April 2023 CDE Update

Accountability, Performance & Support

• The Unified Improvement Plan template will roll over on Friday, April 14, changing from the 2022-23 template to the 2023-24 template. For more information visit the UIP website.

Submissions for the Promising Partnership Practices publication are due Friday, June 2. For more information, visit the Family, School and Community Partnerships website.

Assessment

• Timelines for Spring 2023 Colorado state assessment windows are available on the Assessment webpage.
• CDE has a communications toolkit to help communicate about the importance of participation in statewide assessments, including the Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests and the PSAT and SAT. The toolkit contains drop-in letters, fact sheets for parents and students and links to help answer frequently asked questions. Materials are also available in Spanish.

Educator Talent

• The Assurances Process for the 2023-24 school year opens Monday, April 17, and closes Saturday, July 1. Visit the Assurances for Educator Evaluation Systems webpage for more information.

Federal Programs & Support

ESSA

• The 2023 Equity and Excellence Conference, “Strengthening and Expanding Practices: All Students and All Educators Emerging Stronger,” will be Nov. 1-2 at the Denver Hilton Inverness. Submit proposals to present a 60-minute breakout sessions via this Google form.
• Lead Education Agencies applying for ESEA funds through the Consolidated Application by June 30 must submit the Equitable Services to Non-public Consultation form and the School Improvement Retention of Funds form to the 2023-24 Consolidated Application by Wednesday, May 31. CDE will notify LEAs and BOCES when the application is open. Contact Laura Meushaw at meushaw_l@cde.state.co.us with any questions.
• 2022-23 Consolidated Application Post Award Revision requests to use ESEA funds differently than the currently approved activities must be submitted by Friday, April 28. For information about PAR requests visit the Consolidated Application Post-Award Revisions webpage.

District Operations

Data Pipeline

• The four-day school week application is available until Wednesday, May 10.
• The school code change request process for 2023-24 is available until Friday, June 30.
• The Report Card March collection is due Friday, April 7.
• The Alternative Education Campus Application/Renewal Collection and The Planned Measures Collection for the 2023 AEC School Performance Framework close Friday, April 28.
• The Teacher Student Data Link interchange file and snapshot are open.
• The Designated Agency data collection is open in the Data Pipeline for alternative licensure educator preparation programs to enter 2022-23 candidates until Aug. 31. 
• The End of Year snapshot is in the soft-open phase. Business rules and documentation will be updated through the spring prior to the official collection opening on Thursday, May 4.
• The Special Education snapshot is in the soft-open phase. Business rules and documentation will be updated through the spring prior to the official collection opening Monday, May 1.
• The School Discipline periodic collection opens Thursday, April 27.

Nutrition & Health

• The enrollment deadline for the Clean Air for Schools program has been extended to Sunday, April 30. Schools should apply as soon as possible to ensure timely delivery of the air cleaners. Learn more about Clean Air for Schools on CDPHE’s website.

Nutrition

• The application to participate in the Local Food Program, to purchase Colorado grown, raised and processed products for School Year 2023-24 closes Friday, April 7. More information, including the application, can be found on the Reimbursement and Funding webpage.

Postsecondary Readiness

• The Office of Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness is hosting a PWR Symposium in Eastern Colorado on Monday, April 24. Sign up for the symposium on the PWR Symposia webpage.
• The Intent to Participate form is due Monday, May 1, for the 2023-24 Teacher Recruitment, Education and Preparation Program. Learn more and apply on the TREP webpage.
• Applications for the 2023-24 Concurrent Enrollment Expansion and Innovation Grant are due Monday, April 17. This grant helps expand and innovate concurrent enrollment opportunities to qualified students and provides up to $50,000 per grantee.
• CDE, Career & Technical Education and the Colorado Workforce Development Council are collaborating to create a Work-Based Learning Community of Practice for the 2023-24 school year. A kickoff event is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 20. Learn more and register on the WBL webpage.

Teaching and Learning

• The third part of the Three-part COMTSS Learner-Centered Leadership Series is available.
• During the March 2023 meeting, the State Board of Education adopted revisions to the school readiness description. CDE will use additional feedback received to support further implementation of school readiness initiatives. For more information, visit the school readiness webpage or contact Megan Rogers at rogers_m@cde.state.co.us

READ Act

• CDE has finalized the search for a vendor to provide free administrator training modules to meet the READ Act administrator training requirements. The Public Consulting Group will extend its contract to provide free administrator training modules as well as teacher training modules.
• Local Education Providers are required to report spring READ Act interim assessment scores for all K-3 students enrolled in the district. The deadline to have files submitted and locked in Data Pipeline is Thursday, June 15.
• LEPs are required to report the READ Act administered interim and diagnostic assessments along with the core, supplemental, and intervention programming for each school in the district for grades K-3. The deadline to have files submitted and locked in Data Pipeline is Friday, June 30. 
• LEPs are required to revise 2022-23 READ budgets to reflect actual READ Act allocation amounts. The deadline to have revised budgets submitted and approved is Friday, June 30.
• Prior to receiving READ funds for the 2023-24 school year, LEPs must submit a budget of planned use of READ funds. The deadline to have budgets submitted and approved is Friday, June 30.

For questions related to submitting READ Act budgets and READ Act Data Pipeline collections, email the READ Act Data Team at READActData@cde.state.co.us. For questions about READ Act administrator or teacher training email ReadActTraining@cde.state.co.us.  

Standards and Instruction

• CDE staff will begin reviewing academic standards for Computer Science, English Language Development, Physical Education and World Languages content areas for the 2023-24 school year. After the review of national and international benchmarks, the State Board of Education will determine the extent to which the standards should be updated.
• As a part of Colorado’s statewide investment in math learning acceleration, all districts and schools can receive free access to Zearn Math for the 2023–24 school year. To learn more about getting started with Zearn Math, sign up for one of the two live webinars for superintendents.

ESSU

• The State Board of Education will hear two rulemaking hearings on Wednesday, April 12. One will be on proposed rule changes for the Exceptional Children's Educational Act. The other will be on changes to rules for the Administration of the Protection of Persons from Restraint Act. Public comment is open and written comments or suggestions to the rules can be emailed to state.board@cde.state.co.us by Wednesday, April 5. 

Additional information on these rulemaking hearings, including a current version of the proposed rule changes, can be found on the Special Education Directors’ Corner webpage.