Budget panel gives ed department half a loaf amid staffing controversy
The legislative Joint Budget Committee agreed Tuesday to fund five of the seven staff positions the Department of Education had requested to help districts with teacher evaluations and rollout of new...
View ArticleSheridan sues education department in enrollment dispute
The Sheridan school district on Tuesday filed suit against the state Department of Education, asking the Denver District Court to bar the state from enforcing a claim that Sheridan owes the state money...
View ArticleCDE stands by claim that Sheridan owes nearly $1 million
CDE has been working with the Sheridan School District and has conducted a thorough and comprehensive audit of its pupil count. It has been determined from this audit that Sheridan must return...
View ArticleHammond: “The system does need to change”
Colorado’s education system is facing pressures that will unavoidably lead to modifications in things such as testing, but “It needs to be thoughtful change,” says outgoing education Commissioner...
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Asp nominated to be interim education commissioner
Elliott Asp, special assistant to the state education commissioner, has been nominated to be interim commissioner. A subcommittee of the State Board of Education recommended this week that Asp be named...
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Despite uncertainty, Education Commissioner Robert Hammond exits on a...
A retirement party is an occasion for saying nice things, and education Commissioner Robert Hammond received a highly complimentary send off Tuesday. Hammond is leaving the Department of Education at...
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Colorado hustles to roll out new testing plan
State testing is going to take up a lot less space on school calendars in 2016 than it did last spring. The main 2016 “testing window,” recently announced by the Department of Education, is scheduled...
View ArticleDougco threatens state in enrollment count dispute
Leaders of the Douglas County School District say they’ll sue the Colorado Department of Education in a $4.2 million dispute over counting of high school enrollment. The district took the spat public...
View ArticleExperts handicap Colorado’s odds on assessment, accountability changes
Colorado should be cautiously optimistic about having key changes in its testing system approved by the U.S. Department of Education, according to education policy experts surveyed by Chalkbeat...
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Colorado science, social studies scores show modest uptick
Scores on statewide elementary and middle school social studies and science tests improved modestly this year compared to last year, according to results from state tests released Thursday. The one...
View ArticleState Board selects commissioner search firm
The State Board of Education has selected Ray and Associates, an Iowa-based company, to conduct the search for candidates to be commissioner of education. The board is searching for a replacement for...
View ArticleState inches closer to federal approval of new testing system
Colorado’s plan to ease the testing burden for 10th graders may well get federal approval, but the state still has to jump through some hoops before the change is a done deal. The testing reform law...
View ArticleState board finally gives approval to grad guidelines
The State Board of Education Wednesday voted 6-1 to approve a revised menu of choices school districts will use to set their requirements for high school graduation. Districts will have to choose at...
View ArticleSheridan loses bid to upgrade state quality rating
After a months-long effort, the Sheridan school district has failed in its bid to improve its state accreditation rating. The State Board of Education voted 5-2 Wednesday to reject the district’s...
View ArticleHigh school students get one-year pass on social studies tests
Colorado high school students won’t have to take the statewide social studies test this year, the Department of Education announced Thursday. Interim Commissioner Elliott Asp broke the news to the...
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Cost of being a Colorado teacher may be going up
Colorado teachers could see a 12.5 percent increase in their license fees under a plan being considered by the state Department of Education. Out-of-state applicants could feel an even bigger bite –...
View ArticleState board sets long wish list for new commissioner
Want to be Colorado commissioner of education? You’d better have a darned good resume. The State Board of Education, working with the executive search firm Ray and Associates, has set a high bar for...
View ArticleNew waivers from school readiness law raise concerns
More than 60 Colorado charter schools — and one of the state’s largest school districts — have been granted exemptions from some requirements of the state’s school readiness law just as it is being...
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Colorado ahead of the game on Obama’s suggested test reforms
President Obama’s recent call for less standardized testing spurred lots of national chatter, but many of his specific proposals involve steps Colorado already has taken. For example, the “testing...
View ArticleDougco sues state in enrollment count dispute
The Douglas County school district has made good on its threat to sue the state Department of Education in a $4.2 million dispute over counting of high school students. The suit, filed earlier this...
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