Announcement
Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Grant RFP Now Available
Attn: Superintendents, District Personnel, BOCES
The new Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Grant Request For Proposal (RFP) is now available. This RFP is designed to foster healthy behaviors in children and communities through increased health knowledge and the modification of risk behaviors. Approximately $300,000 is available for distribution to local education agencies. Districts or BOCES may apply for up to $10,000 for planning purposes and up to a total of $40,000 for combined planning/implementation purposes.
Proposals are due Wednesday, June 15. For more information and to access the RFP, please visit the Web site below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Kathleen Patrick
Health & Wellness
Phone: 303-866-6779
Email: patrick_k@cde.state.co.us
Conference
Save the Date: School Safety Conference July 13-15
Attn: School Safety Leaders, School Security Personnel and School Resource Officers
The Colorado Association of School Resource Officers will conduct its annual School Safety and Violence Prevention conference July 13-15, 2011 in Denver.
School administrators and local law enforcement officers are welcome to attend. Local officers do not have to be full-time to a school campus to benefit from the information. Workshop topics cover the adolescent brain, medical marijuana and other drug trends, cyber crimes, bullying, truancy, alternatives to suspension and single officer survivor skills. Online registration capability and updates are posted at the link below. Members receive a discounted registration fee.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Janelle Krueger
Dropout Prevention and Student Engagement
Phone: (303) 866-6750
Email: Krueger_J@cde.state.co.us
Event
2011 CDE Summer Symposium
Attn: Districts
The Summer Learning Symposia, a two-day meeting facilitated by CDE, will assist schools and districts in unifying their work around Colorado's reform agenda.
Key outcomes:
-Create collaboration between and among districts and CDE
-Develop a coherent vision around Colorado's reform agenda
-Share ideas about leveraging opportunities to maximize results for students
-Develop district plans for moving forward with Colorado's education reform agenda
Target Group: District leadership teams, comprised of district, school and classroom representatives who are responsible for implementation. The intent is to enhance the capacity of all schools and districts to implement these important initiatives.
Dates and Locations:
-Monday and Tuesday, June 6 & 7 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley
-Wednesday and Thursday, June 15 & 16 at Otero Junior College in La Junta
-Wednesday and Thursday, June 22 & 23 at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs
-Monday and Tuesday, June 27 & June 28 at the Double Tree Hotel in Grand Junction
-Wednesday and Thursday, August 3 & 4 at a Denver location to be determined
Registration for all dates and locations is currently open on the CDE Web site. Registration for each symposium date will close one week prior to that date and participants will be capped at 200.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Vanessa Roman
Office of Learning and Results
Phone: (303) 866-6678
Email: roman_v@cde.state.co.us
Federal Programs
Update on 2011-2012 NCLB Allocations and Consolidated Application
Attn: District Superintendents, Federal Programs Contacts
On Friday May 6, the USDE released preliminary Title I, Part A allocations for the 2011-12 school year. Please note: These numbers are preliminary and will change as the Grants Fiscal Office adjusts these figures. CDE has already begun working on adjusting these figures and will inform the field when IA allocations are finalized.
The USDE has not yet released allocations for Title II, Part A or Title III. CDE anticipates a small decrease in funding for both programs. Specifically, Title II, Part A state grants will receive a 1 percent cut nationally.
CDE is not able to open the 2011-12 online Consolidated Application to districts and BOCES until allocations are determined. CDE is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that districts will be able to obligate funds by July 1, 2011. If necessary, an alternative application method will be presented to districts and BOCES in order to provide a smooth transition for the release of 2011-12 funds. More details will be shared if an alternate process is needed.
New resources are available on the CDE Web site to assist districts in preparing for the release of the online consolidated application: http://www.cde.state.co.us/FedPrograms/consapp/trainctr.asp
The following materials, by program, are available:
• Webinar Presentations (presentations with audio)
• Narrative Questions (Word document)
• Data Tables (screen shots)
With these resources, districts and BOCES have access to all program content that will be asked as part of the online application and can begin to complete as much work as possible in anticipation of the release of the application.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this delay. CDE will continue to send out regular updates to keep district and BOCES leadership abreast of any developments.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Cheryl Miller
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866-6214
Email: miller_c@cde.state.co.us
2010-11 Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives 1 and 2 Notification
Attn: Federal Program Contacts & Title III Directors
CDE e-mailed Title III grantees the preliminary 2010-2011 determinations for AMAOs 1 and 2 on May 2nd. Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) are the Title III accountability measures under NCLB. Student-level data is also now available in CEDAR for individual districts.
Requests to review AMAO 1 or AMAO 2 determinations are due to CDE by Friday, May 20.
An additional training webinar covering how AMAOs 1 and 2 were determined and the appeal process will be held on Thursday, May 12 at 1 p.m. To register, contact Donna Morganstern (morganstern_d@cde.state.co.us).
AMAO 3, which is based on AYP determinations for English language learners, will not be available until other AYP preliminary determinations are disseminated in early August. Any appeals of AMAO 3 must be made as part of the AYP appeal process. Final AMAO 3 and district-level Title III Improvement Status will be available in October.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Alyssa Pearson
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866-6855
Email: pearson_a@cde.state.co.us
Important Due Date
Is Your District Planning to Offer An Online Program?
Attn: Superintendents, Principals, Online Program Directors
Any district planning to offer a single-district or supplemental online program within their district must be recognized by CDE as meeting the definition of online learning in order to receive funding.
The Unit of Online Learning provides support districts seeking help with that process, which includes answering questions via phone, e-mail or face-to-face. We are collecting information from all new programs via an e-mail template. This information will be reviewed for clarification of the program, including grade levels served, software/content choice and selection of teachers.
If you are planning to offer online learning as a full-time school, CDE requires that any request for a new school code be submitted by August 1, 2011 to ensure time for review and processing of that application prior to the start of the 2011-2012 school year.
If you have not contacted the Unit of Online Learning regarding your fall plans for an online program, please contact Della Shorman at the contact information below.
For More Information, Contact:
Della R. Shorman, Principal Consultant
Unit of Online Learning
Phone: 303-866-3295
Email: shorman_d@cde.state.co.us
Reminder
Reminder to Respond to SLDS Technology Survey
Attn: CIO’s, Technology Directors, District Technology Leaders, Educational Technology Administrators
This is a reminder that the deadline to respond to the technology survey posted by the Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) program team is Monday, May 16. The original deadline was extended to allow more districts to respond.
A big thank you goes to those districts that have responded. As you may remember, CDE’s SLDS program is working towards implementing solutions to simplify district data reporting, providing tools for more consistent reporting processes across districts and providing higher data integrity.
As an important first step in accomplishing this, CDE must better understand the level of technology surrounding each district’s key academic and business systems. For this reason, CDE has developed a district survey, the purpose of which is to capture enough data from each district to provide CDE with a baseline of technology information surrounding reporting systems. From the data collected here, gaps will be analyzed and plans developed for a new concept and ultimately a more streamlined data reporting system.
Summarized results will be shared state-wide to help foster multi-district collaboration and cooperation so you can all see the tools and technologies your colleagues are using. Although this is a voluntary survey, it is a critical one. Successful analysis and implementation largely depends on this important first step.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Marcia Bohannon
Information Management Services
Phone: 303-866-6175
Email: Bohannon_m@cde.state.co.us
Fire Maintenance Inspections - More on Drills, Fire, Tornado and Lockdowns
Attn: Principals, Superintendants
Fire drills are not only to practice extinguishing fires for first responders, but also to practice getting out of the building quickly so that everyone will know what to do if there is a fire. These drills may provide the only formal training in orderly evacuation- escape procedures during the rest of their lives.
Practice make perfect. Properly conducted school fire drills and fire safety education will save lives. The State of Colorado Division of Fire Safety adopted code (2006 IFC) requiring monthly fire exit drills in all schools grades K-12. These drills require all students, teachers and staff to participate. Fire exit drills should be conducted at different times during the day and on varying days each month.
For information regarding other types of emergency school drills, please contact the Colorado School Safety Resource Center at www.safeschools.state.co.us
Other resources include:
http://www.safeschools.state.co.us/Preparedness%20Resources.htm#k8
http://www.fema.gov/kids/kidsafet.htm
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Joseph Montoya
Phone: 303-239-5862
Email: joseph.montoya@cdps.state.co.us
Update
Alternative Education Campuses (AECs): UPDATED Policy Guidance and Accompanying Documents
Attn: Superintendents, District Representatives and Alternative Education Campus Leaders
Last week, the department shared drafts of revised guidance regarding accountability for Alternative Education campuses (AECs), including policy guidance, application forms and a selection of measures form. Following review by the Education Data Advisory Council, these documents have now been updated and finalized. All documents are available at the link below.
In the coming weeks, to help schools choose measures and determine if additional evidence is appropriate, CDE will provide districts and schools with preliminary AEC indicator ratings based on the state data from 2007-2010. CDE will also provide districts with information about how these indicator ratings roll up into preliminary plan type assignments, and, following a district comment period, will share these with schools.
If you are interested, please also hold Tuesday, May 24, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., for a question and answer session with CDE on this topic. Please RSVP to DeLinda Rose, rose_d@cde.state.co.us, by Friday, May 20. Details, including webinar/call-in information, will follow.
Please note that the first upcoming deadline for AECs is July 1. By July 1, districts/the Institute must submit (1) the Application and Renewal Form for AEC Status Designation, and (2) the Selection of Accountability Measures for AECs Form.
Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Somoh Supharukchinda
Office of Performance and Policy
Phone: 303-866-6778
Email: supharukchinda_s@cde.state.co.us
Urgent
Parental Notification of Employee Arrests
Attn: Superintendents
To All Superintendents,
The Colorado State Board of Education recently approved new rules that require school districts, BOCES, and charter schools to notify parents when an employee, or former employee, is arrested for or charged with any offenses specified in the rules. It is very important that you take time to familiarize yourself with these new requirements. The rules become effective on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. Follow the link below to the entire set of rules. Arrests and charges that must be reported include those for any felony offense, a misdemeanor offense or municipal ordinance violation involving unlawful sexual behavior, a misdemeanor offense or municipal ordinance violation involving children or indecent exposure and many other specific offenses.
The duty of a school district, BOCES or charter school to notify parents applies to any employee, or former employee, who has (or had) direct contact with students currently enrolled in the school.
The required notice may be sent electronically or by first-class mail and must be sent within 24 hours based on a business day calendar from the time the school district becomes aware of the arrest or charge, whichever occurs earlier, or a later date if a delay is requested by the arresting criminal justice agency. The rules provide for the specific language that must be set forth in the notice.
This new rule may require new procedures in many school districts and I strongly urge you to review all the details and develop plans to ensure you are complying with them.
Should you have questions, please contact the State Board of Education Office, 303-866-6817.
Sincerely,
Robert Hammond. Commissioner
The Colorado Association of School Boards has also provided some guidance you may find helpful:
http://casb.org/publications/casb-legal-update/legal-update-apr-29-2011_public
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Mary Frances Nevans
Phone: 303-866-6817
Email: state.board@cde.state.co.us
Webinars
Webinar Presentation: Effects of Marijuana on the Adolescent Brain
Attn: Principals, Safe and Drug Free Directors
The Office of Federal Programs has arranged for Dr. Christian Thurstone from Denver Health to conduct a webinar on the Effects of Marijuana on the Adolescent Brain. The webinar is Thursday, May 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with Q&A from 10:30 until 11 a.m.
Consider inviting biology and chemistry or other science teachers for potential curriculum integration options. The presentation is also appropriate for students.
To attend please e-mail Clara Algiene, Algiene_c@cde.state.co.us. She will send you the login information prior to each webinar.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Joyce M. Washington
Office of Federal Program Administration
Phone: 303-866-6708
Email: washington_j@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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