Colorado got further affirmation today of its strong education reform system when the White House announced it was among a very select few states to earn waivers from the federal No Child Left Behind law.
The waiver now gives Colorado the authority to use the state’s accountability system in place of key federal accountability requirements. Colorado’s state accountability system will now meet many of the No Child Left Behind requirements, including the requisite to annually determine school and district progress in meeting performance targets.
“Clearly Colorado is a noted leader in the nation for making the right changes in our education system to better support student learning,” Colorado’s Education Commissioner Robert Hammond said. “Colorado’s comprehensive state accountability system has gained the U.S. Department of Education’s quality seal of approval and has become a model for other states.”
The Colorado Department of Education aggressively pursued the waiver and the flexibility it offered when the option was first announced by the U.S. Department of Education in September. State officials see the waiver as a solid support to the state’s education reform system aimed at getting students college- and career-ready upon graduation. For Colorado, an important aspect of the waiver flexibility was around holding schools accountable for student growth, especially with regard to historically disadvantaged subgroups of students such as English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who are not yet proficient.
In the past, Colorado used two different accountability systems – a state system and a federal system. With the waiver granted, Colorado will now have one, unified accountability system which will better streamline schools’ improvement work and it will be much easier for parents and the public to fully understand.
“The waiver really supports our state system of continuous improvement and allows schools and districts to focus their energies on one accountability system designed to elevate student achievement,” Hammond added.
Colorado’s full waiver application is online at www.cde.state.co.us/Accountability/NCLBWaiver.asp.
The state department of education plans to exercise its waiver flexibility quickly. Work on implementation planning will begin immediately. However, because Colorado’s waiver application was based largely on its existing system, the current state accountability requirements as outlined in Colorado’s Educational Accountability Act will remain in effect, with some small changes.
Any changes in accountability determinations and sanctions will be in effect for the 2012-13 school year, based on the results of the 2011-12 assessments and the most recent postsecondary and workforce readiness measures. That begins in August 2012 when the federal Adequate Yearly Progress results are no longer calculated and consequences aren’t based on those results. Rather, school accountability will be based on the results of Colorado’s own accountability system.
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.
