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A Colorado school is taking coronavirus testing beyond its students and teachers

The Colorado Sun

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Participation in Colorado’s dual enrollment programs continues to grow

For more information:
Dana Smith, chief communications officer, Colorado Department of Education,
Office: 303-866-6682, [email protected]
 
Megan McDermott, director of communications, Colorado Department of Higher Education
Office: 720-394-3205, [email protected] 

Sept. 17, 2020
 

News Release 

Participation in Colorado’s dual enrollment programs continues to grow 

 

Concurrent Enrollment students had higher workforce earnings after five years than those who did not take college courses in high school

DENVER – Nearly 50,500 students took at least one dual enrollment course during the 2018-19 academic year, according to a report released today by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and Colorado Department of Education (CDE). This was an increase of nearly 4,700 students from 2017-18, or a 9.2% jump in dual enrollment participation overall. 
 
Often tuition-free, dual enrollment programs provide high school students with the opportunity to enroll in college-level courses and earn high school and college credit. Colorado’s Concurrent Enrollment (CE) program, established by the state Legislature in 2009, is still the most popular choice among dual enrollment programs for the fifth year in a row. Nearly 40% of Colorado high school graduates participate in the state’s Concurrent Enrollment program. 

Concurrent Enrollment continues to see sustained growth with an annual growth rate of 11% in 2018-19. Statewide, 172 school districts—or 97%—and 86% of high schools offer Concurrent Enrollment programs. 
 
“Concurrent enrollment is a terrific program that expands opportunity and opens doors for so many students,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “These courses allow students to challenge themselves in new and innovative ways, explore new fields of study, and get prepared for good jobs while saving an estimated $50 million dollars on tuition.”  

More students of color took advantage of CE classes in the 2018-19 academic year. CE participation grew by 15% among African American and Black students, 12.1% among Latinx and Hispanic students, 11.3% among Asian students, and 10.5% among students who identify as more than one race or ethnicity.  
 
“These courses save students money, give them a head start on earning college credit, save them on time to degree and improve future wage outcomes, a win-win for our students and our economy,” said Dr. Angie Paccione, executive director, CDHE.
  
Through Concurrent Enrollment or ASCENT programs, 3,116 students earned some type of postsecondary credential while in high school, a 13% increase over last year’s total high school credential completion number (2,758). In addition, Concurrent Enrollment students had higher workforce earnings after five years ($15,767.45 vs. $14,377.98) than those who did not take college courses in high school.  
 
“We know three out of four jobs in Colorado are going to require some sort of postsecondary education,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes. “That’s almost 3 million future jobs. We want to be sure the K-12 system prepares students as early as possible for that changing workforce. And Concurrent Enrollment courses along with other options such as internships and apprenticeships are great ways for students to get ready for their next steps beyond high school.”
 
This year’s report includes findings from a research study supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES grant number R305H170049) and the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab. This study found that students who attempted one or more Concurrent Enrollment credits in high school were dramatically more likely to matriculate to college within one year following high school graduation, persist in postsecondary education, complete postsecondary education, and have higher workforce earnings after postsecondary completion.  
 
Key findings from academic year 2018-19

  • Statewide, 50,416 students participated in dual enrollment programs of any type.  
  • Concurrent Enrollment continues to see sustained increases in participation, up more than 11% statewide with 34,519 students participating. 
  • High school students attempted 293,820 Concurrent Enrollment credit hours. The average number of credit hours attempted per students was 8.5 with an average of 8 credit hours passed. 
  • Participation in Concurrent Enrollment increased among students of color.  
  • More than 40% of students who participated in ASCENT in 2018-2019 were Latinx or Hispanic, a racial/ethnic group historically underrepresented in postsecondary education. 
  • 3,116 high school students earned some type of postsecondary credential after participating in Concurrent Enrollment or ASCENT programs. 
  • Two-year institutions saw the biggest percentage increase in Concurrent Enrollment participation with a 10.8 percentage point increase. 
  • At the district level, Jeffco Public Schools had the most students participating in Concurrent Enrollment by headcount (3,245 students), while Edison 54 JT School District had the highest percentage (79.1%) of students participating in Concurrent Enrollment. 
  • Statewide, 172 school districts—or 97%—and 86% of high schools offer Concurrent Enrollment programs.      
  • A large majority of the Concurrent Enrollment hours taken by students—94%—were passed in 2018-19 (0.3 percentage points less than 2017-2018). 
  • In 2018-2019, 31 districts had less than 5% Concurrent Enrollment participation among their 9th- through 12th-grade student population. This is a slight decrease from last year when 34 districts had less than 5% Concurrent Enrollment participation. 

This report was prepared by the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of Education and was submitted to the Education Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives pursuant to 22-35-112 C.R.S. Read the complete report
   
*In this report, “dual enrollment” refers to the broad array of programs available to high school students that allow them to take college-level courses for free. “Concurrent Enrollment” refers only to statewide programs created by House Bill 09-1319 and detailed in the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act (C.R.S. 22-35-101 et seq.). 
























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U.S. Department of Education awards Colorado five-year, $16 million grant for literacy advancement

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Sept. 9, 2020 
For more information, contact:
CDE Communications Division

News Release

 

U.S. Department of Education awards Colorado five-year, $16 million grant for literacy advancement  

DENVER – The U.S. Department of Education awarded Colorado a $16 million grant to implement the Colorado Comprehensive Literacy Project, which aims to advance literacy skills for children from birth to grade 12 with special emphasis on disadvantaged children, including children living in poverty, English learners and children with disabilities.

The Comprehensive Literacy State Development Program is a competitive federal grant that seeks to improve literacy in the state by using evidence-based practices, activities and interventions, including pre-literacy skills. The grant will span five years and will provide funding to districts through a competitive grant process.

“We are so thrilled to receive this grant—especially in tough budget times," said Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes. "This funding will enable the state to build upon the progress from the READ Act, which focuses resources on students in kindergarten through third grade. This grant will allow us to support learning prior to kindergarten and after third grade.  And it will allow us to focus on historically underserved populations.”

The grant will provide professional development and technical assistance, literacy coaching, and will help districts disseminate family literacy information. Ninety-five percent of the funds will be directed to school districts, both rural and urban that are geographically diverse, and funds will be distributed to at least three Qualified Opportunity Zones throughout Colorado.

The Colorado Comprehensive Literacy Project activities will also create an infrastructure for districts to develop their own local literacy plans and to apply for funding to implement research-based literacy strategies and interventions. The timeline and process for distributing the funds through a competitive process is still being determined. 

For more information about the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Program, please click here. 

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Gov. Polis Launches $32 Million RISE Education Fund


For Immediate Release

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Conor Cahill | [email protected] 


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Competency-Based Learning Puts Students at the Center. It’s Perfect for Now.

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CDE Update

 

Aug. 26, 2020

For more information, contact:
[email protected]

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CU study estimates university had $14.2 billion economic impact on state

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COVID-19 Policy Implications Stakeholder Group

Background on the Stakeholder Group

In the 2020 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly included in the School Finance Act (HB20-1418 (PDF)) the creation of a stakeholder group to address issues presented by the COVID-19 crisis. The purpose of the group is to review the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting disruption of the 2019-2020 school year, including student transition to remote learning and the cancellation of the state assessments, accountability, accreditation, and educator evaluation systems. The COVID-19 Policy Implications Stakeholder Group will discuss how the cancellation of state assessments will impact accountability, accreditation, and educator evaluations during the 2020-21 school year and whether future modifications are needed for these areas in response to the pandemic.

The COVID-19 Policy Implications Stakeholder Group is being formed under the direction of the Commissioner and will work from the fall 2020 through December 2020. By early January 2021, the findings and recommendations from the working group will be completed.

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CDE News Release

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Aug. 13, 2020
For more information, contact:
CDE Communications Division

News Release


State Board reauthorizes MSU Denver's educator preparation programs 

Board reviews progress of schools and districts on accountability clock 

DENVER - The Colorado State Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting held on Wednesday and Thursday approved both MSU Denver’s traditional and alternative teacher licensure programs except for two endorsement areas. These two areas, elementary and early childhood, were approved on a conditional basis only for the 2020-21 academic year, allowing the university to continue implementing changes to content and instruction. Another review of the elementary and early childhood programs will be conducted, along with a state site visit, in spring 2021.

Staff presented progress of schools and districts on accountability clock
CDE staff presented information about the progress of 12 schools and two districts that are implementing improvement plans directed by the state board after five or more years of low student achievement. The presentation focused on adjustments to the school and district improvement plans as a result of the shift to remote learning last spring and planned adjustments this fall. The presentation and the progress monitoring reports for each school and district are available on the CDE website

Board maintains exclusive chartering authority of Pueblo 60
The state board denied a request from the Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences to revoke Pueblo School District 60’s exclusive chartering authority. Among its arguments, PSAS cited concerns that the district failed to assist the school with its long-term facility needs and unlawfully withheld $70,000 in per pupil revenue. Following the hearing, the board determined that the Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences failed to prove the district demonstrated a pattern of not providing fair and equitable treatment to its charter schools.

Updates provided on implementation of the READ Act
CDE staff updated the board on the review process for creating the Instructional Programming Advisory List and Professional Development Advisory List required by the 2019 changes to the READ Act. Districts using READ funds to purchase instructional programming must select programming that is included in the Instructional Programming Advisory List. 

The process of reviewing instructional programming for inclusion on the list started with CDE staff developing eligibility requirements that meet statutory requirements. Publishers submitted 123 programs to be considered for the list, and a review team made up of 30 district experts and 12 CDE program staff reviewed the submitted instructional materials. Following appeals as allowed by the READ Act, 56 programs were included on the Instructional Programming Advisory List. At this point, staff are still working to review 11 programs. 












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CDE News Release

Aug. 13, 2020
For more information, contact:
CDE Communications Division

News Release


State Board reauthorizes MSU Denver's educator preparation programs 

Board reviews progress of schools and districts on accountability clock 

DENVER - The Colorado State Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting held on Wednesday and Thursday approved both MSU Denver’s traditional and alternative teacher licensure programs except for two endorsement areas. These two areas, elementary and early childhood, were approved on a conditional basis only for the 2020-21 academic year, allowing the university to continue implementing changes to content and instruction. Another review of the elementary and early childhood programs will be conducted, along with a state site visit, in spring 2021.

Staff presented progress of schools and districts on accountability clock
CDE staff presented information about the progress of 12 schools and two districts that are implementing improvement plans directed by the state board after five or more years of low student achievement. The presentation focused on adjustments to the school and district improvement plans as a result of the shift to remote learning last spring and planned adjustments this fall. The presentation and the progress monitoring reports for each school and district are available on the CDE website

Board maintains exclusive chartering authority of Pueblo 60
The state board denied a request from the Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences to revoke Pueblo School District 60’s exclusive chartering authority. Among its arguments, PSAS cited concerns that the district failed to assist the school with its long-term facility needs and unlawfully withheld $70,000 in per pupil revenue. Following the hearing, the board determined that the Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences failed to prove the district demonstrated a pattern of not providing fair and equitable treatment to its charter schools.

Updates provided on implementation of the READ Act
CDE staff updated the board on the review process for creating the Instructional Programming Advisory List and Professional Development Advisory List required by the 2019 changes to the READ Act. Districts using READ funds to purchase instructional programming must select programming that is included in the Instructional Programming Advisory List. 

The process of reviewing instructional programming for inclusion on the list started with CDE staff developing eligibility requirements that meet statutory requirements. Publishers submitted 123 programs to be considered for the list, and a review team made up of 30 district experts and 12 CDE program staff reviewed the submitted instructional materials. Following appeals as allowed by the READ Act, 56 programs were included on the Instructional Programming Advisory List. At this point, staff are still working to review 11 programs. 












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Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Kids First: Getting America’s Children Safely Back to School
President Trump is taking action to ensure schools safely reopen in the fall and empower parents to make decisions about their children's education. The President has made over $13 billion available to support continued education for K-12 students and has requested $105 billion in education funding as part of the next coronavirus relief bill.

Today at 3 PM Eastern, President Trump is hosting parents, teachers, and health and educational experts – alongside Senior Administration Officials –at the White House for a discussion on the importance of safely reopening America’s schools. This discussion is a continuation of the roundtable the President hosted at the White House in July.

 

Health officials are quitting or getting fired amid coronavirus outbreak

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Wednesday, August 05, 2020

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