Colorado Application Days are next week

by: Bryce Reedy

Oct

13

Colorado Free Application Days will take place from Tuesday, Oct. 18 - Thursday, Oct. 20. All public and some private institutions will waive application fees on those three days.

Students must submit a complete admissions application during Oct. 18-20. Any admissions applications that have been started but not submitted may not be granted a waiver. Any other admission documents that are not part of the actual admission application that institutions may require can be submitted before or after Oct. 18-20, for example, high school transcripts, letters of recommendation.

Each institution will have a unique process to waive the admissions application submission fee. Visit the Colorado Free Application Days webpage to find specific information by institution.

View Gov. Jared Polis’ announcement in English and Spanish.

October CoMath Conversation

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

13

Join the October CoMath conversation at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Presenters will share key takeaways from the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conferences in September. Everyone is welcome to attend, share and ask questions regardless if they were able to attend the conferences or not.

Register via Zoom.

Launch Years Initiative

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

13

Colorado is joining the Launch Years Initiative, a three-year project to support the scaling of modern mathematics pathways from high school into postsecondary education.

Through Launch Years, a project of the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, states and national organizations work together to learn about approaches that improve experiences and outcomes for students. In Colorado, the Launch Years leadership team includes representatives from the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the Colorado Community College System, CDE, The Colorado Math Leaders and the Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Charter School Capital Construction Reporting due Monday, Oct. 31

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

All charter schools eligible to receive Charter School Capital Construction funding must complete the Charter School Capital Construction Report annually. This online report is due Monday, Oct. 31, and determines funding levels for the next fiscal year.

View the Charter Schools webpage for additional information.

October Early Childhood Leadership Commission Town Hall

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

The Early Childhood Leadership Commission will host monthly Town Halls to provide families, providers, members of the workforce, and early childhood stakeholders with updates about the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program implementation process and opportunities to get involved.

Join the town hall at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, to hear from members of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, the Governor's Early Childhood Transition Team, state agency leaders and other early childhood champions. Spanish language interpretation will be available.

Register via Zoom.

Celebrate National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

October is National Farm to School Month, and National School Lunch Week is Oct. 10-14. Both events are opportunities to recognize school nutrition professionals' work to nourish Colorado students. Here are some examples of how schools and districts are celebrating National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month:

Windsor Charter Academy maintains an organic garden with the help of students, parents, staff and the community. Food harvested from the garden is served at school lunch.
Boulder Valley School District used social media to take followers on a farm-to-school tour. Each post highlighted a Colorado farmer, rancher or producer that provided food on the district’s menu for Colorado Proud School Meal Day.
Durango School District celebrated Colorado Proud School Meal Day with tacos made using locally sourced ingredients.

Funding for Farm to School

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

CDE's School Nutrition Unit received funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Local Food for Schools Cooperative Grant to provide districts with reimbursements for local food purchases.

Superintendents interested in this grant can complete this opt-in form.

For more information on the LFS Grant, view the frequently asked questions document.

Email all questions to [email protected].

View the Nutrition Grants and Awards webapge for additional information.

Applications are being accepted for the Facility Schools Board of Education

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

CDE seeks applicants for the vacated school district seat on the Facility Schools Board. The open seat represents school districts within Colorado. Candidates should have expertise in either special education or general education. The term of membership is three years, and the board meets monthly.

Applications must include a resume and a cover letter/letter of interest and are due Wednesday, Oct. 5. Email applications to Judy Stirman at [email protected].

Blended and Online Learning focus group

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

CDE is hosting a focus group on Blended and Online Learning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20. Visit the Blended Learning Initiative webpage for registration details.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools shifted their instructional models from traditional in-person to remote learning instruction and other types of hybrid models. Terms like “Blended Learning,” “Hybrid Instruction”, and “Online Asynchronous” are common conversations among students and teachers across the state. What we know, or thought we knew, about what works in terms of instruction, seat time/funding requirements and achieving strong student outcomes has changed. This work is being led by the Blended Learning Initiative.

Expanded Learning Opportunity Grant Awards

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Oct

05

The Expanded Learning Opportunities grant was awarded in September to 43 programs to provide quality afterschool and summer opportunities to help Colorado students overcome the academic challenges brought on by the pandemic. Grant recipients include school districts, community-based providers, libraries, charter schools and institutes of higher learning. Read CDE's news release on the awardees.

Additional information can be found on ELO Grant Program page.

October Early Childhood Leadership Commission Town Hall

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

The Early Childhood Leadership Commission will host monthly Town Halls to provide families, providers, members of the workforce and early childhood stakeholders with updates about the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program implementation process and opportunities to get involved.

Join the town hall at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, to hear from members of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, the Governor's Early Childhood Transition Team, state agency leaders and other early childhood advocates. Spanish language interpretation will be available.

Register via Zoom

Rule Revisions Feedback

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

CDE is seeking public comment on revisions to four rules:

1 CCR 301-37 (Rules for the Administration of the Educator Licensing Act of 1991)
1 CCR 301-101 (Rules for the Administration of Educator License Endorsements)
1 CCR 301-111 (Rules for the Administration of the School Leadership Pilot Program)
1 CCR 301-113 (Rules for the Administration of the Educator Recruitment and Retention Program)

The online form will be available through Friday, Sept. 30. Comments may be sent via email to [email protected] through Friday, Oct. 7.

Colorado's P-12 Family, School and Community Partnerships Framework Online Course

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

Learn about Colorado's P-12 Family, School, and Community Partnerships Framework, the Four Essential Elements and how to use the accompanying rubrics for self-assessment in a self-paced online course.

Individuals who complete the course will receive five hours of professional development credits.

Register for the Colorado Out-of-School Time Fall Conference

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

Join out-of-school time professionals for three days of learning, networking and fun during the inaugural statewide Out-of-School Time Conference hosted by the Colorado Afterschool Partnership and CDE. The conference will be Oct. 16-18 at the Summit Event Center in Aurora.

Conference sessions will feature OST-specific topics such as youth development, trauma-informed care, STEM, staffing, family engagement, leadership and partnerships. Participants will learn how to support the whole child through wraparound supports, improve program quality, build staff capacity, raise awareness for increased engagement and more.

The conference is free for all Colorado-based OST professionals.

To register, visit the Colorado Afterschool Partnership website.

If you're interested in volunteering sign up through Sign Up Genuis.

Fund My Future expands allowing more Colorado High Schools to participate

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, is updating eligibility requirements for the Fund My Future grant, allowing more school districts and charter schools to apply.

The grant is aimed at increasing Free Application for Federal Student Aid and Colorado Application for State Financial Aid completion at Colorado high schools. Fund My Future provides up to $1.5 million in funding for local education providers to help implement programming and student services with the goal of having all high school seniors complete a student aid application before graduation.

The updated request for proposals was released last week.

Applications can be submitted through Friday, Oct. 14.

Visit CDHE's website for more information on the Fund My Future grant.

Path4Ward Program Open for Applicants

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

Path4Ward provides scholarships to low-income high school students who graduate early to pay for postsecondary education and training programs, including college and workplace learning programs like internships or apprenticeships.

Applications may be submitted via the CDHE website until Monday, Nov. 14. The Commission on Higher Education will select a limited number of new participating districts or groups of districts from the applicant pool on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Application resources, including submission templates, the selection rubric, an FAQ and a recorded instructional webinar are available on the CDHE website.

View CDHE's website for more information on the Path4Ward program.

Instructional Support to Start Your School Year Right

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

CDE's Office of Standards and Instructional Support has content specialists and specialists in high-impact tutoring and extended learning opportunities. Each content specialist can answer questions about standards, curriculum, instruction and they can connect educators with professional teaching organizations and their activities across the state.

Contact information for all the specialists is available on the SIS webpage.

Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year Award

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

Angel Tari, of Overland Trail Middle School in 27J School District, was awarded the Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year Award. Ms. Tari received a $1,000 award, and Overland Trails’ library will receive over 30 books and journals on American history, along with historical documents for primary source investigation. Ms. Tari promotes the love of learning American history in her classroom. She has shown her dedication to teaching by participating in curriculum development, and holding leadership positions in both the school district and the school.

The Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year Award honors one exceptional K-12 teacher of American History from each state and U.S. territory. The selection of the state winner is based upon several criteria, including a deep career commitment to teaching American history, evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom and close attention to teaching with documents, artifacts, historic sites and other primary materials of history.

Applications are being accepted for the Facility Schools Board of Education

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

28

The Office of Facility Schools at CDE seeks applicants for the recently vacated school district seat on the Facility Schools Board. The open seat represents school districts within Colorado and applicants should have expertise in either special education or general education.

The term of membership is three years, and the board meets monthly. Applications for the Facility Schools Board include a resume and a cover letter/letter of interest, and are due Wednesday, Oct. 5. Applications can be emailed to Judy Stirman at [email protected]. For more information, contact Judy Stirman at 303-866-6684.

2023 United States Senate Youth Program Application Available

by: Bryce Reedy

Category: Newsletter

Sep

21

The United States Senate Youth Program application for students is available.

High school juniors or seniors with demonstrated leadership in elected or appointed positions in which they are actively representing a constituency in organizations related to student government, education, public affairs and community service are eligible to apply.

The USSYP is a unique educational experience for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. The program brings the highest-level officials from each branch of government to meet with two high school juniors or seniors from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity for an intensive week-long education and leadership program. The 61st Annual USSYP Washington Week is being planned for March 4–11, in Washington, D.C. Each delegate will be awarded a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies, with encouragement to pursue coursework in history and political science.

Applications are due on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

For more information on eligibility, selection process and application, visit the U.S. Senate Youth Program webpage.