Announcement
FREE GEO Webinar: Co-CHPS & LEED for Schools 101
Attn: Superintendents (Building Owners); Facility, Operations and Maintenance Personnel; and Building Planners
The Governor’s Energy Office High Performance Building Program will illuminate two alternatives in third-party rating systems for high performance K-12 schools. The free webinar will outline the history and process of each system, in addition to their differences and similarities. Attendees will gain an understanding of the credits and prerequisites and which projects are appropriate for each system. Created for designers, contractors, and school officials, this webinar is appropriate for building professionals and owners from across the K-12 spectrum.
Date & Time: Thursday, Sept. 23; 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
For more information and registration, please visit the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Conor Merrigan, Governor’s Energy Office, High Performance Building Program Manager
Governor’s Energy Office
Phone: (303) 866-3965
Email: Conor.merrigan@state.co.us
Colorado Model Autism Program Sites for the 2010-2011 School Year
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Special Education Coordinators, Autism Program Specialists
The Exceptional Student Leadership Unit is pleased to announce the selection of Mortensen Elementary School in Jefferson County School District and Twombly Elementary School in Fort Lupton School District Re-8 as the two new sites to collaborate in this multi-year project to develop quality programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in each region of the state.
School staff will use CDE’s “Quality Indicators” to assess their current programming for students with ASD in their buildings and identify the areas they would like to target for improvement. The CDE team will assist by recommending new evidence based interventions to support the program providing coaching and training where needed to increase the achievement of the students involved in the project. The project is also currently collaborating with schools in the Pikes Peak and West Central regions.
For More Information, Contact:
Melinda Graham
Exceptional Student Leadership Unit
Phone: (303) 866-6707
Email: graham_m@cde.state.co.us
Webinar - CDE's Online License Application System
Attn: Superintendents, HR offices, Principals, Colorado Educators
A live webinar about CDE's online license application system will be repeated this Thursday, Sept. 3 at 10 a.m. To access the webinar, visit http://connect.cboces.org/lic/ Please sign on as a guest.
A pre-recorded webinar covering the same information is available at the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Deborah Blake
Educator Licensing-Office of Professional Services
Phone: 303-866-6854
Email: blake_d@cde.state.co.us
Online Course: Specific Learning Disabilities–Eligibility Criteria and Identification Process
Attn: Special Educators, Special Education Administrators, Principals
The focus of this four-week, online course is the effective implementation of the eligibility criteria and identification process involved with the determination of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). Participants will gain knowledge and skill in:
• State and federal laws related to SLD eligibility
• Relationship of RtI to SLD identification
• Referral and evaluation process
• Application of the revised SLD eligibility criteria
• Required documentation
• Special considerations
• Implications for changes in professional roles and practice
The course will run from October 4-31, and may be taken for either UCCS graduate credit for a fee or CDE professional development (recertification) hours at no cost.
Below is the link to the Specific Learning Disability (CDE) Web page. The course flyer, including registration information, is available under “Professional Development Opportunities.” The course syllabus is posted there, as well.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Melissa Chaffin
Exceptional Student Leadership
Phone: (303) 866-6819
Email: chaffin_m@cde.state.co.us
Application for Colorado Model Autism and Significant and Support Needs Program (COMASP)
Attn: Superintendents, Special Ed Directors, Principals, Consultants, Special Ed Teachers
The Exceptional Student Leadership Unit has reopened the application process for one of eight regions to partner with CDE in a collaborative project to develop a quality program across all levels (PK-Post Secondary Transition) for students with Significant Support Needs (SSN).
Each region will have one model demonstration site specific to learners with SSN. This multi-year project is a collaborative effort between ESLU, Institutions of Higher Education and the RtI / PBS 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.
Applications will be selected based on school districts demonstrating a foundation of evidence based practices. The Northwest and Metro Regions were selected as SSN sites in year one and therefore cannot submit applications. The deadline for applications is Friday, Sept. 24.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Gina Quintana
Exceptional Student Leadership Unit
Phone: 303 866-6605
Email: quintana_g@cde.state.co.us
Conference
Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention Symposium on Oct. 1
Attn: School Administrators and School-Based Suicide Intervention Teams, School Psychologists, School Social Workers, Counselors, SROs, Nurses, Special Educators, Teachers, Crisis Response Teams
This symposium will offer a special overview session from 8 to 9:30 a.m. designed specifically for principals and other district administrators attending with their teams. The symposium, which continues from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., is offered at no cost and will feature panels of school and agency personnel with a variety of experience in youth suicide prevention and response. Information on the higher risk that exists for students with disabilities will be included.
This symposium is collaboratively sponsored by the Colorado School Safety Resource Center, the Office of Suicide Prevention, and CDE, with support from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Colorado School Safety Resource Center
Exceptional Student Leadership
Phone: 303-329-4435
Email: schoolsafetycenter@cdps.state.co.us
State Conference on Blindness/Visual Impairment
Attn: Superintendents, Special Education Directors, Special Education Program Coordinators, Teachers Certified in the Area of Visual Impairment
The Exceptional Student Leadership Unit will host a two-and-a-half day training called SCIENCE MATTERS: Science Instruction for Students who are Blind/Visually Impaired from Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, in the Denver area. Two nationally respected trainers will provide content on specialized equipment and instruction for teaching our Colorado science standards to this population of learner. The training is reserved for certified teachers of students with visual impairments working in Colorado public schools.
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
Event
Regional Trainings, Workshops and Online Blackboard Course on Autism Related Topics
Attn: Special Ed Directors, Child Find Teams, General and Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapists, School Nurses, Paraprofessionals, Parents
The number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is continuing to increase in our schools bringing challenges to those identifying and educating such a diverse population with unique learning needs. To address some of these challenges, the Exceptional Student Leadership Unit will be offering a wide range of trainings and workshops on autism related topics this year.
Each workshop will be presented in several locations around the state. There will be Level 1 trainings for those new to the field of autism spectrum disorders and Level 2 trainings for those with advanced knowledge. An online Blackboard course, Asperger Syndrome, will be offered in the fall and spring semesters. This course may be taken for CDE contact hours or Adams State Credit. Child Find Teams will have the opportunity to participate in the roll out and presentation of Colorado’s Guideline for the Screening, Evaluation and Educational Identification of Autism. This presentation will benefit teams that participate in the Educational Identification of Autism and for those teams who choose not to educationally identify but are addressing the needs of student suspected of an ASD. School Nurses will find a half day presentation just for them.
For a description of the trainings and a complete listing of the dates, locations and registration information, go to the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Melinda Graham
Exceptional Student Leadership Unit
Phone: 303 866-6707
Email: graham_m@cde.state.co.us
2010-2011 DAC Academy
Attn: Superintendents, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs)
The Unit of Student Assessment is pleased to announce that the 2010-2011 DAC Academy was a huge success! Overall, 90 percent of the state’s district assessment coordinators were able to attend this required training. It was the first face-to-face training held for DACs in preparation of the upcoming assessment season, and an opportunity for new DACs to get an overview of the processes and procedures regarding the state’s assessments.
There will be further required trainings for DACs (both online and face-to-face) regarding test specific administration protocols, assessment data and logistics. Announcements for these upcoming trainings will be sent to DACs via e-mail and posted in future Scoop newsletters.
Thank you to all of the districts who sent their DACs to this very important meeting. For those who were unable to attend, the materials from the training are posted at the link below.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Glen Sirakavit
Unit of Student Assessment
Phone: (303) 866-3266
Email: sirakavit_g@cde.state.co.us
Federal Programs
FY 2008-09 NCLB Funds Availability
Attn: Federal Program Contacts, Consolidated Application Coordinators, Business Managers
Reminder: The last day to spend fiscal year 2008-2009 NCLB funds is Thursday, Sept. 30. All requests must be submitted by Friday, Oct. 15. Many districts still have 08-09 funds remaining. Distribution reports, showing the remaining funds for each district by program, are available online at http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdefisgrant/Grant_Distribution_Reports.htm.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Debbie Wolfe
Phone: (303) 866-6724
Email: wolfe_d@cde.state.co.us
AMAO Release
Attn: Title III Directors, District Assessment Coordinators
Results for the 2009-2010 Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) should be available in CEDAR beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 8. AMAOs are the accountability measures for Title III of No Child Left Behind, Language Instruction for Limited-English Proficient and Immigrant Students. There are three AMAO targets. AMAOs 1 and 2 are calculated from the CELA-pro (Colorado English Language Proficiency Assessment) and measure the progress students are making in attaining English proficiency and the percent of students who have attained English proficiency in English based on the CELA exam. AMAO 3 is the result of AYP for English language learners. Data for AMAOs 1 and 2 will be available in CEDAR next week. Districts already have access to AMAO 3 data through previously released AYP data.
More detailed information will be provided in The Scoop next week and also will be sent to each grantee’s Title III contact and each district’s district assessment coordinator.
For More Information, Contact:
Alyssa Pearson
Phone: (303) 866-6855
Email: pearson_a@cde.state.co.us
2008-2009 Equity Data Available on SchoolView
Attn: Federal Program Contacts, Title I Directors, Human Resource Contacts
The district profiles on Schoolview.org now contain additional 2008-2009 data to help districts study the equitable distribution of teachers within their schools. The available data looks at the distribution of highly qualified teachers and experienced teachers in high and low poverty schools, as well as in high and low minority schools. District level data is compared to state level data. As part of ESEA Title I, Part A, districts are required to analyze the equitable distribution of teachers and ensure that high need students are not more frequently taught by out-of-field or inexperienced teachers. Data from the 2009-2010 school year will be available in November.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Medler
Phone: (303) 866-6993
Email: medler_l@cde.state.co.us
Early registration is available for Colorado Safe Schools Regional Training - Pueblo, October 20-21, 2010
Attn: Superintendents, District Staff
The Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CDPS) and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CU-Boulder) will host the next Colorado Safe Schools Regional Training for school safety teams in Pueblo on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 20 and 21.
This training is offered at no cost to Colorado participants and includes informative sessions from the U.S. Department of Education, the Cyberbullying Research Center, and many more. Register online at www.co.train.org Course ID: 1021638.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Joyce Washington
Phone: (303) 866-6708
Email: washington_j@cde.state.co.us
FYI
Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act Frequently Asked Questions
Attn: Principals, Superintendents, District Finance Office and School Counselors
In May 2009, the Colorado State Legislature the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act. The collective intent is to broaden access to and improve the quality of concurrent enrollment programs, improve coordination between institutions of secondary education and institutions of higher education and ensure financial transparency and accountability.
In order to help clarify the Concurrent Enrollment and ASCENT programs, we will be releasing responses to frequently asked questions here in the weekly Scoop newsletter. A new set of questions and answers will be included in The Scoop every week.
FAQs for this week:
Q: Does the concurrent enrollment program impact a school district’s per pupil funding?
A: No, participating concurrent enrollment students shall be included in the funded pupil count of his or her school district, or, in the case of a student enrolled in an institute charter school, the school's accounting district.
Q: Are students who take remedial courses covered under Concurrent Enrollment guidelines?
A. Yes, the legislation states that students in their senior year are eligible to take remedial courses under a concurrent enrollment program. The district reserves the right to determine if students will be approved to take remedial courses under Concurrent Enrollment.
Q: Are students who take remedial courses eligible for ASCENT?
A: Eligible seniors may take remedial courses, but remedial coursework does not qualify as part of the 12 credit hours of college coursework required for ASCENT eligibility.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Charles E. Dukes
Phone: 303-866-6142
Email: dukes_c@cde.state.co.us
Important Due Date
September 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 LEA or Admin unit access portal by Friday, Sept. 10.
Due to closeouts of FY09-10 grants, we will not accept reimbursement requests from Aug. 11 - Sept. 10, with the exception of the Tiered Intervention Grant. Further guidance from NCLB and IDEA fiscal managers regarding requesting funds is forthcoming.
This request is separate and distinct from the ARRA interim report that was due August 16. The September 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.
Please note:
*Grantees who have expended all of their ARRA funds and submitted an ARRA report marked as final in line 5 for a particular grant are not required to submit a September 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, 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.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Andy Lake
Grants Fiscal Management Unit
Phone: (303) 866-6829
Email: Lake_A@cde.state.co.us
Reminder
Reminder for Sept. 1 Deadline to Submit Eligible ASCENT Students
Attn: Principals, Superintendents, District Finance Office, School Counselors
School districts interested in participating in the 5th year ASCENT program must submit the number of current 12th graders who will be eligible for and who are interested in the ASCENT program during the 2011-12 school year (i.e. current seniors who plan to remain enrolled at the high school in order to participate in a 5th year program). Submissions must be received by CDE no later than Wednesday, Sept. 1. Please send via e-mail to Charles E. Dukes or visit the Web site below.
Eligible students for the ASCENT program must:
*Complete, or be on schedule to complete, at least 12 credit hours (semester hours or equivalent) of postsecondary course work prior to the completion of his or her 12th grade year*;
*Not be in need of basic skills coursework as defined by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education's (CCHE) remedial education policy;
*Have been selected for participation in the ASCENT program by his or her high school principal or equivalent school administrator;
*Have satisfied the minimum prerequisites for the course(s) before his or her enrollment in the course(s); and
*Have not participated in the ASCENT program in previous years.
Please click here to submit numbers: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HLZKMVW
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Charles E. Dukes
Phone: 303-866-6142
Email: dukes_c@cde.state.co.us
Verification of District Assessment Coordinator Required
Attn: Superintendents
The success of your district in regards to assessment is reliant in large part on CDE having a complete and accurate list of District Assessment Coordinators (DACs). Please take a few minutes to verify the DAC information at the link below.
If the information for your district is not correct, please complete the DAC Appointment Form at the top of the page. You may return the form to Maile Rieple via e-mail at Rieple_m@cde.state.co.us or via fax 303-866-6680.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Maile Rieple
Standards and Assessments
Phone: 303-866-6929
Email: rieple_m@cde.state.co.us
To Do
Broadband Speed Testing at Your Schools
Attn: CIOs, IT Directors, Superintendents, Principals, Teachers, Techies
As you may know, Colorado schools are challenged in terms of internet bandwidth. Colorado averages 3.65 Kbps/student versus a national average of 6.5 Kbps/student. By working with enet Colorado (Dan Morris) and CO BOCES we have come up with a greatly simplified method of collecting broadband speeds at EACH of our 1785 schools using a Google Docs survey.
The process is as follows:
Step One - When you are at a computer on the district network at your school visit http://www.ookla.com/speedtest.php and then "Begin Test" - Record/note the results (download speed and upload speed).
Step Two – Visit http://tinyurl.com/cobroadband and complete the eight-question survey.
Please complete the survey by Wednesday, Sept. 15.
The results are automatically tabulated on a Google Docs spreadsheet, there is no need to gather data and pass back to us. Please contact us offline for access to Google Docs results, etc. Results will be used to assist in broadening connectivity across Colorado.
Big thanks to Harrison and Jeffco Schools for tabulating all of their schools! We're off to a great start.
Click Here for Additional Information
For More Information, Contact:
Frank Ohrtman
State of Colorado Colorado Broadband Data and Development
Phone: 303-910-5968
Email: Frank.Ohrtman@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.
|
