Directions: In the text box below, provide a brief description of the school to set the context for readers. Include the general process for developing the UIP and participants involved (e.g., the School Accountability Committee). The description should include student demographics and local context (such as location, performance status, notable recent events or changes), stakeholders involved in writing the UIP, and an overview of the general improvement planning process. View the Quality Criteria for specific expectations in the Brief Description section.
Below this text box, there is an Enrollment and Demographics dashboard you can use to inform your Brief Description. This dashboard will not appear in the public UIP, but you may include screenshots in the text box of information you may want to highlight.
eDCSD: Colorado Cyber School was established in 2008 as a response to increasing demands for educational options and flexibility that would meet the needs of digital-age learners. Since our district already utilizes digital content for purposes of credit recovery, the eDCSD mission is to deliver rigorous courses aligned to district and state standards that employ web 2.0 tools in collaborative, authentic and creative learning environments. Recognizing that not all students learn in the same way and not all students thrive in the same environment, we are providing a service that would not otherwise exist in Douglas County School District. As a Douglas County school, we are committed to delivering a World Class Education through inclusion of Backward Planning, Restorative Practices and Student Advocacy. Our staff leaders from each department at each grade level review and analyze site-based and national data. Observed trends are presented to the School Accountability Committee for consideration and input.eDCSD has been identified as a priority improvement/turnaround school and is currently frozen in year six of the accountability clock. Entering year six in the 2016-2017 school year, the school leadership team and district leadership team convened to discuss performance concerns, CDE recommendations, and options for continuing to serve the students of Douglas County. While all options that CDE presented were considered, the district, school leadership, and school community ultimately felt that the needs of all students could best be met if eDCSD transitioned from a school to an educational program at the end of the 2016/2017 school year. In June of 2017, eDCSD completed our reconfiguration. This change created a K-8 educational program, a 9-12 educational program for at risk students, as well as reconfiguring eDCSD to only a high school serving grades 9-12. The educational programs in conjunction with the eDCSD reconfiguring to a 9-12 school continues to allow for eDCSD to remain a choice for the many DCSD students who need an alternative school setting, flexible schedule to accommodate their learning needs, or continue their path towards a diploma, while addressing the issues leading to turnaround status. In addition, the strong partnership that already exists between eDCSD and the other schools in the district ensured all students continued to have access to a wide range of services, further strengthening the collaboration between schools and district supports.