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Federal Programs and Supports Unit (FPSU)
Our Work
The Federal Programs & Supports Unit (FPSU) administers programs and distributes funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), most recently reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Program. FPSU oversees Title I School Improvement through Empowering Action for School Improvement (EASI) grants, as well as other Federal formula and competitive grants and awards.
ESEA is the longstanding federal law focused on K-12 education that helps ensure equitable opportunities for all students. ESEA's most recent reauthorization, ESSA, emphasizes:
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Opportunities for historically underserved students
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Local control and flexibility based on local context
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Access to high academic standards and effective educators
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Assessments that measure student progress towards meeting high academic standards
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Federal accountability and actions for results
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Preparation for student success in college and careers
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Investment in high-quality preschools
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Leverage of evidence-based practices
ESSER programs provided relief funds for schools and districts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impact of COVID-19.
FPSU Mission
FPSU's mission is to ensure that the Federal programs we administer provide all Colorado students significant opportunities to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education and close educational achievement gaps.
FPSU Purpose and Structure
FPSU is comprised of three offices:
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Program Effectiveness
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Program Implementation
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Program Monitoring
FPSU administers Federally-funded programs that support historically underserved students and establishes standards, indicators, and protocols for assessing local programs and systems. Our goal is to strengthen the field's capacity to implement higher quality programs and systems supported and funded by ESEA/ESSA and ESSER. FPSU strives to ensure that grant applications, application and program review protocols, and approval criteria reflect quality program standards, maximize efficiency, and improve program design and implementation in ways that optimize student outcomes. Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting ensure Federal programs and funds are leveraged effectively to design and implement local programs in support of historically underserved students using evidence-based strategies and promising practices including those of Colorado's High Achieving Schools (HAS).
FPSU implements Colorado's ESSA Plan and Equity Plan, designs and delivers the Equity and Excellence Conference, and collaborates on the development, dissemination, and use of the Equity Toolkit.
Offices
Program Effectiveness
Office Supervisor: Tina Negley
FPSU's Program Effectiveness Office evaluates the effectiveness of ESEA programs, as reauthorized under ESSA, and fulfills Federal academic accountability and data reporting requirements. The Program Effectiveness team collects, manages, and analyzes data to inform funding decisions and program quality. We look beyond accountability, evaluating program impact and identifying and disseminating best implementation practices. Program Effectiveness also evaluates the impact of ESSER funds.
Major Duties:
- Data
- Accountability
- Reporting to the U.S. Department of Education
- ESSA Identification
- ESSA State Report
- ESSA LEA Reports
- EDT Analyses
- Comparability Analyses
- ESSER Public Reporting
- ARP ESSER III LEA Plans
- Program Evaluation
Program Implementation
Office Supervisor: Laura Meushaw
FPSU's Program Implementation Office supports the identification of effective uses of ESSA and ESSER funds and how best to leverage them to meet students' needs. The Program Implementation team ensures that local plans and applications for funds meet program intent and are designed to improve student outcomes students.
Major Duties:
- Consolidated Application
- EASI Application
- Stakeholder Engagement: ESEA Committee of Practitioners (CoP)
- Equitable Services to Non-Public Schools
- Technical Assistance: ESEA Launchpad
- Trainings: Regional Networking Meetings (RNMs)
Program Monitoring
Office Supervisor: Tammy Giessinger
FPSU's Program Monitoring Office oversees ESSA and ESSER implementation to ensure program, activity, and service implementation meets the program intent, improves student outcomes, and complies with Federal legislation and regulations.
Major Duties:
- Federal Monitoring of ESEA and ESSER Programs
- Administration of the Stronger Connections Grant
- ESSER I, ESSER II, and ARP ESSER III Implementation & Post-Award Revisions (PARs)
Formerly Unit of Federal Programs Administration
FPSU works very closely with offices formerly part of the Unit of Federal Programs Administration (UFPA).
Feedback and Requests for Assistance
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our digital platforms. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on the Federal Programs & Supports Unit website or any of our subpages by contacting us through the following methods:
- Email: ESSAquestions@cde.state.co.us
- Contact Form
The Federal Programs & Supports Unit is committed to providing a timely response to reports of inaccessible digital platforms or requests for a reasonable accommodation or modification.
COVID-19 and Federal Programs
For information pertaining to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on programs managed by the FPSU, visit:
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