Colorado Model Content Standards Revision

The Colorado Department of Education will be undergoing a formal process to review and "refresh" the Colorado Model Content Standards by December of 2009.  Members of CAEE have been hard at work in recent months to craft a recommendation to include environmental education in the revision of the Colorado Model Content Standards.

NOW is the time to make a strong recommendation to incorporate environmental education into our schools at a state supported level.

Click here to support the following recommendation!

The recommendation asks CDE to:

• Infuse strong process skills into each of the content standards emphasizing:  questioning and analysis skills, skills for understanding and investigating environmental and other issues, and personal and civic responsibility skills.
• Maintain the strong quality of content related concepts in the existing model content standards.
• Use NAAEE’s Guidelines for Learning (PreK-12) as a model in the revision process.
• Review standards from Wisconsin, Kansas, and Vermont for examples of effective environmental education standards adopted on a state-wide level.

We have offered to help CDE in the process by:

• Recommending or serving as a representative on the geography, civics, economics, and science content standards.
• Contributing expertise and input in the re-visioning of each of the content disciplines (including reading and writing, arts ,and physical education) to ensure that the interdisciplinary nature of environmental education is reflected in the standards.
• Suggesting a representative from a “Green” business on the Business Experts Subcommittee.
• Serving as a representative or soliciting input form the environmental education community on the K12 Education Leaders Experts Subcommittee.

Find Out More

• Read the full Recommendation CAEE will be contributing to CDE.
  
• More information on the Colorado Model Content Standards Review Process
• More information on Building a Case for Environmental Education in Our Schools
• More Information on the EE and Colorado Model Content Standards Gaps Analysis
• Meeting Minutes from June 6th

How can you contribute?

The conversation is just beginning and we need YOU to keep the momentum rolling. 

• Pledge support!  Sign a letter to CDE in support of the recommendation.
• Email CAEE to be added to a special Google group established to enable communication and share resources regarding standards revision.
  

• Email CAEE and join the Communications and Outreach Committee to help mobilize support.

Thank you for helping the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education to shape and support a K-12 standards recommendation for natural resources and environmental education.