Assessment accommodation resources are organized by assessment below. Resources are for the 2022-2023 school year.
Contact
Kali Winn
Assessment Coordinator
(303) 532-7403
kaliwinn@csi.state.co.us
Accommodations
CMAS Accommodations
UIP Handbook (streamlined template)
Accessibility
Charter School Compliance with HB21-1110 – Colorado’s Law for Persons with Disabilities
Effective July 1, 2024, it is required for all charter schools to adhere to the regulations outlined in HB21-1110. HB21-1110 makes it a state civil rights violation for a government agency (including charter schools) to exclude people with disabilities from receiving services or benefits because of lack of accessibility. Accessibility standards apply to technology, hardware, and software that is both public-facing and internal-facing.
The Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) is following WCAG 2.2 AA as the minimum standard of accessibility.
For more detailed information and guidance, refer to the official FAQ provided by the Colorado Office of Information Technology: HB21-1110 FAQ. The Colorado League of Charter Schools also provides an overview of the bill.
If necessary, your entity can use the provisions of HB24-1454 for a one-year grace period while your team continues to work toward integrating accessibility into your daily work. Read more about the compliance deadlines and view a sample progress-to-date template.
If you have any questions, reach out to the CSI Communications Team at communications_csi@csi.state.co.us
Getting Started
1. Add an Accessibility Statement Page
Add an accessibility statement page to your website’s footer.
This will inform people of both your commitment to accessibility and how you will support people with disabilities when issues arise. It’s important to ensure that you have more than one contact method available on the page. We suggest an email address and a phone number.
Here’s an example of CSI’s Accessibility Webpage that you can use for reference.
Here are two other great examples of accessibility statement pages from the City and County of Denver and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
To help create your own statement, OIT has provided an example for you to use. Example: Technology Accessibility Statement.
2. Use Siteimprove to Review Your Website
The Siteimprove Accessibility Checker extension tool helps you stay on top of web accessibility by reviewing your content and providing tips on fixing errors. When using the filter, select the filters, A and AA to meet the minimum accessibility standard.
Common Website Accessibility Updates
- Provide Alternative Text for Images: Include descriptive alternative text for images, enabling screen readers to convey information to visually impaired users.
- Headers: Use headings in a logical, hierarchical order (e.g. Heading 1, Heading 2, etc. and make sure they accurately describe the content that follows.
- Descriptive Links: Use descriptive words that link to a URL rather than the entire URL or “click here”. Always spell out email addresses.
- Color Contrast: The text color should have enough contrast with the background color to make it easy to read. Use online tools to check the contrast ratio. Keep adequate white space around text and between lines of text to make it easier to read and understand the information.
- Layout: Use a clear, simple layout that is easy to follow. Avoid wrapping text around images or other elements when possible. Tables should be avoided when possible.
3. Check Your Website’s Files with Accessibility Checker
Begin by evaluating the files on your website.
- The #1 accessible option is to have text on a webpage. This layout of information is the most accessible.
- The #2 accessible option is to have the content in a file in its original format (docx, pptx, xlsx).
- Run the accessibility checker in the Word document, Excel spreadsheet, and PowerPoint presentation to make your content easier for people with disabilities to read and edit.
- The #3 option is to have the information as a PDF document. PDFs are not accessible by default, and remediating can be time-consuming & difficult. Do not use a PDF to present digital content that could be [first] a webpage, [or second a] Microsoft Word document or PowerPoint presentation. PDFs are intended for print, not screen. However, it is ok to post the document if converting it to a webpage is not possible or pragmatic. The way your content is posted should best serve the needs of your audience. See below for resources for making PDFs accessible.
4. Ensure Videos Have Captions
Including closed captions and transcriptions in multimedia content helps individuals with hearing impairments, language barriers or noisy environments access information more effectively.
- Make sure that captions are synchronized to appear around the same time that they would be heard in the audio.
- Captions do not need to be a word-for-word version of the audio, but should be a concise equivalent.
- Use a modern video player that supports captions.
- If you’ve captioned your video, provide a transcript as one of the optional output formats produced by the closed captioning process.
- To make the transcript available, link to it from your webpage, wherever you link to or display the associated video.
- Audio description is required when important information is visually shown on the screen that cannot be observed by a blind or vision-impaired individual.
Source: OIT How To: Accessible Website Content “Video and Multimedia”
Resources
Resources Created by CSI
Free accessibility evaluation tools
- Utilize the built-in Accessibility Checkers in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint
- WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool(opens in new window), WebAIM
- Siteimprove Browser Extensions (Chrome and Firefox)(opens in new window), Siteimprove
- Selecting Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools(opens in new window), W3C
- UserWay Widget (free and paid versions)
- Google Accessibility Compliance Reports for all Google products
Other Resources
Ensure your audience is aware of Aira, a free tool for people who are blind or low-vision
ESSER Plans
School districts across the country are receiving American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) Funds to help address COVID-19 recovery.
What is ESSER III Funding?
ESSER III is federal funding that must be used to meet needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds support one-time or short-term expenditures to address the ongoing impact of the pandemic. The funding is intended to:
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Safely reopen and sustain the operation of schools, and
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Address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on students in areas such as learning loss and mental health supports.
How much ESSER III funding are we receiving?
CSI has been allocated $14.2 million in ESSER III funds. From that funding, $12.9 million will be distributed directly to CSI schools to address school-level needs. $1.3 million (1%) will be retained by CSI to provide increased supports to all CSI schools.
How long do we have to use ESSER III funding?
These are one-time funds that must be spent by September 2024.
Use of ESSER Funds Plan
- 2023-2024 Use of Funds Update [pptx]
- April 2022 Fund Use Update [pdf]
Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan
2023 Legislative Recap
- 2023 Legislative Recap (docx)
Physical Intervention, Restraints and Seclusion
During the 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions, two bills were signed into law impacting mandatory school policies and practices around physical intervention, restraints and seclusion of students. In 2023 House Bill 23-1191 was passed, explicitly prohibiting corporal punishment in public schools. Additionally, in 2022, House Bill 22-1376 was passed, establishing new and modifying existing requirements regarding restraints and seclusion in public schools. In May 2023, the State Board approved revisions to 1 CCR 301-45 to conform to changes made by House Bill 22-1376. The changes became effective on June 30, 2023.
Restraints and seclusion must only be used by trained employees in an emergency and with extreme caution after the failure of less restrictive alternatives and a determination that such alternatives would be inappropriate or ineffective. The revised regulations outline procedures related to:
- The administration of restraints and seclusion;
- Staff training;
- Documentation and notification requirements; and
- The review of the use of restraints and seclusion.
CSI schools should review the new requirements and revise their policies and practices. Additionally, CSI schools should ensure that a comprehensive annual Restraint Review is established for the appropriate use of restraint. The annual review should include:
- Analyzing incident reports, including procedures used during the restraint, preventative or alternative techniques tried, documentation, and follow up;
- Considering the training needs of staff;
- Reviewing the staff to student ratios; and
- Reviewing environmental conditions, including physical space, student seating arrangements and noise levels.
Schools are required to submit an Annual Restraint Review Report to CDE. CSI will support schools in fulfilling the requirements, including:
- Submitting one document listing all CSI schools with 0 reportable restraints; and
- Submitting a customized report for schools with reportable restraints (CSI will pull data from the Discipline collection and request additional information, as needed and applicable).
Schools should contact submissions_csi@state.co.us for questions related to the revised annual restraint and seclusion data reporting requirements. Additional resources, and a sample policy are provided below.
Contacts:
Policy Contact: Stephanie Aragon, CSI Director of Policy
legalandpolicy_csi@state.co.us
Data Collection Contact: Ryan Hartung, CSI Data Specialist
Resources
- House Bill 22-1376 Supportive Learning Environments For K-12 Students – Effective May 26, 2022
- Rules for the Administration of the Protection of Persons from Restraint Act – Effective June 30, 2023 (A red-lined version can be accessed here)
- House Bill 23-1191 Concerning Corporal Punishment of Children in Certain Public Settings – Effective April 20, 2023
- CSI Advisory Bulletin: Physical Intervention Restraints and Seclusion in Public Schools [docx]
- CSI Sample Policy: Physical Intervention, Restraints and Seclusion [docx]
Looking for more? Check out CDE’s self-guided, self-paced Training on the Restraints and Seclusion Regulations
Access to Medically Necessary Treatment at School
CSI is committed to honoring families’ private medical decisions while providing a learning environment free of disruption.
The CSI Board’s Access to Medically Necessary Treatment at School policy addresses how a student who has a prescription from a qualified health-care provider for medically necessary treatment receives such treatment in the school setting as required by applicable federal and state laws pursuant to its status as the Administrative Unit for all CSI Schools.
Resources
Form Templates: Schools should use the templates below to create their own Medically Necessary Request and Plan templates. Templates align with statutory requirements and CSI Board Policy.
Data Collection: Beginning the 2023-24 school year, schools will report the following information at the end of each school year to CSI via this Access to Medically Necessary Treatment Data Collection Form. The form collects:
- Number of requests your school received for Medically Necessary Treatment
- Of these, how many were approved?
- Of these, how many were denied?
- Of these, how many students with requests were on IEPs?
- Of these, how many students with requests were on a 504 plan?
School Assessment Coordinators
Welcome to the resource hub for School Assessment Coordinators (SACs). Whether you’re new to the role or returning for another year, this section is intended to provide information and resources needed for success. Contact the Assessment Coordinator with feedback and suggestions on additional resources you’d like to see here.
Contact
Kali Winn
Assessment Coordinator
(303) 532-7403
kaliwinn@csi.state.co.us
Trainings
Resources
Student Fees
Enrich File Extraction Instructions
Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)
The Colorado Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) is a statewide program that provides survivors of stalking, sexual assault, and domestic violence with a legal substitute address and mail forwarding. Under Colorado law, all state and local government agencies must accept a participant’s substitute address. ACP services are intended to enhance a comprehensive safety plan and contribute to increased survivor safety.
Each CSI school is expected to have one or more ACP-trained staff members should enrolling families be participating in the ACP programming. Beginning 2023-2024 school year, schools will need to sign an assurance of their understanding of ACP & uphold the necessary requirements.
Contact
Betsy Basch
CSI Mental Health Specialist
303-532-7395
Colorado ACP
303-866-2208