July 2024 CDE Update for Superintendents and BOCES Executive Directors

Welcome to the CDE Update! This monthly publication for district superintendents and BOCES directors will show you what is happening in key priority areas at CDE and include details on implementation, milestones, deadlines and resources.

If you have any feedback regarding the CDE Update, email CDE_Communications_Office@cde.state.co.us.

Dear superintendents and BOCES directors,

I hope your summer is going well and you get some much-deserved time off. We have a few updates to share with you as you head into summer.

At June’s State Board of Education meeting, we shared CDE’s Theory of Change, which will be the foundation for our strategic plan. Thank you to everyone – including educators and district leaders -- who gave us feedback and input that helped us get to this point.

Our Theory of Change is grounded in data, keeping our districts, schools, students, and educators front and center. I’ve visited 32 school districts this year, and have seen first-hand that all of our schools and districts are different, which is important to keep in mind as we move forward with our strategic plan and how we serve you.

We developed our Theory of Change with input from around the state, including surveying superintendents to find out about your interactions with the department – what needs to improve, and what is working well. We have developed this Theory of Change to be our North Star, laying out our vision, values and priorities that will guide our work. We saw generally positive ratings but also saw outlier areas that we need to strengthen, including two-way communication with the field.

Our vision is “To create an equitable educational environment where all students and staff in Colorado thrive.”

Our role is to:

Serve: Provide actionable support to local educational agencies.
Guide: Effectively implement policy and legislation.
Elevate: Share the experiences of local educational agencies and students.

Our core values are Integrity, equity, accountability, trust and service.

Our priorities are Increasing Student Engagement, Accelerating Student Outcomes, Strengthening the Educator Workforce and Providing Operational Excellence.

If you are interested in learning more, you can view the presentation to the board on our YouTube channel. It is the first item of the meeting.

Additionally, you can see our recap from the 2024 legislative session and our initial budget items that we have proposed for the State Board’s consideration.

As you know, this will be the first full fiscal year without ESSER funding since the pandemic, and I know that you are all making adjustments to your budgets because of this. On the state level, the general fund budget is tight, and we have been asked to consider reductions to help pay for any CDE budget requests in the coming year. The board will discuss and approve the budget at its August meeting.

Lastly, July has always been a time for you to recharge your batteries. I hope you get some time off to rest and recuperate. Please have a great summer, and I look forward to seeing you at CASE!

Thank you for all that you do,

Susana

Assessments

Updates on state assessment results:
- Final CMAS Science, Math, ELA, including CSLA, and CoAlt Science individual student reports and aggregated reports are scheduled to be available to schools and districts via PearsonAccessnext throughout July.
- CMAS individual student-level data files, summary data files, and preliminary student reports were available to schools and districts in June.
- PSAT and SAT student-level data files and district and school summary files have been available to schools and districts since June.
- State assessment results are embargoed. Do not publicly disseminate, distribute, or publish until results are publicly released by the state.
- Districts and schools may share confidential individual student performance reports with parents and may use aggregated and individual student-level results internally for informational and planning purposes.

Federal Programs & Support

Join our Every Student Succeeds Act Community of Practitioners. This committee advises the state in carrying out its responsibilities under ESSA. The CoP identifies issues across regions of the state and facilitates communication between CDE and the preK-12 education community. Members serve three-year terms. For more information, visit the ESSA Committee of Practitioners webpage. Send applications to Emily Owen at owen_e@cde.state.co.us.
Register for the Institute of Education Sciences’ second annual Success of English Learners Conference. “Improving Instruction, Assessment, and Policies for Secondary English Learners Across the Content Areas” conference will be Sept. 16-17 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Learn more and register on the conference webpage.
Bookmark the ARP-ESSER III Countdown to Closeout webpage, which includes steps for LEAs to prepare for the closeout of ESSER, monthly reminders and links to helpful information. With questions, contact your ESSER Lead.
ARP ESSER III and ARP EANS late liquidation extension requests. The U.S. Department of Education developed a process for requesting a liquidation extension for ARP-ESSER III and ARP EANS, which has NOT changed the original obligation requirement of Sept. 30, 2024. States must submit only one template for all liquidation extension requests. CDE will collect requests from LEAs in the fall to ensure all are included in one template. If your LEA may need a liquidation extension, email Nazie Mohajeri-Nelson at mohajeri-nelson_n@cde.state.co.us.
Part B State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) is available. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs has issued Colorado’s Federal Fiscal Year 2022 SPP/APR and Determination. The report is posted on CDE’s website.

Teaching and Learning

Register for our Enhancing School Safety Regional Training
- Alamosa: Friday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Adams State University.
- Grand Junction: Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at R-5 High School.
- Sterling: Friday, Sept. 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Northeastern Junior College.
Districts or schools that would like free access to Zearn Math can learn more and opt-in on the Zearn Math for Colorado website. Schools and districts can use Zearn Math immediately and continue throughout the 2024-25 school year.
Applications are open for youth advisors to help with Colorado's standards. CDE is inviting students aged 14-19 to help inform the Colorado Academic Standards revision process. Submit a nomination today.