Discipline Best Practices and Resources

School Discipline is one aspect of a school’s approach to building a climate and culture for learning. Evidence-based, supportive student discipline approaches often overlap between strategies and multiple strategies are used to improve student behavior and climate for learning. This page is intended to provide information on best practices and resources related to school discipline, behavior, and school climate. Additional links are included that reference other parts of CDE’s website that have relevant information.

Trainings

Expulsion Hearing Officer Training: During the 2023 legislative session, the General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed HB 23-1291: Procedures for Expulsion Hearing Officers.  Expulsion hearing officers must attend an initial five-hour and additional annual training to stay informed on school discipline updates. As part of this training, participants will review separate modules that will cover: Restorative Justice, Alternatives to expulsion, Trauma-informed practices, Conflict and bias in discipline, suspension, and expulsion, The requirements and implementation of applicable federal and state laws

Student Discipline Training Series for Administrators: We are pleased to share that we have student discipline trainings covering the following topics available for school administrators: child and adolescent brain development, restorative justice practices, alternatives to expulsion, trauma-informed practices, conflict and bias in discipline, and requirements and implementation of applicable federal and state laws. While these trainings are not mandatory, it provides valuable information on school discipline laws and best practices for implementing discipline. We highly encourage school administrators to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their understanding and implementation of effective disciplinary measures. These trainings are available on CDE’s Moodle platform.

Alternative Education Campus Learning Series: The opportunities within this learning series provide a range of informational and collaborative webinars to support staff at Alternative Education Campuses.

COMTSS Online Academy: The COMTSS Online Academy provides participants with on-demand training across multiple topics related to COMTSS in Colorado. Each module includes a video around 10 minutes long, a quiz, a processing guide, and additional links to outside resources as needed. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for all the modules offered.

Discipline

Suspension and Expulsions in Preschool in Colorado Guidance Document: Guidance on the implementation of HB 19-1194 regarding the limits on the use of suspensions and expulsions of children in grades preschool through second grade.

Instead of Suspension: Alternative Strategies for Effective School Discipline: This report has information on programs that seek to improve school culture, programs that teach individual professionals better skills in behavior management and student discipline, and approaches that change the response of schools to misbehavior by individual students.

NASP Discipline Framework: This webpage from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) includes guidance on evidence-based and effective school discipline policies and practices.

School Discipline Support Initiative: This webpage has information on school discipline practices that promote safe, supportive, and productive learning environments.

Improving Student Outcomes Through Restorative Practices | Learning Policy Institute: This resource provides information on restorative practices, the positive impacts that these practices can have, and the components that should be considered for implementation.

Discipline Data Guidance for LEAs: This document includes guidance for districts regarding discipline data and the required components for state reporting, in addition to alignment of discipline codes with the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) model policies.

Colorado Secondary School Student Substance Use Committee Report: This is the final report that came from the Secondary School Student Substance Use Committee that originated from HB 23-1009.

Data

Discipline Data Guidance for LEAs: This document includes guidance for districts regarding discipline data and the required components for state reporting, in addition to alignment of discipline codes with the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) model policies.

SchoolView Data Center Conduct Data: This dashboard shows the number of behavior incidents and disciplinary actions reported annually on the CDE SchoolView Data Center.

Healthy Kids Colorado Survey: This dashboard shows results from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which includes health topics and health measures, and it displays results both statewide and regionally.

Civil Rights Data Collection: This dashboard contains data from public schools across the nation, including discipline data as well as harassment or bullying, school staff, enrollment demographics, and others, and is administered every two years.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System: This data source is a set of surveys that tracks health-related behaviors in students grades 9 through 12 and is administered every other year.

Special Service Providers & Mental Health Professionals

A Guide to School-Based Mental Health Services and Professionals in Colorado: A guide document to address common questions surrounding school-based mental and behavioral health services and provide insights into the collaborative efforts needed for effective implementation.

School Climate

CDE Guide to Assessing School Climate using Multiple Measures: A review of the multiple indicators of, and ways to measure school climate and sense of belonging.

School Climate Survey Compendium: This website from the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments includes a list of valid and reliable school climate survey batteries.

U.S. Department of Education School Climate and Student Discipline Resources: This resource has links for research and best practices on school climate and discipline practices, as well as information on data and laws related to this topic.

Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates: USDOE: This resource includes five guiding principles for schools to be used in order to foster a positive school climate, with data and strategies expanding upon each section.

Seclusion and Restraint

PPRA Requirements for the Annual Review  and Annual Restraint Review Report: This guidance document is intended to support implementation of the requirements found in 1 CCR 30145, the Rules for the Administration of the Protection of Persons from Restraint Act (PPRA).

School Safety

Bringing Evidence-Based Decision-Making to School Safety: This resource provides information about evidence-based practices for school safety and how to best support students following the pandemic.

Colorado School Safety: A Legal Manual: This manual details a general overview of the legal issues, tools, and resources available for Colorado schools and staff regarding mitigation and prevention of school violence and ensuring safe schools.

CDE Resources

Attendance: CDE’s website for all things attendance in the state of Colorado.

Behavior: CDE’s website for special education behavior information, resources, and training.

Bullying Prevention: CDE’s website for bullying prevention, which includes research, best practices, grant program information, a model bullying prevention policy, and resources all related to preventing bullying among students.

School Climate & Culture: CDE’s website for school climate and culture, providing definitions and resources for improving school climate.

MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports): CDE’s website for MTSS, containing information for support in learning about and implementing MTSS in schools.

PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports): CDE’s website for PBIS, including important information for using PBIS in schools, and it provides abundant resources for implementation support.

Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging: CDE’s website for educators interested in increasing wellbeing and belonging in their school, and includes guidance, resources, systems, and best practices to improve outcomes for students, staff, and families across all PK-12 schools in Colorado.

Special Education Rules and Regulations: CDE’s website for federal and state laws and regulations regarding students with disabilities.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

CDE Equity Toolkit: This toolkit is designed to provide user-friendly information and resources to support school and district leaders in centering equity in their work to support positive outcomes for the students they serve.

Implicit Association Test: This resource was developed by Harvard University and has short tests to identify implicit bias in oneself for various categories.

Interventions & Programs

CDE Promising Practices: This resource contains information from the Family, School, and Community Partnerships Office about practices from schools and districts across the state that are effective when working with students and families.

Colorado State Government Resource Inventory on Child, Youth and Families Behavioral Health: This resource inventory is a collection of all opportunities (i.e., service offerings, resources, funding opportunities, training/technical assistance) made available by Colorado's state government that relate to the behavioral health of children, youth and families.

What Works in Schools Program: Information on CDC’s school-based program that helps promote adolescent health and wellbeing.

Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program: This statutory program funds community-based organizations in developing prevention and intervention programs for youth and their families to support in preventing youth crime and violence, youth substance use, dropout, and child abuse and neglect.

Organizations

The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network: The organization representing dropout prevention nationally, including services, events, resources, and shared materials related to reducing dropout and increasing graduation rates.

Colorado Crisis Services: This resource provides free, immediate, confidential support from trained professionals in crisis moments.

Office of School Safety & School Safety Resource Center: The Office of School Safety provides Colorado schools and communities with the tools and resources to create safe and positive school environments for all Colorado students, pre-kindergarten through higher education, and includes the School Safety Resource Center.

National Center of Safe Supportive Learning Environments: This organization provides information, resources, and training pertaining to school climate improvement.

Restorative Justice Colorado: The website for the Colorado organization for Restorative Justice.

Attendance Works: This website contains resources and research related to attendance and chronic absence.

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS): The webpage for the national PBIS organization.

Research

School Climate White Paper: This research was completed by the Colorado School Climate Transformation and Colorado State University, and includes information on school climate and strategies for improvement.

Creating Safe Schools - Colorado Children’s Campaign: This paper includes information related to safe school environments, highlighting the relevant research on violence in schools and prevention strategies.

Family Playbook: School Suspensions, Discipline & Restorative Justice: This article details recent research on student discipline, suspension, and restorative justice, and resources that go along with it.

YRBS Data Summary & Trends Report: This report summarizes the findings from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Survey and the trends in behaviors from 2011 to 2021.

National Center for School Safety: School Safety at a Glance: This document highlights research on school safety through the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey and different methods for creating safe schools.