News Release - State Board prepares for November accountability hearings

Oct. 11, 2018

State Board prepares for November accountability hearings

Follow-up accountability hearings set for schools from Adams 14 and Pueblo City Schools

DENVER - The Colorado State Board of Education at its two-day October meeting on Wednesday and Thursday heard updates from Colorado Department of Education’s staff on progress of schools and districts on the state's "Accountability Clock" following the release of the 2018 preliminary school and district performance ratings.

Based on preliminary 2018 performance frameworks that measure achievement, academic growth and postsecondary workforce readiness - six schools and two districts will enter Year Eight on the state's Accountability Clock. Schools and districts are considered to be on the  Accountability Clock when they receive the two lowest plan types, Priority Improvement or Turnaround. If they continue to receive one of those plan types for five consecutive years or more, significant action must be taken.

Bessemer Elementary School in Pueblo City, HOPE Online Middle School in Douglas County School District, Prairie Heights Middle School in Greeley School District 6 and Westminster Public Schools all came off the Accountability Clock after making significant improvements in student performance and earning higher preliminary ratings.

Final written determinations approved by the state board in spring 2017 require Adams 14 School District and the district’s main high school, Adams City High School, as well as Heroes Academy and Risley International Academy of Innovation from Pueblo City Schools, to return before the state board for a follow-up hearing in November because their academic performances have not improved enough. The board approved the administrative procedures for these hearings during the October meeting, as well.

Aguilar School District and Aguilar Junior-Senior High School, HOPE Elementary School and Aurora Central High School will be required to return before the board next fall if they do not earn an Improvement rating or higher on the 2019 performance rating results.

2019 Performance Framework target setting

CDE staff presented background information for the state board’s anticipated November vote on achievement, growth and post-secondary workforce readiness targets to be used in the School and District Performance Frameworks. State board rule requires the board set, reaffirm or revise ambitious yet attainable statewide targets to measure performance for school and district ratings by November every year.

Rulemaking hearings

The board voted to approve technical changes to the following:

• Rules for the Administration of Educator License Endorsement. This update clarifies that a copy of the Colorado School Counseling Standards is readily available for public inspection.

• Rules for the Administration of the Waiver of Statute and Rule. This change incorporates statutory references resulting from passage of HB 18-1269 concerning notification to parents about alleged criminal conduct by school employees, and specifies, per statute, that the parent notification requirement cannot be waived by school districts or charter schools.

• Rules for the Administration of the Early Literacy Grant Program. This update incorporates changes made to the READ Act during the 2018 Colorado legislative session. Changes include modifications to the grant fund distribution and a simplified application for schools located in rural school districts.

In other actions, the board:

• Approved charter waiver requests for Academy for Advanced and Creative Learners in Colorado Springs D-11, Liberty Tree Academy in El Paso County School District and Excel Academy Charter School in Jefferson County School District.