State Accountability

Update on Accountability for 2022-2023:

State accountability. State accountability in 2022 is currently being shaped through state legislation and State Board of Education rules process.

Accountability Statute for 2022. The “Transition Back to Standard K-12 Accountability” bill (SB 22-137) was introduced in the Senate on February 16, 2022 and was signed by the Governor on April 13, 2022. The legislation requires the department to calculate frameworks in 2022-23, but suspends automatic advancement on the accountability clock. The percentage of students contributing to the growth indicator is added to the framework for informational purposes. The request to reconsider process will be offered and can be used to exit performance watch (i.e., move to “on watch,” exit the clock fully) if meeting certain conditions (e.g., Improvement plan type or higher, 90% total participation on state assessments).

Federal accountability. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has invited State Educational Agencies (SEAs) to submit an addendum to modify their approved ESEA consolidated State plans for the 2021-2022 school year, in order to identify schools for support and improvement in fall 2022. The proposed changes and feedback on these changes can be accessed here.

2022 Accountability FAQ

Link to common questions for accountability this year

Accountability Communications

Link to announcements regarding school and district accountability

Overview

The Education Accountability Act of 2009 authorizes the Colorado Department of Education to conduct an annual review of the performance of public schools and districts in the state and to make recommendations to the State Board of Education concerning the type of school improvement plan to be implemented in each school and the accreditation category for each district.

Quick Links

About Colorado's Education Accountability System

Colorado’s education accountability system is based on the belief that every student should receive an excellent education and graduate ready to succeed. Successful schools and districts are recognized and serve as models, while those that are struggling receive support.

To support this goal, the Accountability and Data Analysis (ADA) Unit at CDE:

Calculates Growth on CMAS, PSAT and English language proficiency
Creates the School and District Performance Frameworks
Accredits school districts and assigns school plan type assignments
Reports student outcome data to the public and educators
Assists districts and CDE staff in using student performance data to drive decision making

District Accountability Contacts

District Accountability Contacts must be registered with the Office of Accountability and Data Analysis and approved by the district superintendent in order to receive all state accountability-related communications, including information on performance frameworks and accreditation. When appointing a new Accountability Contact, superintendents are also granting access to student level Personally Identifiable Information (PII) associated with the accountability calculations.

New Accountability Contact Appointment Form

This form allows superintendents to ensure CDE’s district contact information remains up-to-date and delegates access to state accountability files to a district staff member. If a hard copy of the form is needed, please contact accountability@cde.state.co.us.

Announcements

Update on Accountability for 2022-23: SB 22-137 was passed and signed by the Governor on April 13, 2022. The legislation requires the department to calculate frameworks in 2022-23, but suspends automatic advancement on the accountability clock. The percentage of students contributing to the growth indicator is added to the framework for informational purposes. The request to reconsider process will be offered and can be used to exit performance watch (i.e., move to “on watch,” exit the clock fully) if meeting certain conditions (e.g., Improvement plan type or higher, 90% total participation on state assessments).
During the April 13, 2022 board meeting, the State Board noticed rules on 2022 accountability and the request to reconsider process. Note that the state board added a 90% total participation threshold for any school or district to be eligible to participate in the request to reconsider process. A summary with more details can be found here. Draft rule language is available at the CDE website here (clean version) and here (version with changes redlined). To offer feedback on these rules during the public comment period, before rules are adopted in June, please use this form. The deadline for submitting comments is May 23, 2022. Public comments will be included in the department’s presentation to the state board in June.

Resources

Introductory Resources

Colorado's School and District Accountability (PDF) - 2018 This fact sheet provides a one-page overview of accountability in Colorado.
- Sistema de Responsabilidad Académica de Colorado (PDF) - 2018 Esta hoja informativa proporciona una descripción general de una página de la responsabilidad en Colorado.
Supporting Greats Schools and Districts for All Students: Overview of Colorado's Accountability System (PDF) - November 2016 This fact sheet provides an overview of Colorado's Accountability System.
- Apoyando excelentes escuelas y distritos para todos los estudiantes: Información general del sistema de responsabilidad académica de Colorado (PDF) - Noviembre 2016 Esta hoja informativa proporciona una descripción general del sistema de responsabilidad de Colorado.
Colorado’s System for Identifying Schools for Support and Improvement (PDF) - July 2018 The purpose of this resource is to summarize what measures and metrics are evaluated in identifying schools for support and improvement.
Accountability Clock (PDF) - October 2018 This fact sheet summarizes the implications if a school or district are identified as Priority Improvement or Turnaround for consecutive years.
Scale Scores and Mean Scale Scores (PDF) - July 2017 This resource provides guidance on interpreting various performance levels and accountability metrics, most notably mean scale scores and the percent at benchmark metric.

Technical Resources and Documents

District Accountability Handbook (PDF) - August 2021 This handbook provides an outline of the requirements and responsibilities for the state, district, and school stakeholders in the state’s accountability process.
Priority Improvement and Turnaround Districts and Schools: A Supplement to the CDE District Accountability Handbook (PDF) - August 2018 This supplement provides further details on the requirements and responsibilities for the state, district, and school stakeholders for those identified as Priority Improvement and Turnaround.
Accountability Contact Appointment Form (Word Template) - June 2018 This form allows superintendents to ensure CDE’s district contact information remains up-to-date and delegates access to state accountability files to a district staff member.
Drop-in Article to Parents about School/District Ratings (Word Template) - October 2018 School/district leadership may customize this basic article with details about their school/district’s rating, kudos or encouragement to staff, and information about plans to ask for reconsideration of the rating, as desired or applicable.
Non-Assessment Data Resource - September 2020 The purpose of this document is to support districts with the adoption and use of non-assessment data to inform school improvement efforts.
Participation and Accountability FAQs (PDF) - May 2017 This fact sheet provides the answers to frequently asked questions about the impact of assessment participation on state accountability.

Helpful Links

For more information on the state accountability laws, please visit our Statute, Regulations, and Policy page.
For more information on research surrounding state accountability, please visit our Research page.
For more information about AEC Accountability, please visit our Alternative Education Campus Accountability page.