Office of Standards and Instructional Support

News and Announcements

Teaching and Learning COLabs

This summer, teachers and leaders are invited to attend the Teaching and Learning CoLabs, a new kind of no-cost event that brings together stakeholders from districts, higher education, professional teaching and other organizations, and the Colorado Department of Education. Review the website for more information.

The Colorado Academic Standards for Social Studies

The presentation of the final recommendations for revisions to Colorado’s social studies standards is being changed from the May to the June State Board of Education meeting.  The change provides board members and the public adequate time to review proposed changes prior to the presentation from the social students committee.  All meeting materials are available on the standards revision webpage.

PAEMST Awardees

Congratulations to Stephanie Basile and Michelle Dillard, Colorado's latest recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Stephanie Basile teaches at STEM Lab in Northglenn, part of the Adams 12 Five-Star School District, where she serves as the K-6 engineering and computer science teacher. (See Stephanie's full award profile here.) Michelle Dillard teaches at Ford Elementary School in Centennial, part of Littleton Public Schools, where she teaches fifth grade. (See Michelle's full award profile here.)

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching. The awards were established by Congress in 1983 and the President may recognize up to 108 exemplary teachers each year from across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, DoD Education Activity schools, or the U.S. territories as a group. The award recognizes those teachers who have both deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful in those areas. Recipients of the award receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States, a paid trip to Washington D.C. to attend recognition events and professional development, and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.