We hope you all had a great start to the year 2025 and are adjusting to the either frigid temperatures and now wonderful 70 degree weather. We are getting many requests for Induction certificates this time of the year and we want to remind you all that in order to receive these, you must have met all the requirements within your Induction year. Please make sure you have done that by verifying through Learning Space, check in with your New Teacher Ambassador at your school or reaching out to newteachers@dpsk12.net for assistance. You have 1 year to complete these requirements from the start of your hire, if you need additional time due to unforeseen circumstances you will need to seek assistance from the newteachers@dpsk12.net and they can guide you. Again, you can find many answers to your questions on the New Teacher Landing Page or DPS Commons: Internal Pathways and Development: New Educators 

Warm Regards, 

The Learning and Development Team

• Art of Education- Free Podcasts and Articles 

• DPS Store - a virtual one stop shop for all of your DPS branded swag, accessories and apparel!

• Employee Wellness - Our DPS employee wellness program aims to provide engaging, fun activities and relative information for all levels of fitness and health. Take a look at our wellness programs, challenges, and calendar of events.  

• Needs additional ideas to engage with your students. Rocky Mountain PBS has compiled resources for both elementary and secondary: “Engage your students with Colorado Experience! Aligned with Colorado grade-level standards.

• Denver Public Library- Tools and Resources for Public Educators- Virtual Library, Field Trips to Book Sets

Update and Review your license- Place a calendar date for license expiration as we are receiving last minute inquiries on induction certificates when many have not completed all requirements. Verify that you have met all requirements, check the date of your license expiration- specifically your initial license that can only be renewed once. 

• Important Educator Requirements

  • Special education-related professional development will be required for all renewals of professional teacher, special services, principal and administrator licenses that expire on or after June 30, 2025. These requirements came from two pieces of legislation in 2020, HB 20-1128 and HB 20-1312.

  • English learner professional development will be required to renew a professional teacher license with an elementary, English language arts, math, middle school math, science or social studies endorsement that expires on or after Sept. 1, 2025. Visit the Educator Professional Development Requirements webpage for more information. Please note that these requirements are for any educator with one of these endorsements on their professional teacher license, no matter what content area they teach.

New Educator Landing Page- All information regarding New Teacher Induction. Requirements for new hires to DPS

Humanities:

Below are recommended resources for new to DPS teachers who provide instruction in Language Arts and/or Social Studies: 

• K-12 Humanities district supported curricular resource asynchronous trainings for new teachers 

• Language Arts Dashboard: includes all relevant resources for DPS supported curriculum in K-12 literacy instruction

• Social Studies Dashboard: includes all relevant resources for DPS supported curriculum in K-12 Social Studies instruction 

Culturally Sustaining Teaching & Learning: 

Final Opportunity: Complete the CRE Foundations Course This School Year!

The Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) Foundations Course is a transformative five-week program designed specifically for educators in Denver Public Schools (DPS). As a required part of your DPS induction, this course offers a unique opportunity to enhance your expertise in Culturally Responsive-Sustaining pedagogy while advancing equity in your practice.

This is the final opportunity to complete the requirement for this course during the 2024–2025 school year. Don’t miss your chance to:

• Explore the district’s commitment to educational equity and the DPS Culturally Responsive Mindsets.

• Reflect on your cultural identities and examine key elements of CRE Tier 1 instruction.

• Create inclusive and equitable learning environments for all DPS students.

📅 Enrollment Deadline: February 20, 2025
🌟 Program Duration: Five weeks, February 24-March 28, 2025
📍 Link to Register: https://dps.certpointsystems.com/lms/basicportal/dps_sohoxi_051818/en-US/learner/courses/9644162a-f84e-457e-91d6-f0121742eccd

Seats are limited—register now to complete this important milestone and contribute to a more equitable future for our students!

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As we move into the new semester, we want to provide an important update regarding the MLE Teacher Qualification Training and ensure everyone is on track to meet their training requirements.

Please take a moment to check the status of your MLE Certification completion and Training Deadline in Learning Space. 

*MLE Course Guide

• Review their individual training requirements and deadlines in Learning Space.

• Register for and complete all remaining MLE courses to stay on track.

• Prioritize meeting these requirements to maintain compliance with DPS training expectations.

As a reminder, these courses are critical for equipping you with the skills and knowledge to effectively support our multilingual learners. Failure to complete the required training could result in non-renewal of teaching positions.

Key Information and Resources

• MLE Course Guide

• MLE Teacher Qualification FAQ

• Contact: For questions, reach out to MLE_Training@dpsk12.net.

Upcoming Course Deadlines

MLE designations and deadlines are in Learning Space. 

Here are step-by-step directions for how to view them.

We encourage all teachers to review their MLE certification status in Learning Space and register for their required courses as soon as possible. Remember, courses like MLE 104, 105, 201, and 202 can be taken in any order, so there’s no need to delay.

Additional Supports

• Please reach out to MLE_Training@dpsk12.net with questions about your MLE Training requirements.

Academic Update - Register Now for February 14th Professional Learning!

• February 14th PL Day will consist of SSP-department /Principal-led learning from 8:00-11:15am and centrally-delivered professional learning from 12:30-4:00 pm. Details and registration for each session are listed in the February 14th Course Guide for your reference. Please take a moment to review the course guide and register for sessions. As a reminder, you must be registered to receive credit! ! If you are in need of ADA accommodations, please complete the Accommodation Request Form. Requests must be made at least two weeks prior to the scheduled session.  For more information or questions, please email professional_learning@dpsk12.org.

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• Last cohort for Culturally Responsive Education Foundations is available to register, this class will not be available in the summer and this is a required course for Induction. There are no other courses that will waive this requirement. Please register for this course in Learning Space.

Thought of the Month:

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

Andy McIntyre