Announcement
NCLB Electronic Budget '09 Is Available!
Attn: NCLB Directors, superintendents
The FY '09 NCLB electronic budget for the Consolidated Application has been posted at the link below.
Please check the "Read First" information on the Web site prior to opening the Consolidated Electronic Budget.
When you are ready to use the budgets, be sure to right click on the budget, and click "save target as," to save the excel file to a drive on your computer. (If you just "open" the file and make entries on it, you won't be able to save your work.)
The preliminary allocations are posted on the CDE Web site with the exception of Title VI-B Rural, Low Income, which will be available at a later date. Those districts receiving Title VI-B in FY '08-09 will be contacted by CDE upon receipt of this information.
The REAP eligibility data has not been updated on the FY '09 budget. The information provided on sheet 11 of the FY '09 budget reflects FY ’08 REAP status. The budget will be reposted upon receipt of the FY ’09 REAP final report. CDE will contact all districts that submitted their budget with incorrect REAP eligibility.
Do not hesitate to contact Robert Hawkins (303-866-6775), Barb Vassis (303-866-6389) or Debbie Wolfe (303-866-6724) if you experience any difficulties with this budget file.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Deborah Wolfe
Grants Fiscal Management
Phone: 303-866-6724
Email: wolfe_d@cde.state.co.us
Colorado's Growth Model Awareness Release
Attn: Superintendents, district assessment coordinators, principals
CDE is pleased to announce the availability of training materials and a 2007 “Awareness Release” of data for Colorado’s Growth Model. The purposes of this release are to build knowledge about what the Growth Model is and what the data tells us. Colorado’s Growth Model offers a way for educators to understand how much growth a student made from one year to the next in the context of a student’s “academic peers.” The Growth Model compares each student’s performance to students in the same grade throughout Colorado who had similar CSAP scores in past years and calculates a Growth Percentile.
In March 2008, the Colorado State Board of Education adopted the Growth Model to implement House Bill 07-1048, which calls for growth to be used as the “cornerstone of the state’s educational accountability system.” The board adopted the Growth Model following the work of a Technical Advisory Panel. The state board’s action in March paved the way for CDE to create a process for the release of the 2008 CSAP growth data in August 2008. CDE has prepared training materials and an initial Awareness Release in advance of the 2008 data, which will be used for Accreditation and School Accountability Reports during next school year.
To summarize student growth at a district, school, or grade-level, student growth percentiles can be aggregated by finding the median score (the middle score if you rank the scores from highest to lowest). The 2007 Awareness Release provides the Median Student Growth Percentiles for your district and schools. The data are represented in four-quadrant bubble-plots similar to those from prior CDE presentations. The data are also represented in an Excel spreadsheet, showing district and school data for 2006 and 2007.
To view the cover letter to superintendents and district assessment coordinators, view the training video, and access your data in CEDAR, click on the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Richard Wenning
Office of Learning Services and Results
Phone: 303-601-7454
Email: Wenning_R@cde.state.co.us
Event
CSAPA Standard Setting (Content Experts Needed)
Attn: Superintendents, principals, district assessment coordinators
From June 3-5, 2008 CTB will be conducting CSAPA reading, writing and science standard setting. Your help in recruiting highly qualified reading, writing and science educators and special education teachers is essential. No experience in working with students with significant support needs is necessary. Content expertise is the primary requirement. CTB will reimburse participants for mileage and food, as well as lodging if you are traveling more than 70 miles. The Unit of Student Assessment will provide a certificate for contact hours.
Standard setting is the process by which the cut scores for each assessment are established. Participants will discuss the skills and knowledge required to answer the items, then review the information from the Contrasting Group Survey to come up with a consensus using all the data from both methods. They will then make recommendations on where the cut scores will fall using the performance level descriptors to delineate where the lines between proficiency levels should be drawn.
Applications and resumes need to be submitted by Friday, May 23, 2008. Please feel free to contact Dena (contact information is listed below) if you have questions.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Dena Coggins
Unit of Student Assessment
Phone: 303-866-6709
Email: coggins_d@cde.state.co.us
FYI
AYP Changes and U.S. Department of Education Monitoring Visit
Attn: Superintendents, AYP contacts, Title I contacts, district assessment coordinators
As a result of the U.S. Department of Education Title IA monitoring visit, CDE must make changes to how it calculates Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the allowable AYP appeals in order to keep Colorado's Title I funding secure. The specific changes to calculations will be sent to each district’s AYP contact. In general, the changes relate to how certain test invalidation codes are included in calculations and the minimum N size for performance calculations. Unfortunately, there may be additional changes that CDE must make as we negotiate with the U.S. Department of Education. When those decisions have been made, we will notify your district's AYP contact.
If you have further questions about the specific calculations, please contact your district’s AYP contact, or Alyssa Pearson at the contact information listed below.
For More Information, Contact:
Alyssa Pearson
Consolidated Federal Programs Unit
Phone: 303-866-6855
Email: pearson_a@cde.state.co.us
Important Due Date
CSAP & CSAPA, NCount and Student Biographical Data Review
Attn: Superintendents and DACs
Information about the CSAP, CSAPA NCount and Student Biographical Data (SBD) review was sent to your DAC earlier this week. The Ncount for 2008 CSAPA and CSAP math, science, writing and reading (grades 4-10) will open Thursday, May 22, 2008 and close at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, 2008.
The purpose of Ncount is for districts to verify that the count of booklets scanned and scored by CTB matches your School Group Lists (SGL) counts of booklets completed during administration.
More information about the Ncount process can be found on page 11 of the SBD Manual (see link below).
Please note: Student Biographical Data review for CSAP/CSAPA will open on May 29, 2008. Grade 3 reading and lectura data are included in this SBD collection.
Your DACs have the information for training, access to the data and support from the CTB Help Desk.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Jim McIntosh: Data Operations Supervisor
Unit of Student Assessment
Phone: 303-866-6979
Email: mcintosh_j@cde.state.co.us
Title I Proposed Regulations
Attn: Superintendents, Title I contacts, principals,
The U.S. Department of Education has proposed new regulations for Title I of NCLB. Several of the proposed regulations will have a significant impact on the current implementation of the law. Comments on the proposed regulations are being accepted until June 23. The proposed regulations and directions for submitting comments are posted at the link below.
Summaries of the proposed regulations are available at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/proposal/index.html and http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/proposal/summary-detail.pdf.
CDE will be submitting comments, but districts and BOCES are also welcome to submit comments.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Patrick Chapman
Consolidated Federal Programs
Phone: 303-866-6780
Email: chapman_p@cde.state.co.us
News
CDE 2007 Legislative Summary
Attn: Superintendents, principals and other interested persons
The long delayed 2007 CDE Legislative Summary affecting K-12 education is now available at the link below.
The 2008 summary will be available and posted in August.
For further information regarding the summary, please Sue Million at the contact information listed below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Susan L. Million
Deputy Commissioner of Management and Operations
Phone: 303-866-6808
Email: million_s@cde.state.co.us
Colorado Assessments
Attn: All
To clarify the messages about our Colorado assessments:
1. CSAP 3-10 and CSAPA 3-10 will be administered, as usual, through 2011.
2. Colorado ACT at 11th grade will continue to be administered through 2011.
3. Upcoming pilot programs will be offered, in the meantime, to help us determine the best ways to assess our students at the high school level. Various vendors will be invited to participate.
Please Note: The CELA and NAEP assessment programs will continue as they have.
For More Information, Contact:
Jo O'Brien, Assistant Commissioner
Office of Standards & Assessments
Phone: 303-866-6931
Email: Hingle_C@cde.state.co.us
Update
Teach In Colorado Web site
Attn: Superintendents & HR directors
The Teach in Colorado Web site is currently unavailable while we transition to a new and updated system. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need assistance.
For More Information, Contact:
Amy Spruce
Office of Professional Services
Phone: 303-866-6854
Email: teachincolorado@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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