2023-24 Early Literacy Assessment Tool Project application due Friday, April 28.

by: Bryce Reedy

Apr

05

Applications from both new and renewal applicants for the 2023-24 Early Literacy Assessment Tool Project are due Friday, April 28.

The intent of the ELAT Project is to support state purchase of software that would provide individualized assessments with immediate results, store and analyze those results and recommend activities based on those results.

By participating in the ELAT Project, applicants will be supplied with the online tool mCLASS to support DIBELS 8th Edition and Lectura, approved interim assessments for the READ Act. All approved applicants will receive software licenses to use the assessments.

Application materials and information, including a recording of the application information webinar, are available on the ELAT webpage.

Early Childhood Leadership Commission April town hall

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Apr

05

The Early Childhood Leadership Commission will host a virtual town hall at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, to provide updates about the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program implementation and opportunities to get involved. Join via Zoom to hear from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the Governor's Early Childhood Transition Team. Spanish language interpretation will be available.

Grant-funded Learning Cohorts for 2023-24 school year

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Apr

05

CDE will host the following grant-funded learning cohorts for the 2023-24 school year:

Unfinished Math Instruction Learning Cohort (Elementary Math)
Chronic Absenteeism Learning Cohort (Secondary)

Learning cohorts meet for three to six sessions for participants to share and observe practices and discuss strategies for implementation. Grant funding, up to $20,000, is available. Depending on the cohort, sessions will be on Zoom and/or in-person and include additional opportunities for professional learning.

Applications for grant-funded cohorts are due Friday, April 14.

View the Learning Cohort webpage to apply and access specific information on each cohort.

Comprehensive Health Education funding opportunity

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

Intent to apply forms for The Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Grant are due Friday, March 31.

Applications are due Thursday, April 27.

The Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Act provides approximately $300,000 for the 2023-24 school year with up to four years of funding. Local Education Providers are eligible to apply for up to $30,000 per year to develop and implement local comprehensive health education programs in grades PK-12.

For more information, visit the Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Grant Application 2023 webpage.

Educator financial aid training available

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

The Colorado Department of Higher Education and CDE will facilitate the first Educator Financial Aid Training for the Denver Metro region on Monday, June 5, at the Community College of Aurora. To register, complete the form here.

This one-day training is designed for K-12 school counselors, advisors, educators and any who are involved with the FAFSA/CASFA processes at their school, organization or agency, and will include updates and changes on the FAFSA, an overview of CASFA, ICAP, the FAFSA Completion Portal, My Colorado Journey and more. Additional training sessions will be available for other regions.

Participants who complete the training will be eligible to receive a $500 stipend as part of House Bill 22-1366 Improving Students’ Postsecondary Options.

Questions can be emailed to My Colorado Journey at [email protected].

Help students “get their piece of the pie” with FAFSA and CAFSA

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

The Colorado Department of Higher Education is encouraging students to get their piece of the financial aid pie by filling out the FAFSA and CAFSA. FAFSA is a student's ticket to scholarships, grants, work study and other financial aid that can put higher education dreams in reach. This year, Colorado has set a goal of reaching 52% completion.

Below are some ways to promote CAFSA and FAFSA:

Share this letter signed by CDE and CDHE with students to encourage them to complete the FAFSA.
Check your school’s FAFSA completion rate with CDHE's FAFSA Completion Tool. For questions about the tool, email [email protected].
Watch the CDHE FAFSA Myth Busters series with Executive Director, Dr. Angie Paccione.
Host a FAFSA night in your community. Check out this toolkit from the U.S. Department of Education for templates, tools, sample programming and more.

Visit CDHE's FAFSA webpage for additional information.

Clean Air for Schools enrollment deadline extended

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

The enrollment deadline for the Clean Air for Schools program has been extended to the end of April. Schools should apply as soon as possible to ensure timely delivery of the air cleaners. All public, private, charter, parochial, facility and Tribal K-12 schools in Colorado can apply for the program.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Clean Air for Schools program provides free HEPA filter portable air cleaners to all schools across Colorado. In addition to providing HEPA portable air cleaners, CDPHE will provide participating schools with necessary supplies for their optimum operation, including three years’ worth of replacement HEPA filters and surge protectors to ensure safe, practical set-up of the units in the classroom.

Learn more about Clean Air for Schools on CDPHE’s website.

Proposals for November’s Equity and Excellence conference due May 1

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

Proposals for break out sessions at the Equity and Excellence Conference are due Monday, May 1. Submit proposals to present 60-minute breakout sessions using this Google form.

The Equity and Excellence Conference is a free event for all Colorado educators and leaders to attend and share ideas, strategies and plans on how to improve instruction in Colorado. The 2023 Equity and Excellence Conference, titled “Strengthening and Expanding Practices: All Students and All Educators Emerging Stronger,” will be Nov. 1-2 at the Denver Hilton Inverness. Additional information available on the Equity and Excellence webpage.

Contact [email protected] for questions about the conference.

Southern Colorado Education Job Fair

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

University of Colorado Colorado Springs is hosting the Southern Colorado Education Job Fair for employers and candidates on Friday, April 7. The event will take place on the UCCS campus in the Gallogly Events Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Districts from across southern Colorado are hiring for a wide variety of positions, including licensed teacher, para-professional, bus driver, school counselor, secretary, school psychologist, nurse and special education teacher roles. Candidates may register for the job fair on the UCCS College of Education website.

Early childhood education transition survey

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

The Department of Early Childhood has partnered with the National P-3 Center at the University of Colorado to conduct a survey on the transition between the early care education system and the K-12 education system. Stakeholders are asked to fill out the survey by Friday, April 7. Information gathered through the survey will be used to develop the tools necessary for the implementation of the "Transitions to Kindergarten in Colorado: A Roadmap."

Funded by the state’s Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative, this work will culminate in an Early Childhood Transition Summit in October 2023. Additional opportunities to participate in this work, including the summit, are outlined in the survey.

More information can be found on CDEC’s website.

Technical Advisory Panel for Longitudinal Student Growth will meet Thursday, March 30

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

29

The Technical Advisory Panel for Longitudinal Student Growth will meet at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 30 via Zoom.

The public meeting agenda will focus on new postsecondary and workforce readiness measures, high school on-track growth and other accountability related topics.

Visit the Technical Advisory Panel for Longitudinal Growth webpage for additional information.

Career Development Incentive Program and Matriculation Submission Intent to Participate forms due March 31

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

23

The Intent to Participate for the 2022-23 Career Development Incentive Program and Matriculation Data Submission is due by Friday, March 31.

Visit the Career Development Incentive Program webpage for application information.

Early Childhood Colorado Framework feedback survey

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

23

The Early Childhood Leadership Commission seeks feedback on the Early Childhood Colorado Framework.

The survey is designed to gather ideas, feedback and insights from a broad range of early childhood stakeholders across the state to inform the revised framework. The overarching goal is to understand from various perspectives key aspects of the state’s early childhood framework that have been successful and areas where it may be improved.

Complete the survey by Tuesday, March 28. Participation in this survey is voluntary and responses will be used to inform revisions to the framework.

Email Sallie Strueby at [email protected] with any questions about survey participation.

Facility Schools Board vacancies

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

23

Volunteers are being sought for seats on the Facility Schools Board. Seats are open for:

One person who represents state-level child placement agencies.
One person who represents county departments of social services.

The membership term is three years, and the board meets monthly. Board members serve without compensation, except for reasonable reimbursement of travel expenses. Applicants must include a resume and a cover letter/letter of interest by Wednesday, March 29. Application documents must be emailed to Judy Stirman at [email protected].

Apply for a Summer Food Service Program technology mini grant

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

23

Mini-grants are available for Summer Food Service Program sponsors who wish to purchase the technology necessary to run the Mobile Meal Counter App. Applications are due by Friday, April 14.

For more information on the Mobile Meal Counter App, visit the Meal Counter Resource webpage.

Clean Air for Schools program

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

23

Applications for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Clean Air for Schools program are due by Friday, March 31.

The program is open to all public, private, charter, parochial, facility and Tribal K-12 schools.

CDPHE is partnering with Carrier West to distribute the air filters to schools. To learn more about the program visit CDPHE's Clear Air for Schools webpage.

Email any questions about the program to the CDPHE Clean Air for Schools team at [email protected].

2023 Teaching and Learning CoLabs

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

23

The dates and host sites for this summer's Teaching and Learning CoLabs are:

Thursday, June 1, in Grand Junction hosted by Colorado Mesa University.
Wednesday, June 14, in Greeley hosted by the University of Northern Colorado.
Date TBD in Pueblo hosted by CSU-Pueblo.

The Teaching and Learning CoLabs are one-day, multi-disciplinary regional PD developed in partnership with Colorado's higher education institutions, professional teaching organizations, and CDE. This year's content areas include English Language Acquisition, math, health, PE, science, computer science, social studies, visual and performing arts, and school leadership. Schools are encouraged to attend a CoLab in teams, with teachers representing multiple grades and content areas.

Clean Air for Schools program

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

15

Applications for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Clean Air for Schools program are due by Friday, March 31.

The program is open to all public, private, charter, parochial, facility and Tribal K-12 schools.

CDPHE will hold a series of virtual question and answer sessions on Wednesdays, March 15 and 22, from 11:30 a.m. to noon. School staff can register via Zoom. Select the preferred date in the drop-down menu.

CDPHE is partnering with Carrier West to distribute the air filters to schools. To learn more about the program visit CDPHE's Clear Air for Schools webpage.

Email any questions about the program to the CDPHE Clean Air for Schools team at [email protected].

Leadership learning cohort opportunities for the 2023-24 school year

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

15

CDE will host the following learning cohorts for the 2023-24 school year:

Highly Mobile Youth Learning Cohort
Family School and Community Partnerships in High School Learning Cohort

Learning cohorts convene for three to six sessions so participants can share and observe practices and discuss strategies for implementation. Depending on the cohort sessions will be on Zoom and/or in-person. Learning cohorts are free to participants and may include implementation funding.

More cohorts will be added for the 2023-24 school year and updates will be posted to the Learning Cohort webpage. View the Learning Cohort webpage to apply and access specific information on each cohort.

Epidemic and Communicable Disease Control rulemaking hearing and stakeholder feedback

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Mar

15

The Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response presented proposed amendments to the Epidemic and Communicable Disease Control rule (6 CCR 1009-1) to the Board of Health on Feb. 15, and requested that the board set a rulemaking hearing for Wednesday, April 19.

Board meetings are open to the public and meeting documents are posted on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website. Use this form to provide feedback or ask questions outside of the formal rulemaking public comment forum by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 22.

If you have further questions about the rulemaking process, email Ariella Foss at [email protected].