District Accountability Committee

Welcome to the first newsletter in 2025

With the second semester in full swing, it is a great time to check on your school’s Unified Improvement Plan (UIP). How is the implementation of your Major Improvement Strategy (MIS) going? How did the Step-Back meetings go? By the way, Step-Back meeting is the new name for UIP check-in. Administration, data coaches, instructional coaches, and the instructional leadership teams meet with their area superintendent quarterly to talk about the state of your schools UIP. They discuss how the data responds to the work and which adjustments, if any, need to be made. They also discuss individual students and teachers, which is sensitive data and is not shared. For the SAC chairs, you may want to ask to attend a Step-Back meeting and learn about the work (just make sure to leave before they begin any discussion of data sensitive information).

Another Topic of discussion is school safety in your building. Most schools had changes to their entryways and the process of people entering the school. Please let us know how that is working out for your school and any positive or negative impacts it has created. The district did a safety audit and implemented changes to address those findings. It may be a good time to have the principal share what issues are being resolved, how staff are being trained, and if any updates are needed. Remember, we do not want to point out potential weaknesses in a public meeting. We want to understand the efforts that were made and their impact. How is your school addressing safety concerns from parents, students, and the community?

For more support with your upcoming SAC agenda, continue to read and join us for the rescheduled SAC training on February 13 from 6-8pm at Tesla. I am very sorry if this causes any scheduling conflicts. I wish the Colorado weather would have checked in with me first!

In January the DAC learned about the process of changing graduation requirements when a first draft was presented. It was interesting to learn about the process and be able to ask questions. A document presented at the DAC meeting connected graduation requirements to the D11 graduate profile. It is challenging to create a system in which every student gets what they need while maintaining a standard for high school graduation. This work will continue through the Design Thinking Lab before continuing on to the Board process, for final approval.

The DAC continues their work on the area DAC representative model, to strengthen the connection between the DAC and the SACs. I have visited a few SAC meetings and so have my fellow DAC area representatives. We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed learning about the school community. I even had a brand new SAC chair visit my school's SAC meeting to help him learn about our community. It feels great to build these connections. Reach out if you have yet to have a DAC rep visit and we will get that done as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading our newsletter, please pass it on to your community through your school’s newsletter and email it to your SAC members and staff.

I look forward to seeing you at the SAC training next week.

Happy Valentine’s day and remember to share the love all year round.

Marion Clawson

(D11 DAC Chair)

Jenkins MS students and staff are still adjusting to their new (temporary) home schools, after being forced to vacate their building, in mid-January, due to structural concerns. Under the circumstances, they have shown great resilience and will not let their spirit be broken. As they adjust, so do the students and staff at Russell MS and Doherty HS, welcoming their displaced neighbors. It has been amazing to see the outpouring of support from the community and from D11 staff, district wide.

D11 experts (the Capital Programs team) are dedicated to making it top priority in seeing Jenkins Middle School stealthy and vibrant as soon as possible. While experts, outside the district, continue to investigate and determine the cause and report on what repairs will look like, please remember it's not just another building structure that our local news stations are highlighting. It has been the 'home away from home' for many students and staff, who are eager to return to that familiar 'homestead'. Be mindful of the feelings of those around you. Be kind to one another - ALWAYS. Be supportive of your fellow D11 families, whenever and wherever you can. This support not only applies to Jenkins, Russell and Doherty. All D11 schools need support, so don't hesitate to extend that support to your own school or any school that may need a helping hand.

The week of February 10th is appropriately named Spread the Love spirit week.

Please check the D11 website and the Jenkins page, specifically, for updates.

Pre-K–Grade 12

Star Assessments are short tests that provide teachers with personalized learning data for each student.

Star tests are computer adaptive, which means they adjust in difficulty to each answer students provide. This helps teachers get the best data to help students in the shortest amount of testing time (about one-third of the time other tests require).

Students may take a Star test for early literacy, math, or reading. Teachers analyze the data they receive from Star Assessments to learn what students already know and what they are ready to learn next, to monitor student growth, and to determine which students may need additional help.

Star Assessments are research-based and scientifically proven to help teachers guide each student on their unique path to proficiency.

More information on this testing and assessments can be found on the STAR website.

Word on the street is that the School Based Budgeting has been well received and almost all of the district's schools have met with the training team. That team has consisted of some or all of the following: Area Superintendents, a member of the Budgeting/Finance team, a member of the Choice & Enrollments team, Dr. Comfort, and Academics. While that may still not include everyone that has attended/assisted with these meetings, all are appreciated for their expertise and time taken to ensure a smooth transition for all. If you have questions or unsure of your meeting time, please reach out to your respective Area Superintendent at (719) 520-2018. You can also call that number to provide feedback. The district always wants to hear from you. Without you, there wouldn't be an 'Us'.

Every month we intend to provide a reasonable flow of SAC agenda topics that meet the broad responsibilities of School District 11 SACs. This is just a reference tool, and individual SACs should tailor their agendas appropriate to their school needs and emphasis. The following are some of the topics recommended for the February SAC meeting:

· If not done in Jan, principal and teachers provide relevant 1st semester achievement data (including Winter District Benchmark, Middle of year DIBELS8, and ACCESS for ELLs test results) and compare against “One Plan”/USIP goals.

• Progress in reading, writing, math, social studies and science.
• Progress on Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) and associated achievement gap strategies.
• Progress on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) successes/challenges. (Information about Random Acts of Kindness (RAK), Capturing Kids Hearts, Second Step, or Restorative Practices depending on school level)
• Progress on student discipline and “safe learning environment” initiatives.
• Progress on parent engagement for student learning, including training in PowerSchool and supporting technology. At the middle or high school level ask about SchooLinks, what do parents need to know about?

Deadlines of interest to SACs:

• ACCESS, the state test for English Language Learner (ELL) students (all eligible K-12 grade students), will be given January 13– February 14, 2025.
• The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), will be given to all 2nd grade students January 13-February 7, 2025. This test is used in identifying gifted and talented students for special instruction support.

SAC Training

The third SAC Training was rescheduled from January 30, 2025, due to bad weather and road conditions and will now be on February 13, 2025.

Presenters and Topics of discussion will include:

• Elementary: Christy Feldman – Understanding READ plans and DIBELS data.
• Secondary: Leilani Mullins – SchooLinks and Individualized Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs)
• Jessica Wise: Communication Tools, Let’s Talk, status of two-way communication tools, etc.
• SAC Area Discussions
  
  

The final SAC training session will be Thursday, April 3, 2025 from 6-8.

D11 SAC Resources in one place:

Do you want to be able to find ideas to support your SAC quickly? Look at:

https://padlet.com/vstepanek/D11SACPadlet

If you have additional ideas that would help you work with your SAC send them to vstepanek@msn.com

The King ES students and community celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, with incredible generosity. They collected over 100 boxes of cereal to be donated to Care & Share, giving back to the community as a tribute to MLK Jr's legacy.

This week, we proudly recognize the heart and soul of student support—our amazing school counselors!

From guiding students through academic challenges to being a pillar of emotional support, their dedication knows no bounds. They are the quiet champions behind student success, the steady hands that help staff navigate challenges, and the compassionate listeners who turn struggles into triumphs.

Their impact reaches far beyond the classroom, shaping lives, building confidence, and ensuring that every student feels seen, heard, and valued.

To all of our school counselors in D11, THANK YOU for the passion, resilience, and heart you bring to our schools. We appreciate you today and every day! (taken from fb)