funding, but provides authorization to a school district to obtain the low or interest free financing if the school district qualifies. Some of the requirements are as follows:
• 35 percent or more of the school's students must qualify for free and reduced lunch;
• Programs established with QZAB must have the goal of enhancing the academic curriculum, increasing graduation and employment rates or better preparing students for college and the workforce;
• Each school must enter into a partnership with a private entity or entities. The partner must contribute at least 10 percent of the net present value of the amount of money borrowed;
• At least 10 percent of the financing must be contracted within six months after issuance. 100 percent of the QZAB must be spent within three years of date of issuance.
• Compliance with Davis-Bacon is required as part of the QZAB Application.
• Arbitrage restrictions have been modified in 2008 so that reserve accounts may be created provided they meet the criteria requirements per H.R. 1424.
There are Colorado firms that have experience with QZAB transactions. Contact information for several firms is provided on the QZAB frequently asked questions attachment located on the Web site.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Kristin Lortie
Public School Finance
Phone: 303-866-6184
Email: lortie_k@cde.state.co.us
Event
Rescheduled Western Slope Facilitated Discussion: Curriculum and the Transition to the New Colorado Standards
Attn: Superintendents, curriculum directors, content specialists, and other district instructional leaders
You are invited to participate in a facilitated discussion regarding curriculum development and the transition to the new Colorado Standards. The purpose of this session is to share information regarding the transition to the new Colorado Standards with CDE and each other.
Date: Wednesday, April 20
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Location: Montrose County School District Offices; 930 Colorado Ave., Montrose Phone: 970-249-7726
Register online at the link below to guarantee your participation. Registration closes Friday, April 15.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Melissa Colsman
Office of Teaching and Learning
Phone: (303) 866-6737
Email: colsman_m@cde.state.co.us
Save the Date – 2011 CDE Summer Symposium
Attn: Superintendents, curriculum directors, RtI coordinators, special education directors, content specialists, HR directors, and other district instructional leaders
The Colorado Department of Education is pleased to announce the 2011 CDE Summer Symposia, a series of two-day sessions across the state. These symposia will focus on leveraging Colorado’s educational reform initiatives (educator effectiveness, standards and assessment, RtI and accountability) to achieve breakthrough results for students. The intent of the symposia is to create collaboration between and among districts and CDE in order to develop a coherent vision around Colorado’s reform efforts. District leadership teams are encouraged to save the date to attend one of the locations.
Dates and locations are as follows:
Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley
Wednesday, June 15 and Thursday, June 16 at Otero Junior College in La Junta
Wednesday, June 22 and Thursday, June 23 at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs
Monday, June 27 and Tuesday, June 28 at the Double Tree Hotel in Grand Junction
More information will be forthcoming in the Scoop about registration, agenda and guidance regarding intended district audience. Registration will be capped at 200 participants per location.
For More Information, Contact:
Vanessa Roman
Learning and Results
Phone: (303) 866-6678
Email: roman_v@cde.state.co.us
Concurrent Enrollment Advisory Board Meets Thursday March 24
Attn: Principals, Superintendents, District Finance Office and School Counselors
The Concurrent Enrollment Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, March 24 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The public meeting will be held in the conference center at the Community College System Lowry campus, 1061 Akron Way, Bldg. 697 in Denver.
The March 24 combined work session and formal meeting agenda includes:
Work Session
• Welcome
• ASCENT district submission update
• Prioritization of funds update
• General Update: Feasibility of a waiver for a sixth year
Formal Meeting
• Welcome, roll call, approval of agenda, approval of minutes
• Public input
• Approval of action items from work session
• Action plan and next steps
The 13-member board is charged with overseeing programs that allow students to simultaneously enroll in high school and college.
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For More Information, Contact:
Charles E. Dukes
Phone: 303-866-6142
Email: dukes_c@cde.state.co.us
2011 Summer Institute on Deafblindness and Significant Support Needs
Attn: Special Education Directors, Special Education Program Coordinators, Educators, Related Services Providers
The Colorado Services to Children and Youth with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss Project will host a five-day course entitled Literacy for Students with Significant Support Needs. This two-semester-hour course will be held in Denver on June 6-10, 2011. The two featured speakers. Dr. Karen Erickson and Dr. Penelope Hatch, are internationally recognized for their ground breaking work with this population. The course is limited to 75 participants.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tanni Anthony
Exceptional Student Leadership Unit
Phone: 303 866-6681
Email: anthony_t@cde.state.co.us
Federal Programs
School Improvement – Prevention Integration RFP Now Available
Attn: Superintendents, District Personnel, BOCES
The new School Improvement – Prevention Integration Grant Request For Proposal is now available. This RFP is designed to encourage and promote activities that create and maintain a safe and civil learning environment as an effective improvement strategy within a school’s or district’s unified planning efforts. A total of $1 million is available for distribution to local education agencies.
Proposals are due Wednesday, April 27. An application training webinar will be held on Wednesday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. To register for this technical assistance opportunity, please e-mail Nicole Dake at dake_n@cde.state.co.us. For more information and to access the RFP, please visit the Web site below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Joyce Washington
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866- 6708
Email: washington_j@cde.state.co.us
ESEA Reauthorization and 2011 Funding Allocations
Attn: Federal Program Contacts, Consolidated Application Coordinators & Title I, II, and III Directors
CDE has received numerous questions over the last several weeks regarding funding for ESEA programs for next year. At this point, we are waiting for decisions to be made by Congress and the Federal government.
Another temporary funding measure was passed last week to continue the current rate of federal spending until April 8, 2011. While no cuts were made to U.S. Education administered programs in this resolution, the previous two week spending plan did terminate the Striving Readers Program and Even Start. Those programs will not be funded for the 2011-2012 school year.
Negotiations on the spending plan for the balance of the fiscal year are still being organized. Therefore, at this time, decisions have not yet been made about 2011-12 allocations nor whether any additional programs will be eliminated. Most proposals include program cuts of anywhere from 5 percent to 15 percent. Keep in mind that OFPA cannot release the 2011-12 consolidated application until we receive the state allocation from the USDE. This means that the application timeline may be delayed this year. However, even without allocations, districts can begin to gather and analyze data, as well as draft portions of the narrative sections in preparation for the consolidated application’s official release.
Finally, the elimination of funding for Title II, Part D has been a reoccurring theme in proposed budgets. While we won’t know anything for sure until a final budget is passed, it is advisable for districts to make preparations for the possibility that there will be no Title IID funds next year. We will continue to provide updates as we receive more information.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Mariah Aldinger
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866-6250
Email: aldinger_m@cde.state.co.us
News
Educator Effectiveness Update
Attn: All District Personnel
Educator effectiveness is one of CDE’s five key priorities. In order to support implementation of this priority, Commissioner Hammond recently appointed Tom Elliott as executive director of a new Educator Effectiveness Office at CDE.
The Office is preparing for the design and implementation of teacher and principal evaluation systems aligned with S.B. 10-191.
Our immediate goals are:
1. To support the state board of education in adopting rules informed by the recommendations from the State Council for Educator Effectiveness. This process will start within 2-3 months and will include opportunities for public input.
2. To design a model evaluation system which includes parameters for the student growth measures which make up 50 percent of teacher and principal evaluations.
3. To develop criteria for selecting school districts interested in piloting the model evaluation system and, working together with them, revising it to make it the best system possible. We hope to have this criteria completed by summer 2011. Districts interested in possibly participating in the pilot should contact Tom Elliott (contact information below).
4. To assess the current needs of school districts to implement new evaluation systems, as well as identify promising practices and tools already in use by Colorado schools and districts.
5. To create ways to support school districts as they prepare to implement evaluation systems aligned with S.B. 10-191, including a web-based Resource Bank.
6. To ensure that the evaluation system is aligned with other efforts.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Tom Elliott
Educator Effectiveness
Phone: 303-866-6654
Email: Elliott_t@cde.state.co.us
Reminder
Provide Input by March 28 to the State Council for Educator Effectiveness
Attn: Educators, School Board Members
The State Council for Educator Effectiveness has launched a brief online presentation and survey to gather input about its draft recommendations to develop a new statewide teacher and principal evaluation system. Visit http://bit.ly/f0VonO through Monday, March 28 to view the presentation and share best hopes, worst fears, advice and resources needed to implement a new educator evaluation system.
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
To Do
What's Bugging You?
Attn: Facility managers, teachers, superintendents, principals
It's not too late to tell us what's bugging you in your school. The Colorado School Integrated Pest Management Team wants to know how your school manages pests – insects, mice and other critters. Please take this survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VBYWXDG) to help us expand and improve our program. Responses will be collected March 31, 2011.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Deborah Young
Colorado State University
Phone: 970-491-1377
Email: deborah.young@colostate.edu
Webinars
Unpacking TELL Colorado Data Webinar
Attn: Superintendents, Principals, District Administrators, School Leaders
CDE and the New Teacher Center will offer a webinar on Thursday, April 7 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. that provides an overview on how to read, interpret and use the TELL Colorado data. Please join us by registering now (contact Tina Tamayo at tamayo_t@cde.state.co.us).
How will the state be using the results? CDE will release an interim report in May that provides statewide trends of the survey results. A more extensive report will be published at the end of the year that examines the relationships between the survey results and other data sets (e.g., student growth, teacher retention). The reports will be used to guide state level policy making and technical assistance efforts.
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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