Request to Reconsider and School Accreditation

Overview

Each year, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) produces District Performance Framework reports (DPFs), which determine district accreditation ratings. CDE produces School Performance Framework reports (SPFs) for schools, which determine school plan types. In Colorado, districts are responsible for accrediting their schools. Districts may submit additional performance data to CDE through the Request to Reconsider process if they disagree with the initial ratings from the state. This web-page explains the accreditation and request to reconsider processes.

Quick Links

Districts must submit to CDE the accreditation category that the district has assigned to each school and the performance framework used by the district for that accreditation assignment, including evidence of the school’s level of attainment on the state’s key performance indicators: Academic Achievement, Academic Growth, and Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness.

Districts may use the state’s SPF ratings to accredit their schools, or they may use their own local accreditation process, provided that their accreditation ratings correlate to the state’s plan type assignment. If a district disagrees with CDE’s initial assignment of an accreditation category for the district or if the district disagrees with any of CDE’s initial assignments of a school plan type for any of the district’s schools, the district may submit additional information for CDE’s consideration by the annual October deadline through the Request to Reconsider process.

School Accreditation and Request to Reconsider Online Form

Online Form
Instructions and district login information will be e-mailed to superintendents and district accountability contacts after the DPF/SPF release.

Request to Reconsider Office Hours

CDE staff will be available to assist schools and districts with the request to reconsider process this fall. Districts that would like individualized assistance reviewing any local data in the meantime can register via this link for office hours (held via phone). Office hours will begin Tuesday, Aug. 27, and will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-4 p.m. until the request to reconsider process concludes.

Request to Reconsider Decisions

District Accreditation and School Plan Type Assignments Request to Reconsider Summary (PDF) - Dec 11, 2019
ADA Archive Icon Click here to view the archive of prior year decisions.

Resources

Beginner

School and District Accountability: School and District Accreditation and the Request to Reconsider Process (Webinar Recording) - Aug 27, 2019
This webinar covers the process of districts accrediting schools, the timeline, and the request to reconsider process.
School and District Accountability: School and District Accreditation and the Request to Reconsider Process (Webinar Slide Deck) - Aug 27, 2019
This PowerPoint was used for the Request to Reconsider webinar.
Submitting Requests to Reconsider for District Accreditation Ratings or School Plan Types (PDF) - Aug 2019
This document details the process for Requests to Reconsider, including required forms, request conditions, and CDE review considerations.
Submitting Accreditation Categories (PDF) - Aug 2019
This document will detail the process for submitting Accreditation Categories and required forms.

Intermediate

Request to Reconsider Template (Excel) - Aug 2019
To better assist you in submitting your district or school's additional data to CDE, we have created a template to streamline the process as well as give you an idea of what data we need to collect for the Request to Reconsider process.
Assessment Instrument Description Library (webpage)
CDE has chosen to include external assessments in the request to reconsider template based on previous years' Request for Reconsideration submissions. CDE coordinated with these vendors to determine criteria for review and vetted these assessments for accountability purposes only and in no way does CDE endorse any of these external assessments over another or intentionally exclude an external assessment. More information on the assessments and the questions CDE asked the assessment vendors can be found in the Assessment Instrument Description Library.
School and District Accreditation and the Request to Reconsider Process for Small Systems (Webinar Recording) - Sept 11, 2014
CDE has developed additional flexibility and resources around the accountability and improvement challenges for small systems. This webinar will cover the school and district performance frameworks and the school accreditation and request to reconsider process under the lens of small systems.

Expert

Insufficient Data Request (Word Doc) - 2019
This is an example of the letter a district may submit when applying for Insufficient State Data: Low Participation for the district and/or one or more schools.
ELA CMAS Grade 8 to PSAT 9 Growth Request (Word Doc) - 2019
This is an example of the letter a district may submit when applying for ELA CMAS grade 8 to PSAT 9 growth inclusion for the district and/or one or more schools.
Example Request to Reconsider (2014, body of evidence, Pueblo 70 Co) (PDF) - 2014
District and school Request to Reconsider submissions will vary, depending on their individual body of evidence, but a submission from 2014 is provided as an example of the type of information considered by CDE for a body of evidence request.
Example Request to Reconsider (2016, insufficient data, Montezuma-Cortez RE-1) (PDF) - 2016
District and school Request to Reconsider submissions will vary, depending on their individual body of evidence, but a submission from 2016 is provided as an example of the type of information considered by CDE for an insufficient state data request. Screen reader support enabled.
Example Request to Reconsider (2017, body of evidence, Academy District 20) (PDF) - 2017
District and school Request to Reconsider submissions will vary, depending on their individual body of evidence, but a submission from 2017 is provided as an example of the type of information considered by CDE for a body of evidence.

Helpful Links

For more information about policies surrounding Request to Reconsider and School Accreditation processes, visit the Statute, Regulations, and Policy page or the State Accountability page.