Online and Blended Learning Resources

Resources for Authorizers and Online Schools & Programs    Resources for Teachers & Educators     

Resources for Parents & Students      Resources for School Districts

Resources for Authorizers and Online Schools & Programs

October Count for Online Students:

• School Auditing Office Student October Count Website
• Student October Count Audit Resource Guide 2023 (PDF) - The 2023-24 Student October Count Audit Resource Guide supports the Student October Count data collection and subsequent audit, summarizes state and federal requirements regarding the audit process, and summarizes the required documentation necessary to audit per pupil funding eligibility. 
• Sample of Colorado Residency with Instructions (PDF) - The Affidavit of Colorado Residency template is an example of valid documentation for establishing proof of residency for an online student, per 1 CCR 301-71 8.06.4. As stated in 1 CCR 301-71 8.06, "an Online Program must verify and document student residency in the State of Colorado upon enrollment and annually thereafter and retain a copy of the document or written statement offered as verification in the student’s mandatory permanent record."

• 2024-2025 Authorizer Assurances Form (Word Document) - All authorizers of online schools and programs must submit a form pursuant to the Rules for the Administration, Certification, and Oversight of Colorado Online Programs, 1-CCR 301-71. Annual submission is not required, however, resubmission would be required if/when the authorizer wishes to change the documentation or policy originally submitted. Below are links to the applicable Smartsheet Forms to complete. Please contact the Office of Online and Blended Learning (OBL) with questions.
  • Multi-district Online School Authorizer Assurance Submissions Form (Smartsheet Form)
  • Single District Online School and Program Authorizer Assurance Submissions Form (Smartsheet Form)
• 1 CCR 301-71 -RULES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, CERTIFICATION AND OVERSIGHT OF COLORADO ONLINE PROGRAM (PDF) 

Resources for Teachers & Educators

Quality Standards:

• CO Quality Standards for Online Schools and Programs (PDF) - Within the Rules for the Administration and Oversight of Colorado Online Programs and on the multi-district application as a checklist, these Quality Standards are statutory based and were established to provide evaluation criteria guidance and best practices in operations of multi-district online schools in Colorado.
• The National Standards for Quality Online Learning – Separate from CDE’s Colorado Quality Standards, NSQ provides national standards for quality online courses, programs, and teaching as a competency framework and benchmark for online programs, districts, and state agencies to consider.
• The International Society for Technology in Education Standards – Separate from CDE’s Colorado Quality Standards, ISTE provides international standards for educators as a roadmap to help students become empowered learners, deepen your practice, promote peer collaboration, and rethink traditional approaches.

Open Educational Resources:

• OERColorado is a Colorado Empowered Learning (CEL) initiative that provides digital collections of openly licensed resources. Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statute (C.R.S. § 22-5-119) and reinforced by the pandemic, Colorado's statewide supplemental and blended learning program ensures public access to a digital repository of content and resources for PreK-12 Colorado educators, administrators, and other educational stakeholders in using OER (Open Educational Resources) materials, sharing ideas, and creating high-quality learning resources.​ Please note that the OERColorado Hub and OERColorado Microsite are administered by and hosted on a third party site. The site is subject to its own terms of use and privacy policies. For more information and any questions, contact the OERColorado Team at [email protected]. For information about OER in Colorado Higher Education, visit the Colorado Department of Education's OER page.

Professional Development:

• CDE Calendar of Events and Conferences provides links to meetings, workshops, conferences, etc. and lists deadlines and other key dates from CDE staff.
• CDE Professional Development provides a comprehensive search tool for Colorado Department of Education-hosted professional development opportunities. 
• University of Colorado at Denver School of Education and Human Development offers an online teaching certificate program designed for current & aspiring online teachers. Contact Laura Summers at [email protected] for more information.
• Western State Colorado University offers the following Online Professional Development and Degree Options: K12 Online Teacher Endorsements, K12 Online Teacher Courses, and Master's Degree, with Emphasis in K12 Online Teaching. 
• Colorado State University-Global Campus offers an Online Teaching Certificate for continuing professional development and an Online Teacher Master's Degree Specialization Option.
• Boise State University offers professional development in the area of Online Teaching delivered in an online format. Options are available to earn credits toward teacher license renewal, an online teaching certificate, or toward the educational technology graduate program. They also offer Online Teaching Strategies as a comprehensive website designed specifically for online teachers. For more information contact Kerry Rice at [email protected]. 
• PBS TeacherLine is a premier professional development resource offering standards-based, graduate-level online courses for PreK-12 teachers. Trained, certified facilitators lead more than 130 top-quality, six-week courses that span the entire curriculum including early literacy skills, inquiry-based science and supporting English language learners. Teachers earn graduate credit or recertification hours while gaining strategies and resources to bring directly to their classroom.
• Colorado iLearn Collaborative (ILC) is a collaboration of districts and schools working together to expand quality blended and online learning opportunities accessible to all students. ILC offers direct support and resources to districts, schools, and teachers in the areas of professional development & training, access to student online content, and consulting services focused on implementing blended and online learning.

Additional Resources:

• eNetLearning provides educators access to high quality content and resources to improve student achievement. Resources include DREAM, an open repository of free and fee-based searchable digital content aligned to Colorado Academic Standards; iTunesU, a free media distribution portal that enables the creation and sharing of educational content and professional development opportunities.
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) providers educators access to resources for virtual instruction and online learning including a video library, books, blog posts, articles, activities, and resources from other education organizations. 

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Resources for Parents & Students

Colorado Organizations:

• The Colorado Coalition of Cyberschool Families is a group of dedicated parents who have come together to be powerful and vocal advocates for cyberschools and online learning in Colorado.
• The Colorado Cyberschools Association (CCA) assists cyberschools in providing a high quality education to online students by sharing information about effective online education and program management, promoting studies, and improving access to online programs.
• Sorting through Online Learning Options: A Guide for Parents (PDF) published by the Aurora Institute (formally NACOL and iNACOL) organization to assist in navigating the many online choices available.

Internet Safety Websites:

• ConnectSafely.org is a leading interactive resource on the web for parents, teens, educators – everyone engaged and interested in youth safety – on the fixed and mobile social Web.
• GetNetWise.org is a public service brought to you by internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences.
• iKeepSafe.org tracks global trends and issues surrounding digitally connected products and their affect on children. This research drives the continuous creation of positive resources for parents, educators and policymakers who teach youths how to use new media devices and platforms in safe and healthy ways.
• NetSmartz.org is an interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^® (NCMEC) that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement.
• Understanding A Child's Virtual World from Incredible Internet is a handbook for parents and guardians: Understanding A Child's Virtual World in English language (PDF) and Understanding A Child's Virtual World in Spanish language (PDF)

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Resources for School Districts

Remote Learning Flexibilities for 2022-2023:

• The Colorado Department of Education recently received questions from schools and districts about flexibilities for remote learning due to COVID-19 in 2022-23. Starting this school year:
• The Department will continue to offer flexibility for districts to provide temporary remote learning options as a result of COVID-19 health concerns.
• The Department will discontinue flexibilities for districts to provide 100% remote learning options to students enrolled in brick-and-mortar schools due to COVID-19.
• “Temporary remote learning” flexibility means that there may be local needs for brick and mortar schools to temporarily suspend in-person learning due to COVID in the 2022-23 school year. This may include the need to temporarily move a classroom, a grade level, or the school to remote learning. It may also result from workforce shortages due to a COVID-19 outbreak. A school or district may need to temporarily move to remote learning in these instances for a short period of time (i.e. the rest of the week/two weeks). When a school/district suspends in-person learning in this way, it will continue to be important that the school/district has the appropriate plan and policies in place to account for a transition to remote learning. The existing guidance document for temporary remote learning can be used to help inform a school’s/district’s planning for next year to ensure it has the appropriate policies/plan in place.
• The Department will not continue offering flexibility to provide a 100% remote learning option due to COVID-19 health concerns for brick-and-mortar students in 2022-23. As an alternative, schools and districts may use existing online structures to continue to offer a fully-remote option for students. State law allows schools and districts to offer single-district online schools (no cap on in-district students, but does cap enrollment for out-of-district students at 10), single-district online programs (can enroll up to 99 students and caps enrollment for out-of-district students at 10), and multi-district online schools (no caps on enrollment for either in-district or out-of-district students so long as students are residents of the state). Thus, beginning in 2022-23, students who wish to pursue a fully remote learning option will need to be enrolled in either an online school or online program.

For information about more permanent online options, please visit the Single District Online School and Program webpage.

EdTech Systems Guide:

• The Massachusetts Department of Education published the EdTech Systems Guide: Equity-Driven Selection, Implementation, and Evaluation for school districts throughout the country to utilize when considering Educational Technology (EdTech) in their schools. The book includes a digital equity assessment with guidance on how to consider district staffing and budget. Schools can reference the Effective Uses of EdTech Guide to then select, implement, and evaluate their EdTech at the school-level. For more information on how to use the guide, the Massachusetts Department of Education recommends watching the following YouTube tutorial video. 

Hybrid Learning Guide:

• The Hybrid Learning Guide was developed to aid in the planning and implementation of hybrid models as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The guide is designed for Colorado schools that may find themselves needing to transition to a Hybrid Learning model for instruction during the 2020-21 school year as a response to COVID-19 and those schools that are planning to use any form of remote learning. For more information about the development of the guide, visit the Summary of Work webpage.
• The Office Online and Blended Learning hosted a webinar to introduce the 2020 Hybrid Learning Guide: August 14, 2020 Webinar Recording

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