Gifted Education Director Page

Welcome to the Colorado Gifted Education Director Page

This page provides information for Administrative Unit’s (AUs) Gifted Education Directors of Record within the state of Colorado.

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Each section of the Gifted Education Director of Record page on the website corresponds to the roles and responsibilities outlined in state statutes and the Exceptional Children's Education Act (ECEA). While the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Office of Gifted Education offers guidance, you have the local authority to decide how your Administrative Unit (AU) complies with these statutes and rules. It is recommended to keep a copy of the ECEA rules handy for quick reference.

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Gifted students will most often spend the majority of their school day in the regular education classroom. As such, it is important that educators understand the unique academic and social-emotional needs of their gifted learners to better serve them.

Online Courses

The Office of Gifted Education offers online, asynchronous professional development courses designed to introduce educators, administrators and families to the unique needs of gifted and twice exceptional learners. Some of the topics covered include:

• An Introduction to Gifted Education
• Social Emotional Needs of Gifted Learners
• The Basics of Differentiation
• Writing Advanced Learning Plans
• The Gifted Identification Process
• An Introduction to Twice Exceptional Learners

Completion of our asynchronous gifted education courses will provide certificates that may be used for continuing education clock hours towards educator relicensure.

You can see our complete course catalog and enroll by visiting our LearnWorlds webpage.

CDE Facilitated Professional Development

The Office of Gifted Education offers facilitated Twice Exceptional (2e) professional development at various times throughout the year. These sessions provide the benefit of having knowledgeable facilitators and colleagues with whom you can interact.

Twice Exceptional Summer Institute coming June 11 and 12, 2025, in Colorado Springs.

For more information, contact Connolly Sherwood, Twice Exceptional Consultant, at sherwood_c@cde.state.co.us or complete the 2E Professional Development Support Request Form.

In-Person Trainings

The Office of Gifted Education provides in-person training designed to meet the needs of your educators, facilitators, and administrators. Since audiences can vary in their needs, we recommend a tiered approach when identifying potential attendees:

• Tier 1: Little to no experience working with gifted and twice exceptional students.
• Tier 2: A working knowledge or experience of gifted and twice exceptional students.
• Tier 3: Advanced understanding of gifted and twice exceptional students and the systems involved.

We currently have the following training sessions already developed:

Full Day (6 hours):

• Identification Guidance (all audiences)

Half Day (3 hours):

• The Basics of Identification (all audiences)
• Understanding Depth and Complexity (Tiers 1 & 2)
• Best Practices in ALP Writing (Tiers 2 & 3)

Bite-sized (1 hour):

• The Basics of Depth and Complexity (Tiers 1 & 2)
• Myths and Misconceptions of Gifted Learners (Tier 1)

Other gifted-specific trainings can be created based on the needs of your AU. However, this takes time to develop, so we require your requests to be submitted no later than ten weeks prior to your desired training date.

If you would like to schedule a training, or have any questions, contact Michael Scott, Monitoring and Professional Learning Consultant, at scott_m@cde.state.co.us.

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Description

All administrative units (AUs) in Colorado are required to identify and serve students between the ages of four and twenty-one whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs.

Responsibilities of Director

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Identification 12.02(2)(c):

• Criteria for Determining documentation Additional Supporting on file at COE Exceptional Ability (Giftedness) or Talent Pool 12.02(2)(d)
• Identification Portability 12.02(2)(e)

The director is responsible for implementing gifted identification practices in alignment to ECEA rule. The CDE Gifted Identification Guidance Handbook can support best practices for identification aligned with ECEA rules.

The director is responsible for:

• Developing a method to ensure equal and equitable access for all students such as
  • Twice Exceptional
  • Multilingual Learners
  • All ethnicities, genders, socio-economic status, cultures, etc.
• Ensuring correct coding of identification areas reported to CDE
• Maintaining data privacy
• Verifying accuracy of October Count
• Understanding and developing systems for portability
• Maintaining historical records of identification and body of evidence
• Determining common assessments for AU including Universal Screening
  • AU's may apply for annual grant funds to offset the cost of universal screening assessment
• Developing a referral process, way to collect body of evidence, and identification review team
• Engaging student, family, school, and community in identification process
• Following timelines of referral, identification, and transfer
• Building sustainable systems for the identification process

Resources for Identification

• Gifted Identification Guidance Handbook
• Body of Evidence Data Collection Tool
• Gifted Identification Determination and Body of Evidence
• Matrix of Commonly Used Assessments 2024 PDF

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Description

ECEA rules require that families and students are actively engaged in the gifted education process. AUs are responsible for developing methods of engagement and communication. These may vary based on individual AU/BOCES procedures.

Responsibilities of Director

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Family, Parent, and Student Engagement 12.02(2)(a).

• The program plan shall describe how the AU and/or individual districts within a BOCES implements parent, family, and student engagement and communication with regard to gifted education programs.

The director is responsible for developing methods and procedures for:

• How families are informed about access to identification procedures
• Ways to educate families about giftedness or raising gifted students
• Information about involvement and progress reporting
• Programming options are available to match student strengths and challenges
• Information about concurrent enrollment
• How families can be involved in college and career planning
• Provide communication in primary languages in the AU
• Ways families can participate in the gifted education community within the AU
• Ensuring district(s) has a plan for family and student engagement and communication
  • In multidistrict AUs and BOCES methods may vary based upon individual district procedures

Resources for Family and Student Engagement

Promising Practices: Examples of procedures and methods for Family engagement in gifted education and how an agency or school districts may involve families and students.

• Family, School, and Community (FSCP) Partnerships | CDE
• Family, School, and Community Partnerships MTSS | CDE
• Gifted & Talented - Jeffco Public Schools
• Gifted and Talented Program | Poudre School District
• National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
• SACPIE - Aligned with National Standards for Family-School Partnerships | CDE

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Description

The "Procedures for Disagreements" describes the processes and guidelines families and students follow if they disagree with a decision that concerns Gifted Identification, Advanced Learning Plans, and/or Programming options, including Early Access. Families have a process available to request that the school/district reconsider gifted education determinations. Check with your district gifted staff regarding their process for disagreements.

Director's Responsibility

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for:

• Procedures for Disagreements 12.06
• Early Access Procedures for Disagreements 12.08(2)(e)(v)

The director is responsible for developing and implementing procedures for:

• Resolving disagreements with families or students regarding:
  • Identification
  • ALPs
  • Programming
  • Early Access
• Ensuring the Procedures for Disagreements are posted for ease of access for families, students, schools, and communities. CDE recommends posting procedures on all AU websites and in communications with families.

Resources for Procedures for Disagreements

Promising Practices: Examples of Procedures for Disagreements. Please note that these may also be referred to as Dispute Resolution, Appeals Process, etc.

• Mesa County Valley School District 51: Gifted Appeals Process
• Denver Public Schools: Family Communication Pathways
• San Juan BOCES: Appeals Process, Dispute Resolution

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Description

The Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) is an important state mandated document outlining programming for identified gifted students and is used as a guide for educational planning and decision-making. The Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) states that an ALP shall be developed for every gifted student according to their determined area(s) of giftedness, interests, and instructional and affective needs and that goals in the ALP are standards-based.

Responsibilities of Director

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Advanced Learning Plan Procedures and Responsibilities (12.02(2)(g)) and ALP Content (12.02(2)(f)), which includes developing methods and procedures for:

• Notification of ALP development and times in the school year when parents, teachers and the student talk about student academic and affective goal progress.
• A method to develop student awareness and active participation in the ALP process.
• A method for monitoring student academic and affective growth.
• A process for management and transfer of ALPs within the cumulative file system.
• An ALP progress reporting timeline.
• A system to show evidence of parent engagement and input in ALP development and in the review of progress.
• ALP content, which includes but is not be limited to:
  • Student profile described in a body of evidence
  • Student interests
  • Annual, measurable, attainable academic and affective goals and progress
  • Achievement goals are standards-based statements in strength area(s)
  • Affective goals reflect the development of personal, social, communication, leadership, and/or cultural competency
  • Description or delineation of supplemental curriculum, activities, specific programs or coursework, specific strategies, and/or extended or expanded learning opportunities available in the AU that match a student's strength area(s) and support the goals
  • Progress reports
  • Personnel involved with ALP development

Note: While ECEA Rules require certain content to be included in an ALP, Colorado does not have a required state ALP format.

Resources for Advanced Learning Plans

ALP Guidance Document

• Advanced Learning Plans: ECEA Rules Guidance
• Advanced Learning Plan Review (Accessible) 2023
• Writing Colorado Standards-aligned Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs)

Possible Standards for ALP Development include but are not limited to:

• Colorado Academic Standards
• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Pre-K - Grade 12 Programming Standards
• Frameworks, Competencies, Standards, and Guidelines - CASEL
• National Core Arts Standards
• Career and Technical Education | CDE

Additional ALP Resources

• Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) | CDE
• CDE Data Privacy and Security

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Description

Gifted programming includes the components and strategies that are implemented to appropriately address the academic and affective needs of gifted students. Administrative units (AUs), districts, and schools provide varied programming options based on student need, personnel, and available resources aligned to best practices in gifted education. For every identified gifted student, an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) is developed in collaboration with the student, family, and teacher(s) to describe the programming options the student will receive to support annual academic and affective goal attainment.

Programming for the individual student matches the strengths and interests of the student. Data are used to measure and monitor student growth and achievement and drive instructional programming decisions. Administrative units shall implement gifted education student programs providing programming options and services for gifted children for at least the number of days calendared for the school year by each school district. [2220-R-12.00] The AU is responsible for having a system of support for identified gifted students who may not be achieving their potential or meeting their goals.

Programming may include opportunities and strategies for the student to plan for college, identify scholarship opportunities, and/or provide assistance for selected post-secondary activities.

Responsibilities of Director

Programming:

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Programming 12.02(2)(h).

• The Comprehensive Program Plan shall describe the programming components, options, and strategies that will be implemented by the AU and schools to appropriately address the educational needs of gifted students. Programming shall match the academic strengths and interests of the gifted student. Other educational or affective needs shall be addressed according to the individual student's profile.

The director is responsible for developing programming components, options, and strategies that are implemented by the AU which include but not limited to:

• Alignment of the gifted student's assessment data and ALP goals to programming options in the areas of giftedness;
• Structures or type of delivery by which gifted students are served at the different school levels (e.g., the general classroom, resource location, small instructional group, and/or pullout for direct and extended instruction aligned to strength area);
• Support in differentiated instruction and methods (e.g., acceleration, cluster grouping, and higher order thinking skills);
• Affective and guidance support systems (e.g., social skills training, early college and career planning);
• Diverse content options provided for gifted students in their areas of strength (e.g., mentorship, Socratic seminars, advanced math, honors courses);
• The planning and implementation of an articulation process for preschool (if applicable) through grade 12;
• Pre-collegiate and/or pre-advanced placement support
• ALP development and reviews conducted through the collaborative efforts of the teacher(s), other school personnel (as needed), families, and the student (as appropriate);
• Post-secondary options available to gifted students.
• Concurrent enrollment opportunities, if indicated by a gifted child's ALP or ICAP. To be considered in an ALP, the AU shall consider the student's need for appropriate concurrent enrollment, available options, funding, and requirement for administrative approval; and
• Provisions to develop the areas of strength over time of gifted students. When underachievement and/or motivational issues are observed behaviors in a gifted student, the ALP team, child study team, or review team shall problem solve in collaboration with the family, the student, and appropriate staff.

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Resources for Programming

• Gifted Programming ECEA Rule Guidance
• CDE Concurrent Enrollment
• CDE Multi-tiered System of Supports
• Colorín Colorado

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Description

AUs shall make a good faith effort to employ or contract with a qualified person to serve as gifted director of record. In Colorado, "qualified personnel" in gifted education means a licensed educator who has a Colorado teaching certificate and has either achieved or is actively pursuing one of the three gifted education endorsements:

• Core Gifted Endorsement
• Gifted Specialist
• Gifted Director

Director Responsibilities

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Personnel, 12.02 (2)(j), and implementing procedures for:

• Adequately staffing in order to meet requirements set forth in ECEA Rule.
• Determining with Human Resources the licensing, endorsement levels and responsibilities of educators supporting gifted students.

AUs are able to determine title and requirements for their director of record. However, AUs who do not have a qualified person in the position of gifted director of record may not be eligible for USQP funds.

Resources for Personnel

Licensing

Information about endorsement application and online submission is available on the Educator Licensing Office webpage.

Colorado Approved Educator Preparation Programs for Gifted Endorsements

• University of Northern Colorado
• University of Denver
• University of Colorado - Colorado Springs:
  • Graduate Certificate
  • M. Ed. in Gifted Curriculum and Instruction
• CSU Pueblo

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Description

Gifted Program Plans include

• Annual Plan
• Comprehensive Program Plan (CPP)
• Early Access Plan

The Annual Plan is designed to align efforts and targets to improve gifted student performance. The Annual Plan fulfills the obligations for accountability as defined within ECEA for the AU Unified Improvement Planning (UIP). The primary purpose of improvement planning is to align efforts to:

Ensure all students exit the K-12 education system ready for postsecondary education, and/or to be successful in the workforce, earning a living wage immediately upon graduation.

The Comprehensive Program Plan (CPP) is a concisely written description of the policies and procedures by which an administrative unit (AU) identifies and programs for gifted student education. The development of an AU's Comprehensive Program Plan (CPP) demonstrates commitment to identify and serve gifted students and their families in ways that fit with local district resources, data analysis, and priorities.

The CPP describes the AU's implementation of key requirements outlined in ECEA Rules. This plan is informed by the AU's self-evaluation, stakeholder input, and gifted student data. Completed plans are transparent documents, accessible to stakeholders on the Colorado Department of Education Office of Gifted Education website.

Plans may be updated and revised any time during the five-year monitoring cycle, after the completion of the Gifted Education Monitoring process to address targeted areas for improvement, and on a submission cycle defined by CDE to be no longer than five years.

The Early Access Plan outlines a system to identify and serve the few highly advanced gifted children who require comprehensive academic acceleration. Guidelines for early access to kindergarten at age 4 or early access to first grade at age 5 for highly advanced gifted children who are placed in a grade level above other same aged peers based upon the following conditions:

• the student is formally identified as gifted as specified in 12.01(16); and
• the student meets requirements for accelerated placement as determined in an auditable body of evidence (e.g., achievement, ability, social-emotional factors, school learning skills, developmental characteristics, and family and school support). 12.01(12)
• the student shall be age 4 by October 1 for kindergarten; and, age 5 by October 1 for first grade. 12.08(2)(e)(i)(D)

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Evaluation and Accountability Procedures 12.02(2)(i), Annual Plan (12.01(4) and Comprehensive Program Plan and Early Access Plan 12.01(25)

The director is responsible for developing:

• Annual Plan: Submitted annually mid-April
  • Tools used in accountability to monitor gifted student academic achievement and commensurate academic and affective growth related to the implementation of the programming components.
  • Methods for self-evaluation of the gifted program (e.g., review of gifted policy, goals, identification process, programming components, personnel, budget and reporting practices, and the impact of gifted programming on student achievement and progress).
  • Opportunities for periodic feedback from educational partners (Educational Partners include: administrators, teachers, families, students, and community).
  • Systems to analyze annual gifted demographics to ensure equal and equitable access.
  • Alignment of Gifted Education Annual Plan major improvement strategy or strategies with the development of district/member districts Unified Improvement Plan (UIP).
  • Procedures to ensure compliance with the requirements of accreditation with regard to gifted student achievement, identification of disparities in the data, instructional goals, growth, and reporting.
• Comprehensive Program Plan (CPP): Submitted every 5 years in alignment with Gifted Education Monitoring
  • Systems that describe how the AU has implemented the key requirements for gifted education as defined in ECEA Rule. Revisions can be made anytime throughout the five year cycle as needed.
  • A review process of the AU's Comprehensive Program Plan to determine attainment status of improvement areas and elements of focus.
  • Processes for participating in the Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM) process.
• Early Access 12.01(12) Optional
  Per-pupil funding will only be provided to an AU if an Early Access Plan has been approved by CDE and the student meets all criteria for early access admittance. The director is responsible for:
  • Filing a written Early Access Plan and submitting it to CDE, for approval, in order to receive per-pupil funding for an early access student. Once approved, Early Access Plans are renewed every five years in alignment with the Administrative Unit's Gifted Education Monitoring visit.
  • Developing an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) by September 30. For a four year old to be counted as a kindergartener or a five year old to be counted as a first grader, the ALP must show the notation "grade acceleration" on the first or cover page of the ALP.

Note: Once an AU submits an Early Access Plan and it has been approved by CDE, it is not necessary to resubmit or renew the plan unless the AU wishes to update or revise the plan. If an AU wishes to submit an initial plan for early access, plans must be submitted to CDE by January 1 prior to the fiscal year of implementation.

Resources for Program Plans

• Gifted Annual Plan Guidance Handbook 2024 (PDF)
• Unified Improvement Planning
• Early Access for Highly Advanced Gifted Children Under Age Six
• Survey Design for Program Evaluation Guidance Accessible 2023 (PDF)

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Description

Gifted Education Data includes methods for monitoring and measuring gifted student performance that align with state accreditation requirements. The Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) defines sources of data used to monitor and measure gifted student performance under Evaluation and Accountability Procedures 12.02(2)(i).

Four Data Sources for Gifted Education

1. CDE Gifted Enrollment Pupil Count

Annually, the Office of Gifted Education provides state and AU level data for gifted education based on Student October Count within the ESSU DMS. The data is separated into demographics and categories of giftedness as an indicator of whether significant disparities exist in the gifted population. The data guides the state in analyzing gifted enrollment to determine subgroups that may be underrepresented and may be used to develop specific targets for continued improvement.

• CDE Data Pipeline - CEDAR (formerly COGNOS) 
  CEDAR, or Colorado Education Data Analysis and Reporting, is a private, secure system which provides student level data to authorized users. Access to student-level data is limited to educators who have a need for such data. 
  
  For permission to access the student-level data for your school or district, please contact your local school district's Local Access Manager (LAM) and request access to CDE's CEDAR system. CDE does not grant access to this system to either district- or school-level users directly – districts must add, administer, and remove users themselves. Directions for using CEDAR are available in the resource section.

2. CDE School and District Dashboard

The Dashboards are made up of a suite of reports that have been designed to support improvement planning efforts by districts and schools. The dashboards allow users to interact with graphs and tables showing demographic information along with performance data and ratings generated under the state accountability system. Use the CDE School and District Dashboard to view current information for individual schools and districts along with several years of historical data.

Release/Refresh Timeline: Dashboards are refreshed with achievement, growth, and other performance data each summer when state assessment results become available, typically in August.

3. SchoolView: School and District Data

Data Tools:

• ​Accountability Data Tools & Reports 
  • Find student academic progress and supports for schools and districts through accountability-related data tools including:
    • Performance Framework Reports (SPF / DPF)
    • Unified Improvement Plans (UIP)
    • School and District Dashboard
    • Data Explorer
  • ​Data Center and Data Lab 
    • School, district and state-level education data including achievement and growth, student enrollment, demographics, student attendance, student conduct, staff data, course offerings and health and wellness programs. 
  • Colorado Education Statistics 
    • Download annual education statistics including graduation, dropout, suspension/expulsion and enrollment rates.

4. ESSU DMS

This Data Management System (DMS) housed by the company Ascend includes a Gifted Dashboard. It includes GT data and reports at the AU level. Gifted Directors will need login information to access the DMS.

• Gifted Dashboard on Ascend: Tips for Data and Reports

Responsibilities of Director

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding the data requirements set forth throughout ECEA Rule.

The director is responsible for:

• Collaborating with the AU's Data Respondent or member districts Data Respondent to review the gifted enrollment data for accuracy during the Student October Count before the report is finalized and submitted to CDE for the Data Pipeline.
• Collaborating with the AU Local Access Manager (LAM) or member districts LAMs to utilize
  • The CDE CEDAR system which provides student level data to authorized users.
  • The CDE DMS system which provides access to AU information, reports, documents, and DMS Data Dashboard
• Utilizing CDE SchoolView: School and District Data to explore school and district data.

Resources for Gifted Education Data

• SchoolView: School and District Data (state.co.us)
• ESSU Data Management Ascend System (DMS)
• CMAS - Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies Data and Results (Includes other state assessment results)
• Directions for CEDAR

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Description

Administrative units (AUs) provide educational services to gifted students and professional development for educators, and under the Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA), the "Budget" details the AU's collaborative efforts and costs for implementing the gifted education program and its goals.

These services are supported by the following funding sources:

1. State Categorical Funds: Gifted Grant Code 3150

Gifted Education funding and distributions from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) are dependent upon annual funding allocations determined by the General Assembly through the Long Appropriations Bill. These categorical funds are supplemental in nature. The funds are retained in a separate line item in the Long Bill. The supplemental funds are set aside under the provision of law for a specific purpose and are distributed on a per-pupil allocation based on the AU's total enrollment, not the number of identified gifted students. State funds are determined by a funding formula.

Funds are dispersed to the AU in the fall. State categorical 3150 funds may change from year to year based on the overall state enrollment, AU's enrollment, number of AUs in the state, and total funds allocated by the Legislature. Expended funds must meet requirements outlined in ECEA Rule 12.02(2)(k). A carryover of 3150 funds is allowable. Funds carried over must remain dedicated to the specific purpose outlined in ECEA Rule 12.02(k) and may not be rolled into the AUs general budget.

2. Universal Screening & Qualified Personnel: Gifted Grant Code 3228

The Exceptional Student Education Act (ECEA) through House Bill 14-1102 permits AUs to apply for grant funds to offset the cost incurred by employing a qualified person to administer the gifted program and/or the costs of universal screening. When the amount of AU requests exceeds the available grant funds, AUs receive a percentage of the total available funds based on the total amount of funds requested. Universal Screening and Qualified Personnel (USQP) Grant applications are due on April 15 of each year. Grants are dependent upon the annual appropriation provided to the Department in any given year and shall be distributed to applicants in accordance with 22-20-205, C.R. S.

USQP Grant Funds (3228) must be expended by June 30 and are reported in the Expended Budget Report. The AU may not carry forward funds or roll funds into the AU's general budget. Grant funds for 3228 may only be used for the purpose of universal screening and qualified personnel. Funds may not be allocated for other purposes to support the gifted program plan.

3. AU/District Funds

State categorical funds for gifted education are intended to be supplemental. The AU supplements state funds to provide a comprehensive gifted program and ensure the continuum of gifted services in all areas of giftedness as defined in ECEA Rule. ECEA Rules stipulate, "The budget shall detail the funding committed by the AU and funding requested from the Department. Funding committed by the AU shall be an amount determined by the AU to contribute towards the AU's gifted student education program described in the AU's program plan." [12.02(2)(k)]

AUs shall determine the amount of general funds allocated to gifted programming. In a multi-district AU or BOCES, the annual budget reports must include the supplemental gifted funds and other 3150 program expenditures provided by each district within the AU to support gifted education. The multiple-district and BOCES AUs are accountable for obtaining reports on how flow through funds is expended.

4. Gifted Education Regional Consultant (GERC) Grant

The Gifted Education Regional Consultant (GERC) Grant was established to provide Administrative Unit (AU) Gifted Education Directors with ongoing tiered support, consultation and technical assistance. Grant funds are appropriated annually by region for a Gifted Education Regional Consultant (GERC). The GERC works with directors of record on the development and implementation of comprehensive program plans, preparation for monitoring, support of annual plan performance targets, budget and grant application preparation, and additional technical assistance in meeting required elements of ECEA.

5. Other Grants

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allows districts to use ESSA funds to identify and serve gifted students and, specifically, homeless gifted students, Native Americans, Title Ⅰ, and Title Ⅱ professional development funds to provide training specific to gifted education. AUs may choose to use ESSA funds to support gifted programming and quality and differentiated instruction.

Additionally, AUs may choose to apply for other educational grants that may be used to support gifted programming. This reporting category is not for the purpose of recording Grant Fund 3228 (Universal Screening and Qualified Personnel) expenditures.

Note: There are several ESSA title programs that can support gifted students.

Responsibilities of Director

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Budget 12.02(2)(k) and Grants 12.09.

The director is responsible for:

• Submitting an annual Expended Budget Report by the last business day of September
• Applying for the Universal Screening and Qualified Personnel (USQP) grant by mid-April (the grant is optional)
• Checking current year calendar and following the exact deadline dates for budgets and grants
• Knowing the specific guidelines for how funds may or may not be expended. Allowable use is explained in the Gifted Budget Guidance Document (linked in resources below).
• Support the management, evaluation, and adjustment of the Gifted Education Regional Consultant (GERC) Grant. One AU within the region serves as the fiscal agent for this grant and leads this process.

Resources for Fiscal (Grants & Budget)

• Grant Distributions: Allocations
  • State and Federal Grant Allocations
• Gifted Budget Guidance Document 2024 (PDF)
• Expended Budget Report in the DMS
• Universal Screening Qualified Personnel Grant Guidance Document
• GAINS system for Universal Screening and Qualified Personnel Grant (USQP) Application

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Description

Fiscal Record Keeping

Fiscal records of expended gifted education state categorical and grant funds are maintained in accordance with the accepted principles of accounting and CDE's Financial Policies and Procedures.

Inventory of Equipment

An AU shall keep an inventory record of all equipment purchased with state funds. The record must be maintained for the useful life of the equipment. The AU's capital asset policy establishes criteria for when an equipment item must be capitalized and when it is included on the AU's inventory records. A review of an AU's inventory list is a component of the Gifted Education Monitoring process.

Student Records

AUs are responsible for the management, maintenance, confidentiality, and destruction of gifted education student records. AUs develop, maintain, store, and destroy student educational records in accordance with the AU's/district's established procedures. AUs follow state and federal guidelines to ensure data privacy.

Responsibilities of Director

Record Keeping

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Record keeping 12.05(1)

• 12.05(2) Inventory
• 12.05(3) Student Education Records
• 12.05(4) Confidentiality of Student Education Records
• 12.05(5) Maintenance and Destruction of Student Education Records

The director is responsible for developing:

• Methods for keeping financial records that are kept in accordance with generally accepted principles of governmental accounting. Recommended accounting principles are listed in the CDE Financial Policies and Procedures (FPP) Handbook.
• System for inventory to be maintained of all equipment for which funding was received. These records shall be maintained throughout the useful life of the equipment.
• System for keeping ALP documents as part of the student's cumulative education record.
• System that ensures individually identifiable records of students referred, assessed, evaluated, and/or served through programming for gifted and talented students in any AU is held confidential and protected in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Student records that are collected and/or stored electronically must be held to current state law and FERPA regulations governing the protection of personally identifiable information and the privacy interests of students.
• Methods to ensure gifted student education records and ALPs are maintained, retained and destroyed consistent with the ongoing system of student record keeping established in the AU, including its member districts or the Charter School Institute for student records, preschool (if applicable) through grade 12.

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Description

Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM) is a collaborative process that is the shared responsibility of administrative units (AUs), Colorado Department of Education (CDE), and the Gifted Education Regional Consultant (GERC). The objective of this partnership is to increase the capacity of educators and educational systems to identify, program, and be accountable for gifted student achievement and growth. The implementation of the key requirements outlined in ECEA Rules ensure the academic and affective needs of gifted students are addressed.

Gifted education program evaluation is an essential component for continuous growth and improvement, a requirement of the Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM) process, and a condition of state accountability and reporting.

Program evaluation is a systemic process that may occur annually, bi-annually and during the GEM process. It relies on using meaningful data, such as gifted identification demographics, Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) goal attainment, student performance on state and local assessments, financial expenditures, and responses from stakeholder surveys and/or focus groups.

An AU is accountable for the submission of specific state reports that reflect data and evidence collected as part of a program evaluation.

Four Components of AU Gifted Program Evaluation

1. Alignment to Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) Rules

The Program Evaluation includes monitoring, measuring, and reporting. Examples may include but not limited to:

• Comprehensive Program Plan (CPP) to determine attainment status of improvement areas and elements of focus.
• Completed required annual Reports
• Budget
• Inventory
• Gifted Enrollment Pupil Count
• Participation in the CDE monitoring process

2. Identification

The Program Evaluation includes monitoring, measuring, and reporting. Examples may include but not limited to:

• Analysis of Identification Procedures to ensure equal and equitable access
• Annual Gifted Student Enrollment (demographics)
• Processes and Procedures are that are in place for all areas of giftedness

3. Performance

The Program Evaluation includes monitoring, measuring, and reporting. Examples may include but are not limited to:

• Gifted student academic and affective growth and achievement
• Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) for Gifted Education
• Affective Development and Growth
• Advanced Learning Plans

4. Communication

The Program Evaluation includes soliciting feedback from educational partners and examining methods of communication for family and student engagement. Examples may include but are not limited to:

• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Advisory Committee

Purpose

The foundational purpose of GEM is for AUs to evaluate their gifted program plan to determine levels of implementation for each of the primary elements of Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) Rules. The information obtained from the AU's self-evaluation identifies priority improvements for compliance and continued program growth and development.

The Office of Gifted Education at the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) will monitor program compliance on a regular basis through reviewing Comprehensive Program Plans, Annual Plans, Unified Improvement Plans, Expended Budgets, Quality Program Assessment Rubric, and conducting onsite visits and interviews. CDE will conduct at least one onsite visit to every AU during a five-year period. The purpose of the onsite visit is to document compliance with state rules and to gather more detailed information on implementation efforts and program quality.

GEM Process

Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM) Mission

The Department of Exceptional Student Services at CDE has developed a streamlined and cohesive monitoring process to provide hands-on support for district Gifted Education programs throughout the state of Colorado. Gifted Education is driven by collaboration with Gifted Education professionals, school administrators, and educators to benefit our classrooms and learners across the state.

Our Goals at CDE are to provide a monitoring process that will allow professionals in the Gifted Education community to create diagnostic and meaningful gifted programming for their schools. The GEM process aims to:

• Design a monitoring visit using input, scheduling, and sites that involve gifted education school community partners;
• Utilize monitoring to celebrate victories in Colorado's gifted education programming;
• Utilize monitoring to diagnose areas for growth and provide guidance and learning opportunities;
• Close excellence gaps in the state of Colorado through improved gifted programming;
• Provide an intentional, hands-on, and transparent monitoring experience; and
• Help to create equity and opportunity for every student, every step of the way

Director's Responsibility

The director is responsible for knowing and understanding ECEA Rule for Monitoring 12.07

• A determination of compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and
• An assessment of program quality based on the standards established by the Department of Education.

The director is responsible for developing and submitting:

• AU Annual Plan;
• Current district(s) Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) or Student-Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP);
• 5 year Comprehensive Program Plan (CPP) during the same year of the Gifted Education Monitoring Visit including all requested documents:
  • Quality Program Assessment Rubric (QPAR)
  • Expended Budget
  • Early Access Plan if applicable
  • Other documents as requested
• A review of the annual enrollment and student performance reports;
• Preparation of 5 year Gifted Education Monitoring Visit. A planned comprehensive on-site procedure integrated with the continuous improvement and gifted education review process in the Department of Education; and
• Follow-up activities include the provision of technical assistance in areas of non-compliance and verification that areas of non-compliance have been corrected.

Resources for Gifted Education Monitoring (GEM)

The following resources necessary for GEM can be found within the DMS:

• Quality Program Assessment Rubric Single District/BOCES AU
• Comprehensive Program Plan
• Annual Plan
• Fiscal
  • Extended Budget Report

*Resources for your GEM will be assigned within DMS.

Additional Resources:

• 5 Year Gifted Education AU Monitoring Schedule
• Annual Gifted Education Monitoring Timeline

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Additional CDE Offices and Key Contacts