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ELG - Professional Development

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News and Announcements

House Bill 18-1393 amendments to the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (READ Act) authorized the Early Literacy Grant Annual Professional Development (ELG PD) Program. This grant opportunity is designed to support Colorado educators in implementation of scientifically based reading research (SBRR) programs and strategies for K-3 students. An effort championed by the State Board of Education (SBE), these funds are specifically intended for early literacy professional development for elementary educators. The application process for the 2024-2025 ELG PD Grant is posted. Click the button below for a general overview of deadlines and for more information on the application process. 

Professionals in large lecture room


ELG PD Resources

2024-2025 ELG PD RFA

2024-2025 ELG PD Timeline 

2024-2025 ELG PD Application Process


Benefits of the Comprehensive ELG Professional Development Grant (ELG PD)

Funding is restricted to LEPs that are already implementing evidence-based or scientifically based universal instruction and interventions that are resulting in significant student academic growth toward reading competency.  If an application does not provide evidence of this, the application will not be further reviewed or considered for funding. Grants may be awarded to an applying local education provider (LEP) that is a school district on a district-wide basis or to individual schools of the school district. An LEP may apply individually or as part of a group of LEPs. Applications will be accepted from individual schools but must be authorized and submitted through their LEP. If funded, a charter school’s authorizer would be their fiscal agent.

Eligible LEPs include:

  • a school district,
  • BOCES,
  • a district charter school, and
  • an institute charter school.

Allowable Uses of Funds

Funds from this opportunity may be used to supplement, not supplant, any funds currently used to support SBRR professional development.

Uses that will be considered for funding include:

  • Costs associated with employing literacy coaches who are trained in the science of reading and in teaching the foundational reading skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension to provide educator professional development in teaching foundational reading skills
  • Professional development from the CDE-approved Topic-Specific Advisory List of Professional Development
  • Onsite consulting, coaching, and/or training to support effective literacy instruction provided by an ELG Implementation Consultant from the CDE-approved ELG Implementation Consultant Advisory List
  • Training related to programming from the CDE-approved 2020 Advisory List of Instructional Programming, provided by the approved vendor or a vendor-approved trainer
  • Training related to assessments from the CDE-approved READ Approved Diagnostic and Summative Assessments and/or READ Approved Interim Assessments, provided by the approved vendor or a vendor-approved trainer
  • Related tuition, fees, books, materials, and/or training program costs, and
  • Stipends, substitutes, and/or travel costs to attend approved and selected professional development opportunities

Early Literacy Grant – Professional Development Timeline

General Reminder

All Professional Development (3246) funds not spent prior to June 30th, 2023, will need to be returned to CDE promptly following your Annual Financial Report submission and reviewed by Anna Friedman, your fiscal analyst.

Annual Financial Reports (AFR) are due on or before September 29th, 2023 via the Grant Report Submission form. Your AFR requires that you fill out Tab 4- AFR Detail in your Budget Workbook. You also must submit a Detailed General Ledger of expenses dated July 1, 2022-June 30th, 2023. If you received Professional Development in FY21-22 and have not returned unspent funds, you will need to include a General Ledger of expenses dated July 1, 2021 - June 30th, 2022 with your AFR submission as well. 

After your AFR has been reviewed and approved, you will receive an email from Anna Friedman confirming the approval and the amount of funds, if any, that need to be returned along with instructions on how to return those funds.  

Ongoing

Update contact information throughout the year: ELG Contact Information Change form.

Submit an ELG Exit Information form for school(s) leaving an ELG.

Submit the Budget Submission/Revision Form.

Important Dates and Deadlines

July 1, 2023

23/24 fiscal year begins.

March 29th, 2024: Budget Submission/Revision Deadline

Submit any remaining budget change requests, budget revisions, or budget carryover via the ELG Budget Submission/Revision form.

June 30, 2024

Final day to spend grant funds.

July 21, 2024

Submit ELG – Professional Development Evaluation Report detailing the professional development plan, budget, and effects of implementation.

September 29, 2024

Submit annual financial report (AFR) via Grant Expenditure Report Submission form. This provides an account of funds expended between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.


Frequently Accessed Resources


For questions, please contact the READ Act ELG Team