CDE Update - Strategic Priorities

Resources for Student Academic Growth

• The CDE Resource Bank (http://www.coloradoplc.org/assessment) consists of high quality assessments aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards. It includes assessments reviewed by the Colorado Content Collaboratives from Cohort I for music, dance, drama, social studies and some reading, writing & communicating. We're loading more reading, writing & communicating assessments as well as assessments for visual arts. In January, assessments from Cohort II which includes comprehensive health, math, physical education, science, world languages and career & technical education will be added. While the bank will be updated continually, this launch allows districts to field test assessments and consider existing resources for use in teacher evaluations.
• Assessment Review Tool (http://www.cde.state.co.us/EducatorEffectiveness/ImplementationResources.asp) This tool, originally used by the Content Collaboratives in their work, helps educators rate an assessment's alignment to the Colorado Academic Standards and potential for measuring student academic growth. The collaborative use of this tool is one way districts and BOCES can include teachers in a discussion regarding the assessment measures used in their performance evaluations. 

More Resources for Student Academic Growth

• Resources are available to support districts in measuring student growth for the purpose of educator evaluations. In January, version one guidance for compiling student growth will be available. More information: http://www.cde.state.co.us/EducatorEffectiveness/ImplementationResources.asp.  

Assurance

All districts must provide CDE an assurance that will specify by July 1, 2013 if they are implementing the Colorado State Model Evaluation System or another evaluation system that meets or exceeds the State Quality Standards. CDE has prepared the assurances six months prior to the due date to give districts/BOCES ample time to review and complete the assurances and the accompanying checklist. To view the step-by-step guide for submitting assurances, download the assurance document or access the Colorado Tracker system which will be used to submit the assurances, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/EducatorEffectiveness/SB-Assurances.asp.

In February, optional webinars will be available for anyone wanting more information on the assurances, the checklist or how to submit the assurances. More details will be sent in the February Update. 

Regional Standards Workshops

Starting in January, the Standards and Instructional Support Office will offer workshops in standards-based curriculum design. The workshops will be coordinated in five areas across the state. More details have been sent to BOCES directors and SAC coordinators.

School Readiness

At the December State Board of Education meeting, the board voted to: (1) offer districts a menu of school readiness assessments, (2) approve Teaching Strategies GOLD as the first school readiness assessment tool for the menu, and (3) pending positive technical reports and final review, approve additional school readiness assessment tools for the menu. The department recommends districts phase-in school readiness plans and assessment over two years beginning in 2013-14.

The READ Act

Hearings on the READ Act rules are scheduled for the January and February state board meetings in advance of rule adoption in March 2013. Information about the

READ Act, a link to the draft rules and pamphlet can be found at (http://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/ReadAct/index.asp).

• This spring, sample optional school readiness plan and READ plan templates will be available for district reference.

• Regional READ Act trainings will be scheduled between March and May to support district and school leaders with implementation of the READ Act. The dates and locations will be announced through the Scoop and posted in the READ Act webpage.

None at this time.

English Language Proficiency Assessments

Colorado will administer the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) exam, ACCESS, to measure student acquisition of the Colorado English Language Proficiency (CELP) standards.  ACCESS will be administered in the 2012-2013 school year from January 7, 2013 - February 8, 2013. 

Review of Assessment Frameworks for New Summative and Alternate Assessments for Science and Social Studies

The assessment frameworks for the new summative and alternate assessments for science and social studies have been released for field review. Districts have the opportunity to provide feedback on the assessable standards, the proposed reporting categories and the percent distribution of each of the reporting categories for each grade and content area.  For more information about the summative assessment frameworks, contact Glen Sirakavit at sirakavit_g@cde.state.co.us. 

For more information about the alternate assessment frameworks, contact Mira Monroe at monroe_m@cde.state.co.us.  Framework feedback can be provided until Friday, Jan. 18.  Click on the following links to provide feedback:

• Summative science frameworks:
  http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/CoAssess-FrameworkScience.asp
• Summative social studies frameworks:
  http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/CoAssess-FrameworkSocialStudies.asp
• Alternate science and social studies frameworks:
  http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/CoAltAssess-Frameworks.asp

PARCC Assessments

The PARCC high school math system will have two sets of assessments: one for the traditional pathway (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II) and one for an integrated/international approach (Integrated I, II, and III).  CDE recently requested feedback from the field about which pathway(s) is provided in each district to inform Colorado's determinations regarding how it will implement the PARCC math assessments.

Online Assessment Readiness 

As Colorado begins its transition to computer-based assessments, it's important for districts to participate in the online readiness survey, the Technology Readiness Tool.  Training for district technology coordinators began in November and districts have begun to provide information.  Information collected from the tool about device-to-student ratios in schools will be used to inform the setting of future testing windows.  The tool will continue to gather information periodically in the future.  To see the FAQs, visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/documents/training/TRT_FAQ.pdf. 

The next step in preparing districts for online testing will be site readiness trainings which includes verifying minimum system requirements, running a system check to validate bandwidth, proctor caching, and session management.  This training will first be provided to field test districts and expanded to all other districts before the Spring 2014 assessment administration.  These trainings will begin in January for districts participating in the field test.  For more information, contact Glen Sirakavit at sirakavit_g@cde.state.co.us. 

Basic Skills College Placement Assessment

Last spring, legislation concerning the administration of basic skills college placement assessments to public school students was introduced in Colorado, H.B. 12-1345.  CDE, the Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Community College System are working together to provide resources for administration of the ACCUPLACER to public high school students. Districts have been notified of this opportunity. For more information, visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/documents/newsreleases/BasicSkillsAssessmentInformation.pdf, or contact Christina Wirth-Hawkins at wirth-hawkins_c@cde.state.co.us.

Field Test Recruitment for the Science and Social Studies Alternate Assessments

Samples of school districts representative of the student population have been identified for participation in the field test for the new science and social studies alternate assessments.  Districts that are part of this sample will be contacted about participation in the near future. 

None at this time.

School and District Performance Data

2012 school and district performance data are available on SchoolView. The Data Center has been updated with achievement, growth, and School and District Performance Framework (SPF/DPF) data. The Data Center is a good tool for looking up individual school or district data for Unified Improvement Planning and parent reporting.

The School and District Growth Summaries are available at:  http://www.schoolview.org/ColoradoGrowthModel.asp . Growth and achievement results can also be viewed in the Colorado Growth Model application (http://www.schoolview.org/ColoradoGrowthModel.asp). To pull data files for results for all schools and districts, the Data Lab (http://www.schoolview.org/performance.asp) is the best tool.

Finalized UIP Pre-Populated Templates Now Available

Finalized UIP pre‐populated reports were sent to superintendents, district accountability contacts and tracker contacts. Since the data used to populate reports is now public data, anyone needing access to his/her district or school reports may email Jamie Baker (baker_j@cde.state.co.us). These reports include the UIP template attached to the pre‐populated data reports in Microsoft Word format so planning teams may work directly within the template. In some cases, schools and districts will be expected to complete and attach program addenda (e.g., turnaround addendum for turnaround districts and schools). Instructions for when to include the required addenda are included in the customized directions of the pre‐populated report (p. 3 for schools; p. 4 for districts). Addenda forms and explanation of requirements are available at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/uip/UIP_Templates.asp.

Unified Improvement Planning Winter Submission Cycle - Required Plans Due Jan. 15

Some schools and districts are required to submit UIPs to CDE for review by Jan. 15. This includes (1) schools and districts with a Priority Improvement or Turnaround plan type, and (2) districts required to complete a Student Graduation Completion Plan or identified for improvement under Title III. Some grant programs may require submission (e.g., TIG, TDIP) as well. Plans are to be submitted through the online Tracker system which is now open for UIP winter submissions. Resources for UIP submissions, including deadlines, an outline of plans required for winter submission, and instructions for submitting through Tracker, are available on the UIP Submission Website: http://www.cde.state.co.us/uip/UIP_TrainingAndSupport_Tracker.asp.

Optional Submission of UIPs for Posting on SchoolView - Winter Cycle

CDE is offering another optional submission window this winter for any district and/or school to submit revised Unified Improvement Plans for posting on SchoolView. Any district or school choosing to submit a plan for posting on SchoolView this winter must submit plans through the online Tracker system. The submission window in Tracker will be open from Dec. 14, through Jan. 15, (coinciding with the window for submitting required plans for review). Plans submitted during the UIP Winter Cycle will replace the currently posted plans in February. All school and district plans must be submitted for public posting on SchoolView.org by April 15. For more information regarding UIP submissions, please visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/uip/Downloads/UnifiedImprovementPlanning/2012-13_Submission_Outline_Chart.pdf.

UIP Winter Review Process

CDE will review about 250 Unified Improvement Plans in January and February for districts and schools required to submit their plans as outlined above. CDE reviews the plans against the UIP Quality Criteria, posted here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/uip/UIP_TrainingAndSupport_Resources.asp. Feedback based on the UIP Quality Criteria (including program specific requirements) will go back to districts and schools upon the completion of the reviews. The Quality Criteria is posted online in Word format so planning teams may format the criteria to perform their own internal reviews any time.

Upcoming Teaching, Empowerment, Leading and Learning (TELL) Colorado Survey

The third iteration of the biennial Teaching, Empowerment, Leading and Learning (TELL) Colorado survey will be open Feb. 6, through March 6. The intent of the survey is to provide information to guide school and district improvement planning and inform broader policy discussions for supporting teacher recruitment and retention, encourage effective school leadership, and strengthen instructional efforts.

The TELL Colorado survey is online, anonymous and asks school personnel about their perception of their school environment. To ensure anonymity, individual codes will be sent to each school for staff to access the survey instrument. Start planning how to get a good response rate and how the data can inform improvement planning. Keep in mind, schools and districts must have at least 50 percent participation to view their own data for improvement planning. In past administrations of the survey, schools have made time available for staff to participate (e.g., during a staff meeting) or that have offered incentives (e.g., pizza party for schools meeting the 50 percent participation threshold).

• Jan. 11 - Supplemental Educational Services applications due
• Jan. 15 - Some schools and districts are required to submit UIPs to CDE for review
• Jan. 25 - E-rate training webinar
• April 15 - School and district UIPs must be submitted for public posting on SchoolView

New Grant Opportunity

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program is offering a supplemental grant (only open to current 21st CCLC grantees) to integrate expanded learning opportunities into their summer programs. The RFP will be sent to current grantees and an informational webinar will be held in January.  About $300,000 will be available in supplemental grants to provide dramatically personalized learning experiences for students in 21st CCLC summer learning programs. The goal is to advance academic achievement and increase academic and enrichment opportunities for students at risk of dropping out of school. For a listing of current grantees, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/21stcclc/index.htm .

For more information, contact Tom Denning at denning_t@cde.state.co.us.

Guidance for Charter School Waiver Request Process

The Schools of Choice Office has created guidance for the charter school waiver request process and updated sample documentation to include the 10 state statutes added to the automatic waiver list in November by the State Board of Education. The guidance can be found at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/waivers.asp.

If you have questions, contact Jessica Fuller at fuller_j@cde.state.co.us.

Forty-three applications were submitted for the inaugural expanded learning opportunities grant. Reviews are taking place now, and finalists will be contacted between Jan. 8 - Jan. 18.

For more information, contact Laura Noonan at Noonan_l@cde.state.co.us

• Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, Jan. 2, for districts interested in applying to CDE for the certification of a new multi-district online school or for single-district schools/programs wanting to convert to a multi-district online school. The application, instructions and rubric for multi-district online certification can be found at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/onlinelearning/events.asp. If unable to submit the application by the January deadline, the next deadline and application window will be April 1.
  
  For more information, contact Amanda Heiney at Heiney_a@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6897.
• Existing multi-district online schools considering changes such as grade level, education service provider or authorizer changes are required to submit an amendment to the original certification by Friday, Jan. 11, or Monday, April 1, 2013.  Instructions and amendment forms can be found at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/onlinelearning/events.asp.
  
  For more information or technical assistance in the development of your certification application or amendment, contact Amanda Heiney at Heiney_a@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6897.

CDE is working with the Colorado Legacy Foundation and Battelle for Kids on a January and March pilot of the Battelle for Kids Roster Verification tool. Twelve integration districts are participating in the teacher/student data link project in some capacity. Some districts will pilot the roster verification system while others will pilot the teacher/student data link data collection.

CDE will send the data request for the roster verification system to the integration districts in preparation for the January pilot. CDE will contact integration districts' superintendents to prepare them to communicate to their principals and teachers about the roster verification system and what the pilot means to them.

Pagosa Springs and Thompson school districts will participate in the January pilot. Battelle for Kids will be on site in late January/early February to run through the system with these districts to identify data issues and pilot the system.

Watch for more information in next months Update.

• November 2012 - January 2013 - CDE will pilot the verification system
• January - First round of roster verification pilot
• April - Second round of roster verification pilot
• October - Statewide roll out of teacher/student data link data collection and roster verification