January 11, 2012

The Colorado State Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 11. Highlights from the meeting include:

Rules
The State Board unanimously adopted new rules for the administration, certification and oversight of Colorado online programs. The rules were amended to incorporate changes to financial reporting and accountability required by House Bill 11-1277. The new rules better align online schools with other schools in the state, establish new quality standards and allow the state to more thoroughly scrutinize new applications for online schools.

The Board also unanimously approved rules for charter schools and charter school authorizers. Included in those rules are guiding principles for the State Board of Education to consider in its decisions related to charter school appeals and exclusive chartering authority. In 2010, the Legislature passed House Bill 1412 which established a Charter School and Charter Authorizer Standards Review Committee to make recommendations to the state board and the legislature's education committees regarding standards. As a part of its decision-making, the State Board of Education clarified that the rules it passed do not supersede its authority under the Charter Schools Act.

Read the Standards Review Committee recommendations here.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waiver Process Update
Commissioner Hammond provided a brief update on our ESEA waiver. The department submitted its waiver application in November. Additional information requested by the U.S. Department of Education was submitted on Thursday, Jan. 12. The USDE's final decision on Colorado’s waiver application is expected soon. For more, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/FedPrograms/ConsApp/eseawaiver.asp  

Race to the Top Round Three
Colorado will receive $17.9 million in Race to the Top Phase 3 funds. Half of the award is designated for district use and will be allocated based on Title I share distributions. CDE will work with the U.S. Department of Education this month to finalize the grant budget in order for funds to be accessed and disbursed. Also in January and February, CDE will work with districts to secure their participation in the grant. All districts are eligible to participate. Participation is based on a Memorandum of Understanding and defined scopes of work that relate to the key areas of the application. For more information, visit www.cde.state.co.us/index_educator_RTTT3.asp

Update on Great Teachers, Great Leaders Rules and Procedures
On Monday, Jan. 9, the Legislative Committee on Legal Services voted 10-0 to approve without change the proposed regulations for implementation of the Great Teachers Great Leaders Act, or Senate Bill 10-191. The law that creates a new system for evaluating principals and teachers.

The proposed bill to approve the rules is HB 12-1001, with Rep. Carole Murray and Sen. Michael Johnston as prime sponsors. The General Assembly will now review and vote on the bill. Passage is expected to be noncontroversial. For more on educator effectiveness, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/EducatorEffectiveness/

Environmental Education Plan
Staff from the Department presented preliminary information on a draft of an Environmental Education Plan. The development of a plan was prompted by a 2010 law outlining the importance of the outdoor environment on the health of the state’s residents, specifically Colorado youth. The law requires CDE to adopt a statewide plan for environmental education. The Department will present its draft plan to focus groups this month and launch a public comment tour and online survey in February to solicit feedback. To view the draft plan presentation, click here.

Blue Ribbon Award Winners
The State Board recognized three Colorado public schools that were awarded the U.S. Department of Education’s 2011 Blue Ribbon Award winners. They are Heritage Elementary School in Pueblo (Pueblo 60), Las Animas Elementary School in Las Animas (Las Animas RE-1) and Wildflower Elementary School in Colorado Springs (Harrison 2). The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve at very high levels and/or where the achievement gap in narrowing. To view photos from yesterday’s recognition, visit: http://bit.ly/wJG5vD

Charter School Appeal
The State Board of Education voted 5-1 to uphold the Charter School Institute's decision to deny Great Books Early College’s charter school application.

For more information, contact Megan McDermott, 303-866-2334,
in the CDE Office of Communications.