Thornton Elementary wins Governor's Bright Spot Award

Congratulations to Principal Shannon West and all the staff at Thornton Elementary School for receiving the Governor's Math Bright Spot Award! Thornton Elementary was selected for their growth in achievement based on state math assessments since 2019. They have demonstrated resilience in the face of unprecedented circumstances after navigating the COVID-19 pandemic the last few years. Thornton Elementary has been an outlier in terms of math outcomes across the state. Thanks to this commitment of elevating student success, Thornton Elementary will be receiving an award up to $50,000 that can be used to continue improvements of math outcomes.

Here is what Principal West had to say about the experience:

Receiving the Governor's Math Bright Spot Award is an honor, and this is a recognition of the work that our staff and students have been putting in. Coming out of the Pandemic, learning was a challenge for our elementary students, but using time, data and resources allowed us to target those learning gaps. This grant will help with professional development as we are committed to providing high-quality instruction in every classroom, every day.

These awards will be distributed using federal dollars allocated to the State of Colorado through the federal Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) program under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021(CRRSA) also known as CRRSA EANS I reverted to Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER II) funds. While typically a reimbursement grant, the Governor’s Office is able to advance the award of up to $50,000. All funds must be spent by September 30, 2023 in one of or more of the following ways:

• Offering tutoring services and other enrichment programs that would aim to increase students’ outcomes; or
• Implementing other activities as specified in federal GEER requirements related to instruction and programming, including:

1. Purchasing educational technology (hardware, software, digital instructional resources, and connectivity) specifically designed to improve student outcomes
2. Summer school and after school programming
3. Other activities to continue school operations and employment of existing staff that support instruction or programming (non-executive level position)
4. Professional development and training for teachers and staff
5. Professional development and training on effective strategies for the delivery of remote and digital instruction

The Press Release can be read here.

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