The Colorado State Board of Education met this week for regularly scheduled meetings on Wednesday, Aug. 3 and Thursday, Aug. 4. Highlights from the two-day meeting include:
Wednesday, Aug. 3
Budget
Leanne Emm, assistant commissioner of public school finance, cautioned districts to be conservative in their planning for the 2012-2013 school year. Early indicators suggest projected reductions could range from plus or minus $50 million from this year’s reduction; however, it is very early and numbers will continue to change throughout the year.
Student Achievement Results
The board was presented the summary findings of the 2011 Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) and Colorado Growth Model results for 2011.
Overall students held steady based on 2011 state test results.
· Over the years, Colorado has seen significant gains in math scores from students in all grades tested. This holds true for this year, too.
· Taking a closer look at groups of students, Colorado’s Hispanic students have made considerable gains in their test scores since 2005.
Individual districts had successes and setbacks which account for relatively un-dramatic shifts in annual state results.
The 70 percent of students who are already proficient in reading, writing and to some extent math are doing a fine job of keeping up and maintaining an adequate level of performance. However, the other 30 percent of students who are not meeting proficiency expectations have dim prospects of catching up to their peers, based on several years of data.
For the full CSAP and growth results, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/Communications/2011achievementresults.html
Innovation Schools
Innovation school applications were approved for these Denver Public Schools: Green Valley Elementary, Vista Academy, Swigert-McAuliffe International School, Godsman Elementary, McGlone Elementary and Summit Academy. For more on innovation schools, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdegen/SB130.htm
BEST Grant Award Recommendations
The state board approved the list of 41 BEST grants proposed by the Capital Construction Assistance Board. For a list of projects, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdefinance/CapConstMain.htm
School Counselor Corps Grant Recommendations
The board approved grants to schools from the Counselor Corps program. For a list of grantees, visit http://bit.ly/oVapQm. For more information on the program, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/SecondaryInitiatives/SchoolCounselor_home.htm
State Board Strategic Goals
At the board’s June retreat, board members reviewed and recommended edits to their strategic goals. Staff presented an edited version of their goals for continued discussion. The board made additional edits and will continue to refine their goals for further discussion and review at their September meeting.
Thursday, Aug. 4
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waivers
The United States Department of Education has indicated that it plans to put out a call for waiver proposals related to ESEA requirements. The purpose of the waiver is to allow states to minimize duplication and confusion between federal and state accountability systems. In preparation for this request, CDE is exploring various waiver options and engaging in discussions with Council of Chief State School Officers and other states regarding the potential of group waivers. Staff initiated discussion on potential waivers with the state board. No decision was made by the board; staff will continue to monitor various options to make sure that any waivers proposed are in the best interest of students and families across the state.
Educator Licensing
Staff provided an update on the transition from paper to online educator licensing. All educator licensing applications are now available online. The office has also added several new staff to address the application backlog. Processing time has gone down considerably and the office will continue to work on narrowing the current process time from where it is in currently at six weeks, to two weeks within the next year.
New Student Assessment System Cost
The Colorado State Assessment Program, known as CSAP, completed its 15th and final year this year. The state will be using a transitional assessment for the next two years until a new assessment system required by state law is implemented in 2014. Staff from CDE’s Assessment Office presented the new assessment system costs and recommendations. Over the next several weeks, the state board and CDE staff will engage in continued conversations about the assessments and costs before the board decides at its Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 meetings on final assessment components that will be included in the request for proposal.
The board reviewed options for the summative, alternate, interim, Spanish reading & writing, English language proficiency, school readiness and formative assessments and Colorado ACT. To view the entire cost PowerPoint presentation, visit http://bit.ly/qadNRO
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.
