Unified Improvement Planning

School Quality and Support Division Unified Improvement Planning

Quick Links for Unified Improvement Planning in 2022

Accountability, Performance, and Support: Visit this page for information about Accountability, including State Accountability, Performance Frameworks, Request to Reconsider, and the School and District Dashboard.

Access Improvement Plans: Look up publicly posted School and District Unified Improvement Plans.

Unified Improvement Planning: Access guidance and resources for understanding and creating a Unified Improvement Plan. Resources linked here include the following:

UIP Online System: Use the UIP Online System to access, create, or revise your current UIP.

UIP Online System User Guide

Training, Resources, and Support: The following pages provide trainings, videos, a full list of available tools and guidance, and other resources for the Unified Improvement Planning process.

Training
Resources
UIP 101 Video Series: Short videos and aligned resources provide a short introduction to each section of the UIP.
Improvement Planning Case Study

Update on Accountability for 2022-2023:

State accountability. State accountability in 2022 is shaped through state legislation and the 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).

Accountability Rules for 2022. The state board finalized the accountability rules during a special meeting on June 16.

Federal accountability. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has approved the state’s waiver to make some adjustments to the ESEA identification process (e.g. Comprehensive Support and Improvement, Targeted Support and Improvement) in light of the two-year pause. For information on the ESEA identification process, visit the CDE ESSA State Plan website.

To view recent webinars and related resources related to accountability, please click here.

2022 Accountability FAQ

Link to common questions for accountability this year

Accountability Communications

Link to announcements regarding school and district accountability

About

Unified Improvement Planning was introduced in 2009 to streamline improvement planning components of state and federal accountability requirements. Based on the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (SB212-08), the primary purpose of improvement planning is to align efforts to: Ensure all students exit the K-12 education system ready for post-secondary education, and/or to be successful in the workforce, earning a living wage immediately upon graduation.

Colorado schools and districts can improve student learning and system effectiveness by engaging in a cycle of continuous improvement to manage their performance. To support this purpose, the Education Accountability Act of 2009 requires each Colorado district and school to create an annual improvement plan.

The intent is that schools and districts create a single plan that has true meaning for stakeholders, ultimately reducing the total number of separate plans required. With that in mind, the Colorado Department of Education has developed a unified improvement planning template and processes to support schools and districts in their performance management efforts.

The UIP template has been designed to meet state, federal, and program accountability requirements.

Announcements

(11/18/2022) - 2022-23 UIP Submission. Thank you to all schools and districts that submitted a UIP by October 25th, 2022. Feedback on UIPs for schools and districts on Performance Watch (i.e., Priority Improvement, Turnaround, On Watch) and schools identified for comprehensive support (CS) under ESSA will be released in early January. Emails will be sent to district accountability contacts when feedback is available. The UIP submission deadline for any newly identified sites (e.g., Year 0, ESSA Comprehensive Support) and sites participating in request to reconsider is January 17, 2023. District users can review which schools are participating in the January Submission using the 2022-23 UIP Dashboard on the Home tab of the UIP Online System.
(09/09/2022) - The UIP Submission Deadlines and Biennial Flexibility Spreadsheet has been updated and lists the next UIP submission deadline for every school and district as well as biennial submission eligibility for the 2022-23 school year.
(08/25/2022) - The January Submission Guidance provides guidance on January UIP submission eligibility and directions for District Admins to denote if a school/district will be submitting in January in the UIP Online System.
(04/18/2022) - The UIP Handbook and the UIP Online System User Guide have been updated for the 2022-2023 school year. The Quality Criteria and accompanying rubrics have also been updated for both schools and districts on the General Resources page.

Quick Links

Accountability

In Colorado's accountability system, district and schools are assigned ratings or plan types. There are different requirements for submission and plan content based on the plan type that can be found in the UIP Guidance documents. The Code of Colorado Regulations for the administration of statewide accountability is also available and provides the official accountability and accreditation rules as passed by the State Board of Education.

The UIP, the UIP handbook, and this website are designed around the four components of improvement planning (in the table below). Tools and resources are included to provide greater detail and recommendations for leading the planning process, help schools and districts understand UIP requirements, and support facilitation of the continuous improvement cycle.

Continuous Improvement

The diagram depicted here illustrates the theory of action behind Colorado's approach to improvement planning. By engaging in a continuous improvement cycle to manage performance, districts and schools will improve their effectiveness and the outcomes for students.

Focus attention on the right things (performance indicators);
Evaluate performance by gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data about performance;
Plan improvement strategies based on performance data, root cause analysis, and evidence-based strategies
Implement planned improvement strategies.

Unified Improvement Planning Process Map

Interactive UIP Process Map

This UIP process map contains interactive links to resources available to support each step of the unified improvement planning process. By clicking on a step in the map, you will be directed to the support page for that step in the process. You may also use the links on the left-hand navigation bar to access these resources. Click on either "Unified Improvement Planning" at the top at the process map, or "Unified Improvement Planning" on the left-hand navigation to return to the UIP homepage.

For More Information

Please contact Lisa Medler, medler_l@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6993.

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