Announcement
New Report Addresses Colorado Teacher Attrition
Attn: Principals, superintendents, educators
A new report from the Alliance for Quality Teaching (AQT) addresses teacher quality in Colorado and explores teacher attrition and diversity.
Citing the correlation of teacher attrition to student achievement, the growth of student diversity and a need for improved communication and data to support teacher quality, the Alliance issued five recommendations supported with a series of action steps for state and local leaders:
1. Increase the diversity of the teacher workforce
2. Focus attention on teacher retention
3. Create structured feedback loops between K-12 & teacher preparation institutions
4. Establish a unique teacher identifier
5. Conduct statewide surveys of teachers
Other findings in the report:
• The chain of evidence to connect teachers with student achievement is complex and sensitive to many factors.
• As in many states, Colorado’s system for developing and extending pedagogical knowledge is highly variable.
• Teacher experience matters and varies with different grade levels.
• Districts with lower than average salaries have higher attrition than those with higher than average salaries.
• The proportion of Latino students in Colorado is growing five times faster than the proportion of Latino teachers.
• In Denver, Colorado Springs District 11 and Grand Junction school districts about 1 in 6 teachers are 55 years old or older. These districts should expect high current or near future levels of attrition due to retirement.
• Aurora and Denver districts have relatively large numbers of both younger and older teachers. These districts have good reasons to expect higher levels of attrition for the next few years as the older cohorts of teachers retire.
• Mapleton had the largest increase in minority students and one of the largest increases in proportion of minority teachers in the state.
• The districts with declining numbers of minority teachers include Commerce City (Adams 14) which also had one of the largest increases in minority students.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Jacqueline Paone, Executive Director, The Alliance for Quality Teaching
Phone: 303-868-0420
Email: jacki@qualityteaching.org
Colorado Agencies Receive Funds to Prevent Child Abuse
Attn: School administrators and staff
The Colorado Children’s Trust Fund has selected 19 agencies serving 29 counties across the state to receive a total of almost $400,000 for child abuse prevention programs.
The funding, which begins July 1, will allow selected agencies to initiate or continue programs that teach parents techniques to enable parents to better communicate with their children and promote nurturing relationships to prevent abuse.
Jane Morrison, chair of the fund’s board of directors, said, “Communities have long recognized the need for providing support to families to improve their parenting skills to decrease the incidence of child abuse and neglect. The state and the Colorado Children’s Trust Fund Board are pleased to support local efforts to improve the lives of children and their families.”
Established in 1989, The Colorado Children’s Trust Fund, administered through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, endeavors to prevent the abuse and neglect of Colorado’s children through funding to local partners who educate parents and their families about healthy parenting alternatives. The fund’s mission is to provide leadership and support to promote the establishment, implementation and expansion of state and local programs that reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect in Colorado. The fund is focused on providing research-based programs that are proven to decrease the risk of maltreatment of children.
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For More Information, Contact:
Lori Maldonado, Deputy Director Communications
Prevention Initiatives
Phone: 303-692-2028
Email: Cindy Wakefield, wakefield_c@cde.state.co.us
Event
District Assessment Coordinator Academy: August 28, 2008
Attn: Superintendents and DACs
The Unit of Student Assessment is offering its first required training for DACs on Thursday, August 28, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
New DACs
We are hosting a live training in Denver for new DACs since the management, logistics and technical requirements for Colorado's assessment system is detailed and exacting (CSAP, CSAPA, CELApro, COACT, NAEP). As we receive feedback from new DACs, we know that early face-to-face training support helps prevent errors and missed deadlines.
Veteran DACS
This is the kickoff. Please join us for this important training. However, there will be an online option for your required training. An invitation, with a map will be sent the first week in August.
For More Information, Contact:
Holly Baker
Student Assessment
Phone: 303-866-6664
Email: baker_h@cde.state.co.us
CELApro Assessment Standard Setting, October 14-16, 2008
Attn: Superintendents, principals
Please save the date for the CELApro Standard Setting to be conducted Tuesday, October 14 - Thursday October 16, 2008.
The purpose of the CELApro Standard Setting is to set cut scores on the test scale for each proficiency level (Advanced, Proficient, Intermediate, Early Intermediate, Beginning).
The standard setting process allows content experts to provide input about the content (skills relative to language acquisition) that students at each proficiency level should know. As a result of this process participants will determine recommended cut scores which are taken to the state board for final approval.
Participant qualifications:
-Educators who are highly qualified (ESL, Bilingual, Linguistically Different, Reading and Writing), CELApro district trainers, applied linguists with experience working with students
Applications are due by September 12, 2008. An application for the event is posted at the link below.
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For More Information, Contact:
Marisol Enriquez
Student Assessment
Phone: 303-866-6634
Email: enriquez_m@cde.state.co.us
FYI
Closing the Achievement Gap Provider List
Attn: Superintendents & district personnel
Closing achievement gaps associated with race and income play a prominent role in the Colorado Department of Education’s “Forward Thinking Plan.” As a service to the field, CDE has developed a list of Closing the Achievement Gap Providers. This list includes those with a proven record of assisting schools and districts in closing race and income achievement gaps.
To be included on the Closing the Achievement Gap Provider List, each provider demonstrated implementation of effective services in schools and/or districts in one or more of the following areas: Curriculum*; Assessment*; Instruction*; Leadership*; Comprehensive and Effective Planning*; District Culture; Student, Family and Community Support; Professional Growth and Staff Evaluation; and Organization Structure and Resources.
*Providers indicated as Comprehensive Service Providers provide services in the areas of: Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction, Leadership and Comprehensive Planning.
This list reflects only those providers who 1) chose to apply and 2) met the review criteria. CDE acknowledges that there may be effective providers not listed here. Additional information about the Closing the Achievement Gap Providers will be posted on the CDE website beginning Summer 2008.
To access the list of 2008-09 Providers, please visit the link below.
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For More Information, Contact:
Lynn Bamberry
Competitive Grants & Awards
Phone: 303-866-6813
Email: bamberry_l@cde.state.co.us
Reminder
CSAP & CSAPA, NCount and Student Biographical Data Review
Attn: Superintendents and DACs
The Ncount review for 2008 CSAP and CSAPA mathematics, science, writing and reading (grades 4-10) closed on Tuesday, May 27, 2008. Thank you to the districts who chose to complete this important verification process.
Student Biographical Data (SBD) review for CSAP/CSAPA will open on Thursday, May 29, 2008 and will close on Thursday, June 12, 2008. Grade 3 CSAP Reading and Lectura data are included in this SBD collection.
The purpose of the Student Biographical Data (SBD) review is to allow districts the opportunity to verify the accuracy of the demographic data submitted for each student for each Colorado Student Assessment Program test booklet. The review process takes place after testing has been completed and the booklets for all districts have been returned to the test vendor and before all assessments are scored and final results made available.
More information about the SBD process can be found in the SBD Manual. Click on the URL listed below.
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
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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