§ 22-11-701 — Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly finds that:

(a) The statewide accountability system relies substantially on large-scale,
state-administered assessment results to measure public school and school district
performance. Using these results provides a limited picture of the successes of and
challenges faced by public schools and school districts and may not fully reflect
the priorities and values of local communities.

(b) Several public schools and school districts in Colorado and in other states
have begun experimenting with accountability structures that measure a broader
range of student competencies and system effectiveness, which provides an
opportunity for the state to learn from different approaches to measuring public
school and school district performance;

(c) Public schools and school districts in Colorado have also begun
experimenting with additional measures of college and career readiness; and

(d) A broader-based accountability system is consistent with the vision and
framework adopted by the state education leadership council, created by executive
order B 2017 001, and may provide the information necessary to move toward the
council's goals concerning student competencies and learning environment
characteristics. Specifically, the council's report recommends the following with
regard to accountability:

(I) Continuous evaluation of state-level accountability and assessment
policies, taking into consideration the viewpoints of multiple stakeholders;

(II) Support for ongoing research and evaluation of state assessment
systems;

(III) Allowance for the experimentation necessary to effectively eliminate
performance gaps, give local value to accountability, and drive meaningful,
continuous improvement efforts; and

(IV) Definition and inclusion of locally important measures, such as
engagement, employment, and higher education attainment outcomes, and
incorporation of these measures into accountability policies.

(2) The general assembly finds, therefore, that it is in the best interests of
the state to strengthen the accountability system for public schools and school
districts by encouraging and supporting the development of local accountability
systems that may inform the continuous improvement of the state's public school
accountability system.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2019: Entire part added, (SB 19-204), ch. 415, p. 3652, � 1, effective August 2.