Field Trip:

PWR Summit brings educators together around Colorado’s Big Three

PUEBLO — More than 100 educators gathered in Pueblo for CDE’s first Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Summit, focused on expanding opportunities for students to earn college credits, participate in work-based learning and earn industry-recognized credentials — what CDE calls the “Big Three.”

The summit is part of CDE’s broader PWR professional learning series. While the summits focus more on metro and urban communities, the regional trainings are designed for rural areas.

“Our goal is that attendees walk away from this regional summit or regional training with a plan for how they are going to have all students getting access to and taking advantage of the Big Three,” said Danielle Ongart, assistant commissioner of CDE’s Student Pathways and Engagement Division.

CDE school counseling specialists Brooke Morgan and Jennicca Mabe also shared the announcement that CDE is adopting the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model for School Counseling in Colorado. Morgan said the partnership will establish a baseline for comprehensive school counseling across the state, with an emphasis on research-based practices and using data to improve student outcomes.

The summit also marked the launch of the new State Longitudinal Data System, a dashboard that brings together state data and allows educators to see a student’s trajectory from pre-kindergarten through the workforce. Marina Kokotovic, supervisor of PWR Programs, said the system will help CDE learn more about its programs and whether they are leading to meaningful outcomes for students.