1 CCR 301-106-4.0 - Allowable Uses of Funds

4.1 Grant funding must be used to implement a ninth grade success program that, at a minimum, includes the following elements outlined in section 22-14-109.5(5), C.R.S.:

4.01(1) Creating and implementing a cross-disciplinary success team of ninth grade teachers and support staff, which must include at least one school counselor, school mental health professional, or school social worker. To the extent practicable, a success team must include all of the ninth-grade teachers who teach core courses, as defined in section 22-11-503.5. The local education provider or charter school shall designate a member of the success team to serve as the success team leader and reduce the team leader's workload to a level that allows the team leader sufficient time to complete the leadership duties, which include team logistics, preparing team meeting agendas, and facilitating team meetings;

4.01(2) The success team must meet at least every two weeks, to the extent practicable, throughout the school year to collaborate on identifying and implementing strategies to improve outcomes for ninth-grade students who are found to be at risk of dropping out of school before graduation and to address systems-level barriers to success for all ninth- grade students. The strategies must be informed by information concerning, at a minimum, ninth-grade students' behavior, attendance, and grades across demographic categories and student groups. The local education provider or charter school shall allow success team members time during the work day for planning and collaboration or provide incentives to meet outside of the work day;

4.01(3) In analyzing such information the grantees, and those with whom they contract with or accept free services from, shall comply with state and federal laws to protect the privacy of student information including the Colorado Student Data Transparency and Security Act (see C.R.S. 22-16-101 et seq.).

4.01(4) Organizing the school staff to ensure that, to the extent practicable, the ninth-grade classes are taught by a single group of teachers who teach only or mostly ninth-grade classes;

4.01(5) Implementing a information system that provides real-time access to integrated information concerning a student's behavior, attendance, and grades and provides the ability to compare the information across demographic categories and student groups;

4.01(6) Identifying and prioritizing services for ninth-grade students who are at risk of academic failure in ninth grade;

4.01(7) Providing instructional support for ninth-grade students including attendance support, content-specific academic interventions, tutoring, course-completion programs, social- emotional learning, and trauma-informed instruction;

4.01(8) Ensuring that school leadership, school counselors, and key members of the success team receive and review information on all incoming ninth-grade students and plan course work and supports for the students based on the information received;

4.01(9) Ensuring that all ninth-grade teachers receive information concerning the incoming ninth-grade students before the start of the school year and receive professional development concerning how to use the information to inform instruction for the students. To the extent possible, the local education provider or charter school shall ensure that middle school teachers provide information to ninth-grade teachers concerning the incoming ninth-grade students;

4.01(10) Providing summer orientation for incoming ninth-grade students and their parents to introduce students to the behavioral and academic expectations of high school; and

4.01(11) Evaluating with rigor the impact of the interventions provided through the Ninth Grade Success Grant Program on student attendance, behavior, course completion, academic results, discipline rates, teacher surveys, student surveys, dropout rates, and graduation rates as the information becomes available for ninth-grade students who receive interventions through the Ninth Grade Success Grant Program. Such evaluation must be disaggregated by school and by student groups.

Notes

1 CCR 301-106-4.0

42 CR 21, November 10, 2019, effective 11/30/2019 46 CR 19, October 10, 2023, effective 11/14/2023