Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Language Arts Teacher Sue Workman with students at Grant Ranch School.
2017-18 ProComp Eligibility Update: Consider Serving How and Where You're Needed Most 
The ProComp system provides incentives for teachers and specialized service providers (SSPs) who serve in our highest-poverty schools to reward them for their contributions to student achievement.

To qualify for the Hard-to-Serve incentive, a school must meet a threshold for the percentage of students who qualify for the free- and reduced-lunch program. We are pleased to provide you with the list of hard-to-serve schools for the 2017-18 school year. ProComp participants at a hard-to-serve school will receive a total annual incentive of $2,578.50. This incentive is paid in increments over 12 months, from September through August.

Hard-to-Staff assignments for the 2017-18 school year will remain the same. ProComp participants in eligible hard-to-staff assignments will receive a total annual incentive of $2,578.50. This incentive is also paid in increments over 12 months, from September through August.

In addition, schools designated for the H ighest-Priority incentives will remain the same for the 2017-18 school year. All teachers and SSPs in these schools are eligible; additional eligibility rules and details are here. The highest-priority retention incentive is paid in increments over 12 months, from September through August. For eligible teachers and SSPs currently in a highest-priority school who return to a highest-priority school for 2017-18, the highest-priority retention incentive will be paid in the October paycheck. 

View the hard to-serve and hard-to-staff eligibility information. If you have additional questions, please contact HR Connect.

Education Commissioner Seeks Applications for Teacher Cabinet

Want to get your voice heard at the state level? Applications are now being accepted for teacher representatives on the Colorado Education Commissioner's Teacher Cabinet. Selected applicants will advise on policy implementation and provide ideas on improving education for all students. The cabinet will be made up of 15 teachers from around the state representing schools and districts of all sizes. To be considered, educators must have at least three years of experience in the classroom and must submit required materials by May 5. Selected educators will serve two years on the cabinet beginning in August 2017.  View the application details, including a timeline for the application process.
End-of-Year Conversation Resources Available
Reminder: Feedback Opportunities on Proposed ECE-3 Discipline Reform
Negotiations Update for April 3: DPS, DCTA Exchange Proposals on Wide Range of Topics

DPS and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) continued negotiations last night on a wide range of topics. DPS brought proposals and counterproposals on twelve different articles of the contract; DCTA brought proposals or counterproposals on eighteen different articles. For almost five hours, the negotiators engaged in a thoughtful and productive discussion about some of the biggest challenges facing teachers, schools and the district, including planning time for teachers, class sizes, instructional support materials, leave rights and compensation for extra duty work.

Next Steps: DPS and DCTA will continue to meet every other week for the rest of the year as we go back and forth on proposals. Once we have more information from the legislature on the state budget for next year (hopefully within the next month), we will begin to dive into the details of finances.

We encourage you to access the new  DPS bargaining webpage for DPS proposals and the  DCTA bargaining page for DCTA proposals. As always, feedback on negotiations is welcomed and can be shared with  [email protected].
Teacher Leadership & Collaboration

Regional Team Specialist: A Unique Teacher Leadership Role 
The Regional Team Specialist role is hired centrally and supports teachers from multiple buildings. Because of this, principal permission is required to serve in this role. Teachers of the following content areas are encouraged to apply: gifted and talented, world languages, music, physical education, health, special education, visual arts, dance, drama and theater, technology, library, CareerConnect, social studies and science.

More information about these roles can be found here.  To apply, teachers can use search code 'TLCregionalteamspecialist' on the DPS Job Board . 

New Schoology Course for TLC Interview Preparation
If you will be interviewing for a team specialist, team lead or senior team lead position, you can now prepare by taking an online course in Schoology. This self-paced course includes practice responding to sample interview questions, experience working with two performance tasks which you may be asked to complete during your actual interview, and information regarding eligibility and how senior team leads and team leads will be evaluated once hired.  Registration information through Schoology is available here .

Spring Student Work Collection
As you review student work this spring to determine end-of-course expectation levels for your student learning objectives (SLOs), please consider sharing student work with the Accountability, Research & Evaluation (ARE) team. ARE is working to provide student examples across all expectation levels as a resource for teachers in the 2017-18 school year. Work may be submitted through June 9 in one of three ways: via email to [email protected], using the SLO Student Work Collection Form or via interoffice mail to the attention of the Assessment Support Team at the Emily Griffith Campus, 10th floor.
Summer Professional Learning: Register now!
Registration is now open for summer 2017 professional learning! Please register for summer sessions before the end of the school year to ensure your spot is reserved. Visit the Professional Learning Catalog to access registration for all professional learning sessions offered this summer. To see opportunities applicable to you, filter by 'school', 'subject' and 'grade level' and then scroll over to summer dates. For a calendar view of summer offerings, visit the Professional Learning Calendar. 

Please contact  [email protected] with questions.
Professional Learning & Resources

Transform Obstacles into Innovation at DPS Aspire
DPS Aspire is a two-day program designed for educators looking to refine and grow their leadership skills. Learn how to lead through the lens of cultural responsiveness, leverage your sphere of influence and reflect on your individual leadership capacity and style.
 Register now for a spring session:
  • 8 a.m.-4 p.m., April 17-18
  • 8 a.m.-4 p.m., April 25-26
Both sessions will be held at the Emily Griffith Campus, 1860 Lincoln St. For more information, please contact [email protected].  Guest teacher pay is available.

Celebrate Native-American Students, Families and Colleagues at Equity Boot Camp
Build professional and personal skills at the next Equity Boot Camp: Healing a Broken System. Join us as we honor our Native-American students, families and colleagues through stories and relationship-building, and participate in a facilitated conversation around the impacts of institutional bias.  These sessions are open to all DPS team members. School teams, previous and new attendees are encouraged to attend.

Choose from two sessions:
  • 8 a.m.-4 p.m., April 18
  • 8 a.m.-4 p.m., April 19
Both sessions will be held at the PPA Event Center. For additional information, please contact [email protected].

Connect with Us
Note: We send many DPS communications via this platform. Please do not unsubscribe from these messages or you will not receive future and important messages. If a specific message doesn't interest you, simply delete it and stay tuned for a future communication that will be of more interest. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].