Standards Revision Cycle Background Information

Standards Revision Cycle

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SB 08-212, Colorado’s Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K), has a provision that requires the regular review and revision of the Colorado Academic Standards. The first review and revision cycle is set to conclude on or before July 1, 2018 and every six years thereafter.

CAP4K initiated the development of the Colorado Academic Standards which were adopted in 2009 and 2010. This comprehensive development process produced a set of entirely new standards in all ten content areas (comprehensive health and physical education; dance, drama and theater arts; mathematics; music; reading, writing and communicating; science; social studies; visual arts; and world languages,) and English Language Proficiency. To learn more about the past process please visit the History and Development link.

The department has begun the review and revision cycle to conclude on or before July 1, 2018.

Highlights of this cycle include:

Guiding Principles for the Standards Review and Revision Process

The following Principles define the values of the State Board of Education which in turn will guide the department as it facilitates the standards review and revision process.

The standards review and revision process will be:

• Transparent: Decisions and processes for the standards review and revision will be public.
• Inclusive: The review process will include substantial and frequent opportunities for the public to weigh in.
• Research-informed: Recommendations will be based on research.
• Consistent: The review and revision process will be consistent with state law and past standards reviews.
• Substantive: The review and revision will focus on the substance of the actual standards.
• Improvement-oriented: The focus will be to improve what exists today rather than start from scratch.

Principles for Design and Content

• Be Aligned.

The Colorado Academic Standards will align with the legislative requirements articulated within Senate Bill 08-212, Colorado’s Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K).

1. Alignment with the postsecondary workforce readiness description and career and technical education standards,
2. Comparability with the highest national and international standards, and
3. Development of a range of skills critical to preparing students for the twenty-first-century workforce and for active citizenship.

• Describe Learning Expectations for All Students.

The Colorado Academic Standards will define what all graduates of Colorado’s schools should know, understand and be able to do. The learning expectations will be necessary for all students but only sufficient for some. That is, the standards will describe the floor not the ceiling for student learning.

• Lead to Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness.

The Colorado Academic Standards will provide a grade-by-grade road map to help ensure students are successful in college, careers and life.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Colorado Academic Standards form the foundation of Colorado’s public education system by defining what every graduate of a public school in Colorado should know, understand and be able to do.

Getting the standards right relies on the participation of all those with a stake in the quality of education Colorado students receive.

Standards Review and Revision Timeline

The proposed standards review and revision process includes six phases: (1) planning, (2) research and resource development, (3) standards review and revision, (4) revision approval, (5) district transition, and (6) implementation.