§ 22-104-101 — Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly finds that:

(a) Significant interruptions to in-person learning due to the COVID-19
pandemic have led to potentially devastating and long-lasting negative impacts on
student achievement, impacting every part of Colorado society;

(b) These negative impacts on student achievement are not equal; students
furthest from privilege are at risk of falling behind the most;

(c) Research suggests that while all students may fall behind as much as
seven months because of interruptions to in-person learning due to the COVID-19
pandemic, students who identify as Black, Latino, or lower income may fall behind
as much as ten months, exacerbating already entrenched inequities;

(d) Responding to learning loss and the widening of opportunity gaps could
be the greatest challenge our state faces over the next few years, and the state has
an urgent and immediate need to provide additional support to ensure students are
well prepared for the future;

(e) With scarce resources, it is imperative to know which academic
interventions yield the best results for students so that resources are deployed
judiciously and effectively;

(f) While there are many interventions that have a positive impact on student
achievement, one intervention, backed by a strong body of research, has
consistently been shown to be the most effective in every grade, from kindergarten
through twelfth grade;

(g) Studies have consistently shown, in multiple diverse settings, that high-impact tutoring, also referred to as high-dosage tutoring, has made significant
positive impact on students from all backgrounds, but especially students furthest
from opportunity; and

(h) When such tutoring is implemented, students average more than four
months of additional learning in elementary literacy, thereby strengthening vital
early reading and writing skills, and almost ten months of additional learning in high
school math.

(2) Therefore, local education providers should be incentivized to implement
high-impact tutoring as one of the interventions schools have access to as they
create plans to recover from learning loss or unfinished learning that has taken
place because of the pandemic.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2021: Entire article added, (HB 21-1234), ch. 249, p. 1353, � 1, effective June 16.