Under current law, every year, the department of education (department) is required to prepare a report and evaluation on the successes or failures of charter schools, school reform efforts, and suggested changes to laws affecting charter schools. Beginning in the 2024-25 budget year, the bill requires the department to: Report additional school district information, that primarily compares district charter schools or institute charter schools located within the school district to traditional district schools, and report information relating to a school district that has no charter schools; and Publicly post the additional information on the department's website, with explanations in plain and easy-to-understand language.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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The act consolidates the review and approval process for educator preparation programs under the department of education and the state board of education. The act creates an advisory committee to the state board of education and the department to provide input on relevant topics related to educator preparation and educator quality. The act anticipates an appropriation of $108,990 from the educator licensure cash fund to the department of education for the office of professional services. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die; except that section 22-60.5-121 (2)(h) takes effect only if House Bill 23-1231 becomes law and takes effect on the effective date of this act or the effective date of House Bill 23-1231, whichever is later. House Bill 23-1231 took effect May 15, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the career development success program (program), the act removes the requirement for successful completion of a qualified industry pre-apprenticeship program and the requirement for successful completion of a qualified industry apprenticeship. The act adds boards of cooperative services to the program. Current law requires the general assembly to annually appropriate $1 million to the department of education for the program. Beginning in the 2023-24 budget year, and each budget year thereafter, the act increase the appropriation to $9.5 million. The act requires a school district or charter school participating in the program to receive 120% of the per-pupil amount for each pupil who is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and who successfully earned an industry certificate by completing a qualified industry-credential program, a qualified workplace training program, or a qualified advanced placement course. The act authorizes a participating school district or participating charter school to contract with a third party to provide specified services under the program. The act extends the repeal date from September 1, 2024, to September 1, 2034. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes the universal high school scholarship program (program) in the office of economic development (office) to provide scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year to students who pursue an in-demand or high-priority postsecondary pathway, including degrees, certificates, and registered apprenticeships, with a provider on the eligible training provider lists disseminated by the department of labor and employment, a provider in the Colorado state apprenticeship resource directory, a public or private institution of higher education operating in Colorado, or an organization approved by the office (service providers). The office, or a vendor contracted by the office, administers the program. The office shall develop policies and procedures necessary to administer the program. A student is eligible for the program if the student graduated from a Colorado high school or was awarded a high school equivalency credential during the 2023-24 academic year; completes the free application for federal student aid or the Colorado application for state financial aid; and did not receive a grant from the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative. Scholarships are awarded in the following priority: First, to all eligible students who intend to enroll at a service provider to pursue an in-demand or high-priority postsecondary pathway, then to other eligible students who intend to enroll at a service provider. The office or vendor determines the amount of each scholarship award, up to a maximum $1,500. Scholarship money is distributed to the service provider for use by the student for tuition, fees, and books. The act requires the office to contract with vendors to provide postsecondary and career advising at schools identified by the office. The office shall make efforts to identify a diversity of schools in rural and urban areas of the state to receive postsecondary advising support. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $25 million from the general fund to the universal high school scholarship cash fund (cash fund). The act appropriates $25 million from the cash fund to the office of the governor for the program. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Colorado school transportation modernization task force (task force) in the department of education (department) to create a report containing findings and recommendations to improve school transportation services for students. The department is required to provide relevant data to the task force to inform its duties. The report must be publicly published and submitted to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives, the board of education, and the governor by December 1, 2024. The act specifies task force membership, including the commissioner of education or the commissioner's designee, and members appointed by the commissioner. For the 2023-24 budget year, $95,313 is appropriated from the general fund to the department to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 16, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of education (department), by January 2024, to offer free optional trainings in evidence-informed practices in mathematics, including a training specifically designed for elementary school educators and a training specifically designed for secondary school mathematics educators. Each training must include instruction on interventions for students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics, children with disabilities, and students who are English language learners. Trainings must be available to relevant staff of school districts, related administrative units, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, and community-based organizations. School district boards of education and institute charter schools are strongly encouraged to adopt procedures for schools to provide support to students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade and their families to improve mathematics outcomes. Procedures may include: Identifying students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics based on academic assessments; Notifying the parents, guardians, or legal custodians if a student is below grade level or struggling in mathematics; Providing parents, guardians, or legal custodians with a list of interventions and acceleration strategies to assist with mathematics at home, including a state-advisory list of curricula, referrals for tutoring, or other intervention opportunities, if applicable; Publishing mathematics curricula annually, including supplemental curricula or interventions; and Implementing train-the-trainer or train-the-parent framework plans to improve mathematics achievements for students. The act creates the Colorado academic accelerator grant program (grant program). The purpose of the grant program is to create community learning centers that: Provide opportunities for free academic enrichment and support, which must include tutorial services to help students meet rigorous academic standards and to increase proficiency in mathematics outcomes; and Offer families opportunities for engagement in students' education. Eligible entities that apply to the grant program are selected for a grant that runs for a period of 3 years. The department shall prioritize eligible entities that: Adopt intervention strategies; Use evidence-informed programs that build student skills in STEM and mathematics; Use digital math accelerator programs; Serve high-needs students, as determined by the department; Have an established presence and relationship in the community; and Demonstrate in the application how they will meet the needs of diverse student populations. The act requires school districts, public schools, the state charter school institute, and institute charter schools that are on an improvement plan, priority improvement plan, or a turnaround plan to identify strategies to address the needs of students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the public school shall attain in reducing the number of students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics to increase the number of students who achieve grade-level expectations in mathematics. The act adjusts the ninth-grade success grant program to prioritize applicants that propose programming focused on evidence-informed mathematics skills, acceleration strategies, and intervention strategies, including a focus on students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and have academic achievement levels in mathematics that are consistently ranked the lowest for public high schools in the state, as determined by the department. The act includes a requirement that candidates for an elementary education endorsement, a middle school mathematics endorsement, or a secondary mathematics endorsement be trained in evidence-informed practices in mathematics, including interventions to help students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics, children with disabilities, and students who are English language learners. The act adds developmentally appropriate early numeracy to continuing professional development requirements for teachers employed by a preschool, and requires the department of early childhood to include developmentally appropriate early numeracy as a subject matter area in the resource bank of preschool curricula for use by preschool providers. The act appropriates $26,694,530 from the general fund to the department as follows: $594,530 for math educator training and improvement planning; $24,500,000 for the grant program; and $1,600,000 for the ninth-grade success grant program. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 15, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)