Exceptional Student Services Unit

Office of Gifted Education

The Office of Gifted Education administers the state's Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) in the Colorado Revised Statutes.

Administrative Units (AUs) oversee and provide educational services to gifted students. An AU is defined as a school district, a board of cooperative educational services (BOCES), or the state Charter School Institute (CSI). The Office of Gifted Education provides AUs guidance for implementation of their gifted program plan and collaborates with the AU to monitor the implementation of key requirements of ECEA.

Office of Facility Schools

The Office of Facility Schools provides systems of support for students and staff that cultivate educational environments that value relationships, compassion, and academic outcomes. The Office of Facility Schools provides guidance, monitoring, resources, and professional development for teachers and administrators and serves both special education and general education students. Facility schools are licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and approved by the Colorado Department of Education. Facility Schools are located in day treatment, residential treatment, and hospital settings.

Office of Special Education

The Office of Special Education provides resources for teachers, administrators, and parents of students with exceptional educational needs due to a disability, or learners who are culturally and/or linguistically diverse or have some other special need. This office administers both the state's Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children with disabilities.