An eight-city tour of the state begins Monday, Aug. 10 to listen to feedback from parents and community members on the first sets of revised draft P-12 Colorado Academic Standards in the four social studies content areas. These content areas include civics, economics, geography and history and will replace the current K-12 Colorado Model Content Standards.
Participants will also have the opportunity to review the new expectations in personal financial literacy which are embedded in the revised economics and mathematics standards.
The state-mandated review of all 13 content areas has been divided into three phases.
Phase I, reviewed from January-May 2009, included four subjects—mathematics; music; reading, writing and communicating; and science. New drafts of these content areas will be available for viewing on the CDE website by August 31st.
Phase II includes civics; economics; geography; and history, and the expectations for personal financial literacy. Drafts will be available online on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Meetings during the phase II tour will begin at 5:30 p.m. The schedule is:
- Monday, Aug. 10, Doubletree Hotel, 743 Horizon Dr., Grand Junction
- Tuesday, Aug. 11, Doubletree Hotel, 7801 East Orchard Rd., Greenwood Village
- Monday, Aug. 17, Doubletree Hotel, 8773 Yates Dr., Westminster
- Tuesday, Aug. 18, Inn & Suites @ Riverwalk, 27 Main St., Edwards
- Wednesday, Aug. 19, Doubletree Hotel, 501 Camino Del Rio, Durango
- Thursday, Aug. 20, Hilton Hotel, 425 W Prospect Rd., Fort Collins
- Tuesday, August 25, Burlington, Location TBD
- Wednesday, Aug. 26, Antlers Hilton, 4 South Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
Phase III includes dance; health and physical education; theatre; visual art; and world languages. Regional tours following each phase will offer opportunities to provide feedback.
These drafts offer significant adjustments to the standards originally adopted in 1995. The proposed overhaul of state academic standards:
- Organizes standards grade-by-grade instead of by groups of grades
- Incorporates 21st century skills
- Spells out fewer, but clearer and higher standards
- Adds early childhood and postsecondary and workforce readiness expectations (P-13)
- Calls for students to master concepts and skills rather than just facts
The draft standards have been weighed against other countries and states that have higher college graduation rates than Colorado. Finland and Singapore served as the international benchmarks; Massachusetts and Indiana provided national points of comparison.
The Colorado State Board of Education will adopt the new Colorado Academic Standards by December 2009. In 2007 the state board recommended a comprehensive revision to the Colorado Model Content Standards. Senate Bill 08-212 (also known as CAP4K – the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids) affirmed revisions and expanded outcomes should include a seamless pathway from preschool into postsecondary education or the workforce.
More information about the Colorado Model Content Standards review process
CDE Communications Office e-mail news
Contacts: Mark Stevens, 303-866-3898, Megan McDermott, 303-866-2334
0 Response to “Eight-City Tour to Collect Feedback on New, Draft P-12 Colorado Academic Standards in Social Studies”