Instructional Supports
Through the 2015-16 school year, CEI continued to provide educators access to high-quality instructional resources—
including the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC)—to help them design
challenging and highly engaging learning environments that support students in meeting the expectations of the
Colorado Academic Standards. More than 600 new LDC teachers and 180 new MDC teachers were trained over the
course of the 2015-16 school year, bringing the total number trained in Colorado to 2,000 in LDC and 500 in MDC.
Educators who have participated in LDC and MDC consistently report that they feel more equipped to teach the
standards. In fact, more than 83 percent of trained teachers say that LDC and MDC improve the way that they teach
and over 80 percent agree that using LDC and MDC tools in their classes leads to improved student outcomes and
increased rigor.
“The most encouraging result I saw [through LDC] was the quality of my students’
writing. Even my most challenged writers were able to write multi-paragraph
essays rich in content. Eighty-nine percent of my fourth-grade students made a
year or more growth in writing and 82 percent in reading. Other team members I
collaborated with experienced similar growth.”
Colorado LDC Teacher and Instructional Coach
Showcase
In addition to topic-specific training events and resources, CEI hosts an annual summer Showcase, designed to create
the time and space for educators to imagine what is possible for learning while making meaningful connections with
one another. Participants from across Colorado engage in peer-to-peer learning, build networks of support, and hear
from local experts in the field.
In June 2016, more than 400 people gathered at CEI’s Showcase in Snowmass, engaging in breakout sessions,
Seeing is Believing expeditions, and discovery-based learning activities. Colorado educators shared their personal
experiences through CEI’s inspiring Ed Talks, and keynote speaker Tony Wagner challenged everyone to consider how
we think about education in an evolving society. Nearly 98 percent of attendees reported that their experience at
Showcase made them feel valued as a professional and provided them with meaningful professional development.
The energy at Showcase was contagious and helped attendees to feel both renewed and inspired.
“People come back from other conferences asking for money to purchase tools.
People come back from CEI’s Showcase asking for support to improve and innovate
their instruction.”
Scott Fuller, Next Generation Learning Coordinator
Colorado Springs School District 11
environments designed to meet the needs of individual students.
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