Graduation Guidelines - Communication Tools

Communication Tools

In 2015, CDE published the Graduation Guidelines Engagement Toolkit with key messages and talking points.

Since then, district leaders and staff have met with students and their families to strategize about Graduation Guidelines, and they have created websites, videos, meeting agendas, and brochures. Here is a collection of some communication strategies. Please contact Robin Russel, Graduation Guidelines Manager at CDE to share your practices.

Alamosa School District

District Graduation Requirement Handbook

Aurora Public Schools

Graduation Requirements
APS Graduation Requirements Video (YouTube)

Canon City Schools

Douglas County Schools

"The high school diploma awarded by DCSD represents a high standard of quality in curriculum content, instruction, and student learning. Each level of school and each staff member or parent/guardian who instructs or counsels a student shares responsibility for the ultimate ability of that student to demonstrate proficiency in the content standards and to meet the expectations for graduation."

Durango Schools

Graduation Requirements website and flyer

Falcon 49

Career and College Readiness - Website
"Choose Your Path with 49 Pathways"

"Beginning in 2013, senior leaders initiated 49 Pathways, a rebranded vision for secondary education. At the heart of 49 Pathways is our belief that every student should travel down an individualized pathway that leads through competency and skill development to certain success after high school. The essential promise that inspires 49 Pathways is our commitment to creating excellent Individual Career and Academic Plans for every student."

Garfield RE-2

District Website and Career Pathways
Graduation Guidelines Video for students. Posted by counselors, Michelle Zinser and Amy Largent from Coal Ridge High School

Jefferson County Schools

graphic representation of Jeffco Grad Requirements

Graduation Requirements website and FAQ
"Road Map to Graduation and Career and College Readiness" PDF Flyer. ESPAÑOL

"Colorado and Jeffco Public Schools are committed to educating students so they enter the workforce with in-demand skills that meet business,"

Poudre Schools

District Website

Mesa 51

Preparing Our Graduates for the 21st Century (Prezi from 2015))
The subtitle for this Prezi: What the New Graduation Requirements Mean for our Schools, Students, and Community
What You Need to Know About Graduation Requirements (2015)
"This toolkit provides resources related to creating, communicating, and implementing upcoming graduation requirement revisions. It follows years of work from the district on the initiative, ‘Transforming into a 21st Century District.’ "
District 51 - Progress (2015)
This brochure highlights District 51’s progress on meeting the state’s graduation guidelines and postsecondary and workforce readiness. Sections of the brochure include timeline, previous year’s accomplishments and planned accomplishments for the next three years.

Toolkit for Community Collaboration (2015)

In early 2015, the Colorado Department of Education, The Colorado Education Initiative, and The Learning Accelerator invited two Colorado districts - Archuleta 50 in Pagosa Springs and District 51 in Mesa County - to pilot a new model in their local communities. The early lessons from these two pilot districts are the basis for the Community Collaboration for School Innovation Toolkit, a resource that will continue to evolve as districts are able to use, own, and adapt it to meet the needs of their unique communities.

This toolkit was created for use by any district as administrators and leaders begin the important work of shifting to a new community collaboration model that encourages the district to pull in guidance and directives from the community and leverage that input to drive innovations. This new model is critical as school districts look for innovative and effective ways to meet the growing challenges facing public education in the 21st century.

Access the Communication Collaboration Toolkit

View the Key Messages and Talking Points from the Graduation Guidelines Engagement Toolkit