One year after the passage of Senate Bill 10-191 calling for a new statewide approach to measuring educator effectiveness, the Colorado State Board of Education has announced a timeline and process for public input prior to formal adoption of rules, currently anticipated for November.
As a first step in the process, the state board will begin in May to explore in further detail the recommendations from the State Council on Educator Effectiveness.
(http://www.cde.state.co.us/EducatorEffectiveness/Partner-SCEE.asp)
The discussion will begin on Wednesday, May 11, when the department will provide a follow-up to the April 13 presentation from the council. This meeting is designed to address those areas where the council did not make a specific recommendation and to ask whether the state board agrees with particular recommendations.
On Thursday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to noon, the board will hold a study session to further explore the recommendations from the council.
For those wishing to provide testimony at the state board meeting on May 12, a sign-up sheet will be provided.
Throughout this process, the draft rules along with recommended changes will be posted on the state board Web site. As suggestions come in, the department will post the recommended changes. Written comments on the report or recommendations to the state board on the draft rules may be sent by e-mail to state.board@cde.state.co.us, or by mail to: State Board Office, 201 E. Colfax Ave., Room 506, Denver, CO 80203-1087.
After gathering input from the state board, the department will begin drafting proposed rules, which will be provided to the board at its June 8 meeting. The state board will take the first official step in the rulemaking process at its board meeting on June 8, but there will not be an opportunity for public testimony on the rules.
Special Summer Meetings
In addition to the regular board sessions, two meetings have been scheduled this summer to gather public comment from a broad spectrum of teachers, administrators, parents and the education community at large.
The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, in the first-floor board room at the Colorado Department of Education (201 E. Colfax Ave., in Denver). The meeting will be held from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The second meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, and also will be held in the state board room from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Additional opportunities for public comment will be available during regularly scheduled board meetings and via e-mail.
Finally, two rulemaking hearings will be held before the state board, one on Sept. 14, 2011 and one on Oct. 5, 2011. Public comment will also be invited at those meetings.
Students at Landmark academy at reunion celebrate first annual latin culture week
Landmark Academy at Reunion , a tuition-free public charter school, recently hosted their First Annual Latin Culture Week, a week focused on educating students on the various aspects of Latin culture, from music and art to sports and celebrities, through unique activities. During the week-long celebration, students were able to step into the lives of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans with Latin culture lessons through piñata making, cultural crafts, songs, traditional foods and more. Students made maracas and learned a traditional Mexican Hat Dance; created Aztec suns working with metal tooling; and studied different countries in Mexico , Central America and South America . Aztec dancers from the Colorado Folk Arts Council also visited with students and educated them on the spiritual and traditional aspects of Aztec culture through dance. “We reside in a community with strong Latin and Hispanic roots,” said Matt Carlton, principal of Landmark Academy at Reunion . “Our community culture is important to us at Landmark. By providing unique ways for our students to learn the various backgrounds of our diverse community they are able to understand and appreciate different cultures.” For more information about Landmark Academy at Reunion , please visit www.landmarkacademy.org.
