BLOG

ESSER K-8 Mathematics Curricula & K-3 READ Act Instructional Programming Grant Program

CDE is creating a grant program to support the purchase of high-quality, standards-aligned K-8 mathematics curricula and K-3 READ Act-approved instructional programs. This grant is being funded under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) state reserve. The due date for applications is Friday, April 29.

For detailed information about the grant program and to view the recorded application information webinar, see the program webpage.

Colorado Computer Science Education Grant Program - Second Round

The Colorado Computer Science Education Grant Program is open for the second round of applications through Thursday, March 11. Awards will be distributed for use during the 2021-22 school year. This includes the Computer Science Teacher Education Grant and the Computer Science Education Grant.

For more information, and to check for updates, visit the Computer Science webpage or contact Chris Summers at [email protected] or 303-866-6576.

CoMath Conversation: How do we build stakeholder support for the materials we use?

Join the "CoMath Conversation: How do we build stakeholder support for the materials we use?" webinar at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, by registering via Zoom.

This webinar will feature information on choosing and increasing support for instructional materials.

Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation informational webinar March 8

Sign up to attend an informational meeting for the Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation program at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8.

The TREP program, created by Senate Bill 21-185, goes into effect for the 2022-23 school year and allows for qualified students in an educator pathway to receive funding for up to two years of college tuition.

View this flyer for more information on the TREP program guidelines.

Views additional information for the TREP program on the TREP webpage.

Now open: School Counselor Corps Grant program Request for Applications

The 2022-23 School Counselor Corps Grant Request for Application is available for education providers. Approximately $600,000 will be available for the new RFA, which will focus on planning in the first year and implementation in the second, third and fourth years of the grant.

The School Counselor Corps Grant program seeks to increase the availability of effective school-based counseling to increase the graduation rate within the state and increase the percentage of students who appropriately prepare for, apply to and continue into postsecondary education.

This RFA is released prior to the approval of a four-year grant cycle and is contingent on any funding appropriated to the School Counselor Corps Grant program in May 2022. For this program to continue, funds must be appropriated for the program during the 2022 Colorado Legislative Session.

Visit the School Counselor Grant program webpage for more information.

Purple Up! For military kids in April

April is designated by the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission as the Month of the Military Child or “Purple Up! For Military Kids." Across the nation, states and school districts will celebrate the important role military children play while their service member parents serve our country through special events and wearing purple.

For those districts wanting to participate, here are some April celebration ideas to consider:

  1.  Coordinate a district-wide month or day and promote through your communication channels to stakeholders and partners. Use the hashtags #MIC3Compact and #purpleup4militarykids on social media posts to promote your event(s).
  2. Draft a letter or memorandum to your schools encouraging them to consider sponsoring an activity.
  3.  Attend a district or school event celebrating “Purple Up! For Military Kids."

Colorado is a member of the MIC3, which includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools. MIC3 addresses the key educational transition issues encountered by military-connected students.

Additional Resource ideas can be found on this MIC3 flyer for Month of the Military Child. (PDF) 

Early Childhood Leadership Commission to host monthly town halls

The Early Childhood Leadership Commission will host monthly informational Town Halls beginning 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, 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 us to hear from members of the Governor's Early Childhood Transition Team, state agency leaders, and other early childhood champions as we work together to ensure all children, families, and early childhood professionals are valued, healthy and thriving. Spanish language interpretation will be available.

Register HERE!

K-3 teacher evidence-based reading training requirements

All kindergarten through third-grade educators who teach reading and literacy skills in Colorado must submit documentation that they complied with the K-3 evidence-based reading training requirements by Monday, Aug. 1.

Licensed teachers will submit documentation through the Colorado Online Licensing system. Non-licensed educators will submit their request for documentation approval form via Google form. 

Learn about the requirements to complete this training and the various training options available for K-3 teachers on the teacher training webpage.

Educator Workforce Program grant application available

CDE has created an Education Workforce Program to ensure local education agencies have the capacity to meet the need for recruiting, retaining, and supporting the educator workforce. This program will be funded through the American Rescue Plan's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. This program will provide funding that supports Colorado LEAs in securing a strong, talented education workforce that can ensure safe in-person learning, address learning loss, complete unfinished learning and meet the COVID-related needs of Colorado students. Through the assistance funded under this program, LEAs will be able to ensure ongoing and high-quality learning continues for all students.

Applications are due by Friday, March 25.

For more information and to access application materials, visit the Education Workforce Program webpage.

Capital Construction Assistance Board vacancy

CDE's Capital Construction Assistance Board has a vacancy for a board member who is an engineer with recent experience in public school facilities engineering. This position will be appointed by the governor and will serve a maximum of three two-year terms.

Additional information is available on the CCAB webpage.

The TLCC survey closes this Friday, 50% participation needed to receive results

Thank you to the nearly 50% of educators, administrators and staff who have participated in the survey. Once the survey closes Friday, March 4, schools and districts with 50% participation and five responses will receive results this spring. District staff will receive embargoed data one week before the data are publicly released.

Visit the TLCC webpage for additional information.

ALAS “Linking Latina Leaders” Online Event Focuses on the Importance of Sociocultural Competence in Serving Diverse Student Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 28, 2022) – Dr. Joseì Medina, founder and chief educational advocate for Dr. Joseì Medina: Educational Solutions, will join the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) for its March online networking event– Linking Latina Leaders (L3). The free event held exclusively for ALAS members starts at 5:30 p.m. EST on March 1, 2022, and addresses the theme “The Importance of Sociocultural Competence in Serving Diverse Student Communities.” To register, visit https://bit.ly/L3Session. To become a member of ALAS and participate in this event, visit www.alasedu.org/membership.

“It is important for educators to affirm, embrace, elevate, and empower learners that come from various countries and who speak different languages, such as our Hispanic/Latino youth. Providing professional learning in this area will help educators make a significant difference in the lives of these students,” said ALAS Executive Director Dr. Maria Armstrong. “Dr. Medina has gained unique insight into this issue during his career in education and is supporting these goals in his consultancy work. We’re looking forward to having him join us on March 1 to share his expertise.”

Read More

Application window extended for rural principal to serve on the Dyslexia Working Group

The application window for a rural principal to serve on the Dyslexia Working Group has been extended to Friday, March 18.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 18.

Visit the Dyslexia Working Group webpage for more information.

Application open: 2022-25 McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant

Applications for the 2022-25 McKinney-Vento Homeless Grant must be completed via the online application by Friday, April 22. The purpose of this funding is to support children and youth experiencing homelessness, including the removal of educational barriers they face, with an emphasis on educational enrollment, attendance, and success.

Visit the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant webpage for more information on how to apply for the grant.

Teaching and Learning CoLabs

CDE’s Office of Standards and Instructional Support is excited to announce the Teaching and Learning CoLabs -- free professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers and administrators that are developed in collaboration with institutions of higher education and state teaching organizations.

This year’s CoLabs will be held at the following locations:

  • Colorado Mesa University on Thursday, June 2
  • The University of Northern Colorado. Tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 8.
  • CSU Pueblo. TBD.

Participants will be able to attend sessions focused on reading, writing, and communicating; health and physical education; mathematics; and science. School leaders can register for sessions in the administration track. Schools are encouraged to register in teams. 

For more information, visit the Teaching and Learning CoLabs main page.

Setting the Standard Webinar: Making the Most of Mathematics Materials

In this mathematics webinar, Raymond Johnson, CDE's mathematics specialist, will take a closer look at the role curriculum materials play in the modern math classroom and highlight how teachers can select and use materials to make teaching more effective.

Register for the webinar to be held at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2.

Second Annual Colorado Collaborative Youth Summit

The Second Annual Colorado Collaborative Youth Summit is scheduled for Friday, April 22 to Saturday, April 23.

The summit will bring together young people from across Colorado for a two-day virtual conference with the goal of connecting and inspiring all youth to embrace leadership roles in their communities by providing an open and inclusive space to further expand their knowledge and skills.

All Colorado youths, ages 13-26, are invited to apply to present at the summit. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis, with priority given to submissions received before Monday, March 7. Proposals for presentations by youth-only teams, as well as youth-adult teams, will be accepted. No adult-only proposals will be accepted.

See the Collaborative Youth Summit flyer for more information on applying to be a presenter. (PDF)

2022 Bullying Prevention Model Policy now available

The 2022 Colorado Bullying Prevention and Education Best Practices and Model Policy document is available on CDE's website. This updated model policy was crafted with input from a stakeholder committee including families of students who have experienced bullying, public education students, community members, and educational leaders. The package also includes sample bullying reporting and investigation forms as well as a flowchart to support leaders in their investigations.

Visit the Colorado Model Bullying Prevention and Education Policy webpage for additional information.

Now open: School Counselor Corps Grant program Request for Applications

The 2022-23 School Counselor Corps Grant Request for Application is available for education providers. Approximately $600,000 will be available for the new RFA, which will focus on planning in the first year and implementation in the second, third and fourth years of the grant.

The School Counselor Corps Grant program seeks to increase the availability of effective school-based counseling within schools to increase the graduation rate within the state and increase the percentage of students who appropriately prepare for, apply to, and continue into postsecondary education.

This RFA is released prior to the approval of a four-year grant cycle and is contingent on any funding appropriated to the School Counselor Corps Grant program in May 2022. In order for this program to continue, funds must be appropriated for the program during the 2022 Colorado Legislative Session.

--Intent to Apply due: Friday, March 4, by 11:59 p.m.

--Applications due: Friday, March 18, by 11:59 p.m.

Read more about the School Counselor Corps Grant Program.

New ESSER program for rural career-connected learning

Launched this week, the Rural Coaction Program supports Colorado’s rural districts in building career-connected learning opportunities (such as student pathways, internship programs, and CTE).

Applications will be accepted: Friday, April 1, for districts with established programs and/or partnerships interested in launching in fall 2022 and Monday, May 2, for those districts wanting to create a new program and/or need additional planning time.