The Educator Preparation office will review the current reading teacher and reading specialist endorsement standards in early 2022 and seeks to establish a working group for possible revisions. The initial meeting for the stakeholder group will be held at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 27. A full-day working meeting will follow on Friday, Feb. 4. Interested stakeholders must be able to commit to both of these dates and times. Meetings will be held virtually.

We’re seeking participation from a variety of stakeholders, including:

• District/BOCES teachers, leaders (reading teachers, hiring managers, principals, instructional leads, etc.)
• Colorado teacher preparation programs (reading faculty, program leaders, etc.)
• CDE literacy experts
• Community and educational literacy advocates

Interested participants must complete the interest form by Thursday, Jan. 20. Notifications will be sent out to all interested participants next week with details about the review process.

A strong educator pipeline that can prepare, recruit and retain high-quality and diverse educators is essential for improving student success. However, many Colorado districts are experiencing teacher shortages and high turnover. To address this challenge, CDE and the Region 12 Comprehensive Center are launching an online community of practice initiative in 2022 for K-20 peer teams to engage in collaborative analysis, discussion, planning, and action to improve educator preparation, recruitment, hiring, diversity, and retention.

We’re seeking participation from leaders, key staff, and stakeholders from a variety of organizations, including:

• School districts & charter schools
• Traditional & alternative teacher prep programs
• BOCES
• State offices (CDE, CDHE, CDLE, etc.)
• Advocates (CEA, TEACH Colorado, etc.)

Learn more and sign up here.

Applications for the Early Literacy Assessment Tool project for the 2022-23 school year are due Friday, Jan. 31.

A recording of the Nov. 17 application training webinar can be accessed on the ELAT webpage.

The ELAT Project is designed to assist teachers in meeting READ Act assessment requirements. The online tool will allow teachers to obtain real-time assessments of the reading skill levels of their K-3 students. Based on assessment results, the online tool will generate intervention plans and materials to support students.

Participating local education providers will select a vendor and will be supplied with the software to use the assessments and supporting professional development opportunities. Participants will choose between:

• Amplify for Acadience Reading (formerly named DIBELS Next) and IDEL, approved interim assessments for the READ Act, and DIBELS Deep PA/WRD diagnostic reading assessment, an approved diagnostic measure.
• Istation for ISIP Early Reading and ISIP Lectura Temprana approved interim assessments for the READ Act.

All participating LEPs will receive software to use the assessment. Districts will be responsible for providing their own hardware.

DENVER -- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Commissioner of Education Katy Anthes urge all school-based educators and support staff to complete the statewide survey of teaching and learning conditions, which will be available Wednesday, Jan. 19, and will remain open for a month.

Results from the Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado Survey provide school, district and state policymakers with reliable data on teaching and learning conditions in public schools throughout the state. The results from the anonymous survey can give leaders information on areas that deserve attention in the school environment.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it is requesting public comment on a wide range of policy and program considerations associated with new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program, and the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program. 

The BIL provides $65 billion to expand broadband in communities across the U.S. Of those funds, $48.2 billion is allocated to NTIA to deploy broadband to unserved and underserved locations, create more low-cost broadband service options, deploy middle mile infrastructure, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities. To fulfill the goals of the statute, NTIA is interested in input on the program design, policy issues, and implementation considerations for these new programs. Commenters are encouraged to address any or all the questions enumerated in the Request for Comment that is available here:  ntia.gov/other-publication/2022/.... Written comments may be submitted to regulations.gov by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 4, 2022. All comments submitted will be posted publicly on regulations.gov.

CASB believes that quality public education is the foundation for our nation’s economic prosperity, community’s quality of life, and every child’s opportunity to live their best life. The following are current events and opportunities for our members:

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

On December 21, President Biden announced additional actions to protect Americans and help communities battle the COVID-19 omicron variant.

“We know a lot more today than we did back in March 2020,” the President emphasized.  “For example, last year, we thought the only way to keep children safe was to close our schools.  Today…we have more resources to keep those schools open.  You can get 5- to 11-year-olds vaccinated -- a tool we didn’t have until last month.  Today, we don’t have to shut down schools because of a case of COVID-19.  Now, if a student tests positive, other students can take the test and stay in the classroom if they’re not infected, rather than closing the whole school or having to quarantine.  We can keep our schools open -- and that’s exactly what we should be doing.”

Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education (Department), that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is giving states the option of waiving the portion of the commercial driver's license (CDL) skills test that requires applicants to identify the "under the hood" engine components. All other components of the written and road test will remain.

This announcement aims to alleviate some of the labor shortage challenges schools are facing and is one of many resources the Department continues to provide to safely keep schools open for full-time, in-person learning. 

CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Register for the 2022 Winter Legislative Conference — February 24 and 25 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver. Learn more on our website.
• Whether you attended the 81st Annual CASB Convention or not, members want to be sure to access many of the presentations and resources on our website. (member login is required)
• Encourage new board members to watch the CASB Conversations webinar: What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction. This important issue is relevant now as districts are certifying their mill levies. CDE’s Mill Levy Correction communication toolkit provides additional resources for boards and districts.
• The December 16 Professional Development Update is now available.

ADVOCACY

The letter cites strategies and local examples of how recovery funds can and are helping address teacher/staff shortages to assist districts in attracting and retaining effective educators, including providing one-time initial hiring incentives and increasing compensation, building and maintaining a cadre of high-quality substitute teachers, supporting educator and staff well-being, and making investments in the educator pipeline.

U.S. Department of Education Letter

Qualified educators are eligible for an annual payment of up to $5,000 toward their outstanding educational loans

DENVER – Dec. 15, 2021: The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) is now accepting applications for its Educator Loan Forgiveness Program, which will grant up to $5,000 annually to educators currently serving rural districts or teaching in hard-to-fill positions. This program is funded for five years. To qualify, teachers, administrators, and special service providers must have a license valid in the state of Colorado.
 
The program prioritizes applicants who serve in rural school districts or teach in content shortage areas—subjects that historically attract fewer educators. Prospective applicants can check eligibility on the CDHE website. Additional information and FAQ can be found in the program’s informational booklet.
 
To apply, prospective participants first fill out the interest survey. Doing so will grant them access to the online application portal where they can complete their application. Completed applications must be submitted by April 15, 2022. CDHE will notify all applicants of their program status within 60 days from the close of the application.
 
“As we deal with educator shortages across the state, this loan forgiveness program is particularly timely,” said Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, sponsor of the original loan-forgiveness bill in the state legislature. “Colorado teachers have demonstrated their worthiness in the face of the disheartening challenges brought on by COVID-19. This program rewards the educators who have shown their willingness to invest in our children and our communities.”
 
The loan forgiveness program is among several strategies CDHE and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) are pursuing to help curb the state’s educator shortage, which has hit rural districts especially hard. According to CDE’s Education Shortage Survey 2020-21, small rural districts had the highest percentage of teaching positions that remained unfilled.
 
For more information, visit the Educator Loan Forgiveness webpage.