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Gifted Education Advisory Committee

Applications are open for individuals interested in joining the Gifted Education Advisory Committee for the 2023-26 term.

See the Gifted Education State Advisory Committee webpage for districts and available openings.

New funding opportunity

The School Health Professional Grant Program is intended to provide behavioral health education and intervention to students who are enrolled in elementary and secondary schools, and provide training and resources to school staff for implementing evidence-based programming for behavioral health education and care for all students.

Visit the School Health Professional Grant Program webpage for additional information.

Apply for the Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Career and Education Grant

The application for the Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Career and Education Grant is open.

Funds can be used for developing and distributing financial aid information, training educators, hosting financial aid and FAFSA/CASFA completion events and for updating the Individual Career and Academic Plan process.

Register to attend an assistance webinar at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24.

View the Financial Aid and FAFSA/CASFA webpage for additional information.

Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Symposium in Durango on Thursday, Nov. 3

Educators and district staff are invited to attend the Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Symposium on Thursday, Nov. 3, in Durango. Participants will learn about relevant PWR resources in a collaborative environment hosted by CDE and Pueblo Community College.

Register for the Symposium via this Google Doc.

Can’t travel to Durango? Consider hosting a symposium. View the PWR Symposium webpage for future dates.

Innovative Learning Opportunities Pilot 2023-24

The Intent to Apply form for the Innovative Learning Opportunities Pilot Program is available for 2023-24. The Intent to Apply is due by Friday, Dec. 9.

For an overview of the application and application timeline, register for the ILOP application webinar at 1p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.

The ILOP Application process webpage has more detailed information about the application process.

Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation Survey

The Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation Survey for the 2023-24 school year is due Monday, Nov. 14.

Additional information can be found on the TREP webpage.

2023-24 ASCENT 101 and Estimated Numbers Intent to Participate Webinar

Register for the 2023-24 ASCENT 101 and Estimated Numbers Intent to Participate webinar that is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24. Attendees will learn more about the program and get answers to frequently asked questions.

If districts are planning to participate in the ASCENT program next year, they should complete the 2023-24 Estimated Number of ASCENT Program Participants Intent to Participate web form by Monday, Nov. 14.

The webinar will be recorded and made available on the ASCENT Technical Assistance webpage.

View the ASCENT webpage for additonal information.

Take a Free Advisors LEAD Course

The Colorado Department of Higher Education offers free professional development opportunities for college and career high school counselors. Access to the course is by invitation only. Interested participants should fill out this form. Upon completing all four training modules, participants will receive certification and recognition from CDHE.

The Advisors LEAD course was developed in response to House Bill 19-1206 and in partnership with Student-Ready Strategies.

For additional information, visit the Advisors LEAD webpage on the CDHE website.

Colorado Free Application Days

Students can apply to Colorado colleges and universities for free through Thursday, Oct. 20, as part of Colorado Free Application Days.

Visit the Colorado Free Application Day webpage for additional information.

If you encounter technical problems submitting admissions applications, contact the school's Admissions Office.

Watch the Public Service Announcements in English and Spanish.

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Nominations are open

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science teaching. Principals, teachers, parents, students or members of the general public may nominate exceptional Colorado STEM teachers who are currently teaching grades 7-12 for the 2022-23 award year.

Eligible teachers may also apply directly on the PAEMST website.

The nomination deadline is Jan. 7, and the application deadline is Feb. 6.

Online UIP offline Saturday, Oct. 15

The CDE Identity Management System will undergo maintenance on Saturday, Oct. 15, making the online UIP inaccessible for the day.

2022-23 Unified Improvement Plan submission

The 2022-23 school and district unified improvement plans are due for public posting on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Biennial and combined plan flexibility are available for eligible districts and schools, which can be checked in the online system under the School/District Summary and Requirements tab.

Note that newly identified sites, such as Year 0, ESSA Comprehensive Support and sites participating in Request to Reconsider may request an additional extension to submit their plans until Jan. 17. District users should indicate if eligible schools or the district will submit their plan in January in the UIP Details page under January Submission.

Visit the UIP general resources page for submission resources.

2023 US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award applications open

CDE is accepting applications from schools, districts, and colleges and universities for the 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award Program. PreK-12 Schools, districts and institutions of higher education eligible for this prestigious national award are those demonstrating high achievement each of the three GRS Pillars: Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs, Improved Health and Wellness, and Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education.

ED-GRS honorees are recognized by parents, students, staff, partners, sponsors and communities as exemplary models of achievement in sustainability, health and environmental education. Honorees will be invited to participate in national and local recognition ceremonies.

Applications are due to CDE on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Application assistance and resources are available for those interested in applying.

Colorado Application Days are next week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.