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Annual student art competition

Students can enter the 2024 Congressional Art Competition, a nationwide visual art competition for high school students, by Friday, April 12. One student from each congressional district will be selected by that district’s representative in Congress. The winning pieces will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and the winning artist receives free airfare to visit the Capitol and attend a reception in their honor.

Title FSCP Promising Partnership Practices call for submissions

The State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education, in collaboration with CDE, is collecting promising partnership practices from across the state to publish in the 10th annual Promising Partnership Practices—Colorado book.  SACPIE and CDE invite schools, districts, early childhood centers, institutions of higher education, accountability committees, parent-teacher committees or any other school- or district-based council to submit an application for consideration in the publication on the Promising Partnership Practices webpage

Secondary School Student Substance Use Committee report

Per House Bill 23-1009, the Secondary School Student Substance Use Committee developed a report with a practice that secondary schools may implement to identify students who need substance use treatment, as well as interventions, resources and referrals. Learn more about the report on the Secondary School Student Substance Use Committee webpage.

Webinar introducing a new streamlined UIP template option for 2024-25

The School Improvement Planning team is rolling out a new, optional streamlined Unified Improvement Plan Template on Monday, April 15. The new template will be accessed by district staff in the online portal, and school users can be given access by district LAM assignment. Register for an informational webinar on the new template at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 22.

For more information visit the UIP/ACI Online System webpage.

Nominate an exceptional teacher for the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year

Each year the Colorado Teacher of the Year Program honors an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled K-12 classroom teacher to represent the entire profession in the state. The selected teacher will automatically become Colorado’s nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Program. Nominations are due Monday, May 20.

Visit the Colorado Teacher of the Year webpage for more information on the Colorado Teacher of the Year program, the application process and to access the online application form.

Technical Advisory Panel for Longitudinal Student Growth meeting

The Technical Advisory Panel for Longitudinal Student Growth will meet via Zoom at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 7. The meeting agenda will focus on CMAS Science and other accountability-related topics. Learn more and register for the public meeting on the Technical Advisory Panel webpage

TLCC Survey Extended to March 8

The Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado survey window has been extended to Friday, March 8, to give schools and districts additional time to reach the 50% participation threshold. Results are expected to be released in April, first to districts, then publicly at www.tlccsurvey.org. The survey is available in Spanish. Packets of codes are being mailed to sites that have not begun the survey. 

Highly Mobile Youth Learning Cohort - Celebration of Learning

Register for CDE's Learning Cohort on Highly Mobile Youth in-person celebration of learning on Wednesday, March 6, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Adams 12 Conference Center in Thornton. Lunch will be provided. CDE partners and youth-serving professionals from across the state will engage in networking, learning and collective problem solving related to creating greater access and opportunity for youth experiencing high mobility.  

Share this event with others in your school, district or community who work with highly mobile youth populations including those experiencing housing insecurity, children and youth in foster care and families in the Migrant Education Program. Priority will be given to those who have participated in at least one Learning Cohort Session since May 2023.

Exceptional Children's Education Act High-Cost Funding Applications

Applications for reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2022-23 expenditures for high-cost students with disabilities are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 1. There are no exceptions to this due date.

2024-25 Early Literacy Assessment Tool Project application open

The 2024-25 ELAT Project application window is open. The ELAT Project supplies a free State Board of Education-approved early literacy assessment tool to a school or district for teachers to obtain real-time assessment of the reading skill levels of students in kindergarten through third grade. Application materials are posted on the ELAT Application Process webpage and are due Wednesday, April 10.

National School Breakfast Week is March 4-8

Each year, schools celebrate National School Breakfast Week. Studies show students who eat school breakfast are more likely to reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math, score higher on standardized tests, have better concentration and memory, have improved school attendance, and have better overall nutrition. All schools are encouraged to show their enthusiasm for school breakfast March 4-8 with this year’s theme, “Surf’s Up with School Breakfast.” Ask your school nutrition department how you can support the celebration. 

Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative's Second Chance Scholarship is open

COSI is accepting applications for the Second Chance Scholarship from students planning to attend college in the fall of 2024. The Second Chance Scholarship offers up to $5,000 a year to students who have been released from the Division of Youth Services commitment facility within the last five years. The application is due Friday, March 15. 

2024-25 Early Literacy Assessment Tool Project application information

The ELAT Project supplies a State Board of Education-approved early literacy assessment tool at no cost to a school or district for teachers to obtain real-time assessments of the reading skill levels of students in kindergarten through third grade. Register to attend a webinar about the ELAT application process at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, the day the application opens. 

2024-27 Colorado Student Wellness Grant request for applications open

The Request for Applications for the Colorado Student Wellness Grant for 2024 through 2027 is open. This three-year grant program supports the expansion and coordination of local student wellness policies, practices and programs for the physical, mental, emotional and social needs of students. Approximately $420,000 is available for the 2024-25 school year, pending state legislature approval, for local education providers including school districts, BOCES, charter schools, facility schools, the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and Indian tribes or tribal organizations. Grants will be awarded for a three-year term and applications are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20. 

Early childhood teacher apprenticeships webinar

Register for a series of webinars to learn about becoming an early childhood teacher through apprenticeship. Join Colorado Mesa University, Red Rocks Community College and TEACH Colorado to learn how to get career and financial support and how to apply to a program. The monthly series will begin at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27. 

District Accountability Committee: district administrator networking

Register to join a virtual networking session at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29, for district staff who support DACs to share facilitation strategies, successes, opportunities and collaborative problem-solving. This session will focus on coordination between DACs, districts and local boards.

Teachers can add licenses and certifications to myColorado app

CDE is partnering with the myColorado app to provide certified educators with access to digital versions of their certificates. To access certificates in the myColorado wallet download the myColorado app, create an account, and download certificates into the myColorado wallet. To learn more about myColorado and the Educator Certificates, visit the myColorado FAQ page

The OERColorado Project

Open Educational Resources Colorado is a digital library of educational textbooks and classroom materials across core subject areas and Career and Technical Education as well as a collaboration space for PK-12 educators. Visit OERColorado’ s YouTube channel to learn how to use these resources.

Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation 2024-25 slot allocation kick-off

If your school has students participating in TREP for the 2024-25 year, visit the TREP webpage to register for a webinar on at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29, to learn more about submitting your slot requests. The slot request period will be from Friday, March 1, through Wednesday, May 1.

Attend an Educator Financial Aid Training in Denver

The second Denver metro region Educator Financial Aid Training will be this Friday, Feb. 9, at the University of Colorado Denver Student Commons Building. Use the registration form to join upcoming trainings and check future dates. These one-day, in-person trainings are designed for K-12 school counselors, advisors, educators and those involved with the FAFSA/CASFA processes at their school, organization or agency. Topics include updates and changes on the FAFSA, an overview of CASFA, Individual Career and Academic Plans, the FAFSA Completion Portal, My Colorado Journey and more. Eligible participants who complete this training will receive a $500 stipend as part of House Bill 22-1366 Improving Students’ Postsecondary Options.