Our first story is about Hispanic Heritage Month.

Story 1: Hispanic Heritage Month

Denver Public Schools is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place annually from September 15 to October 15. Today, 52% of nearly 90,000 students and more than 35% of our 18,000 staff identify as Hispanic or Latino. The lived experiences of our Latine students, families and staff remain central to our districtwide priorities. The DPS Latine Student Success team leads ongoing work dedicated to the academic achievement of our Latine scholars. We wanted to use this moment to share some key highlights from the Latine Student Success Impact Report, reflecting the remarkable progress and dedication of our students, educators and community. Key achievements include: 

• Achieving the largest READ Act growth across the district -> a 21% Growth in Foundational Reading Skills
• Significantly decreasing the number of students reading significantly below grade level. -> an 18% Reduction in Below Grade Level Readers: 
• Demonstrating outstanding biliteracy outcomes in Spanish reading ->  77% Proficiency  in Bilingual K–3 Classrooms:
• Strengthening partnerships with families through targeted outreach and building deep relational trust within our school communities through professional learning. -> Family Engagement & Leadership Institute (FELI) Success. 

The LSS team recently made an Instagram page so staff and families can stay close to the impactful work they are doing. Give them a follow, and be on the lookout for local Hispanic Heritage Celebrations celebrations happening at schools and across Denver. 

Our second story is about the Denver Special Education Advisory Committee

Story 2: Denver Special Education Advisory Committee (DSEAC)

The Denver Special Education Advisory Committee (DSEAC) is a district-level advisory group dedicated to improving outcomes for students with disabilities through collaborative and intentional community engagement. DSEAC membership includes parents, families and caregivers of DPS students with disabilities, DPS educators, school administrators, advocates, community partners and district leaders. If you are interested in participating in DSEAC,  head to our show notes to complete the DSEAC Membership Application.

Our third Story is about the BESS Screening Window

Story 3: BESS Screening Window is Now Open 

The Behavioral and Emotional Screening System, better known as BESS, is now open. The BESS is a proactive screening tool, not a diagnostic assessment or evaluation. DPS has utilized the BESS for nearly a decade to support student mental health and screenings occur multiple times annually for all students across the district. A form can be completed in less than 5 minutes! Guardians can go to: tinyurl.com/bessparent, Enter your student’s DPS ID and date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY) and  complete the screening form.  To learn more, visit the link in our show notes (https://ess.dpsk12.org/o/studentequity/page/dpsscreening) or contact your student’s school. 

That’s all for this week. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of DPS Snapshots. Please remember to like and subscribe to our show to never miss an episode. We’ll see you next time on DPS Snapshots.