(1) The state board is a type 1 entity,
as defined in section 24-1-105. It is the duty of the state board:
(a) To exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state and
the educational programs maintained and operated by all state governmental
agencies for persons who have not completed the twelfth-grade level of
instruction;
(a.5) To adopt, on or before May 15, 2013, a comprehensive set of guidelines
for the establishment of high school graduation requirements to be used by each
school district board of education in developing local high school graduation
requirements. Each school district board of education retains the authority to
develop its own unique high school graduation requirements, so long as those local
high school graduation requirements meet or exceed any minimum standards or
basic core competencies or skills identified in the comprehensive set of guidelines
for high school graduation developed by the state board pursuant to this paragraph
(a.5). In developing the guidelines for high school graduation, the state board shall
utilize the recommendations of the state graduation guidelines development
council established in section 22-7-414, as it existed prior to July 1, 2008, and shall:
(I) Take into account recommendations from the 2006 report of the Colorado
education alignment council appointed by the governor pursuant to executive order
B 009 05;
(II) Ensure that the state graduation guidelines are aligned with the
description of postsecondary and workforce readiness, including but not limited to
the minimum required English language competencies, adopted by the state board
and the Colorado commission on higher education pursuant to section 22-7-1008
and with the preschool through elementary and secondary education standards
adopted by the state board pursuant to section 22-7-1005;
(III) Work with the Colorado commission on higher education to ensure that
the state board's guidelines for high school graduation adopted pursuant to this
paragraph (a.5) and the postsecondary academic admission standards established
pursuant to section 23-1-113, C.R.S., are aligned for students entering a four-year
public postsecondary education institution on or after August 1, 2013;
(IV) Recognize and address the multiple and diverse pathways to diplomas
offered by school districts in the state. The guidelines for high school graduation
shall accommodate the differing and broad categories of student interests and
economic needs, including but not limited to agriculture, architecture, arts,
communications, business and management, construction technology, education,
finance, government, health sciences, tourism, human services, information
technology, law and public safety, manufacturing, marketing and sales, physical
education, science and technology, and transportation. The guidelines for high
school graduation adopted by the state board pursuant to this paragraph (a.5) shall
ensure, at a minimum, that, while not identical, each pathway is equally rigorous.
(V) Utilize standards-based education, as described in part 10 of article 7 of
this title, as the framework for the development of the guidelines for high school
graduation and consider how high school graduation requirements can be
articulated in a standards-based education system;
(VI) Recognize and acknowledge the importance of obtaining the core
competency skills and standards to succeed in the twenty-first century, including
but not limited to proficiency in math, science, and written and verbal
communication skills;
(VI.5) Recognize and acknowledge the importance of education in
performing arts, as defined in section 22-1-104.5 (1)(b), and visual arts, as defined in
section 22-1-104.5 (1)(c), in strengthening student learning in other subjects and in
supporting students' ability to succeed in the twenty-first century; and
(VII) Take into account the importance of pre-high school and postsecondary
career planning that provides middle school and junior high school students and
parents with awareness of the school district's high school graduation
requirements, the multiple pathways a student can follow, and other pertinent
information that will help prepare a student for a successful high school
experience.
(b) To appoint a commissioner of education;
(b.5) To review and evaluate annually the job performance of the
commissioner of education using procedures and criteria determined by the state
board. The procedures and criteria shall include, at a minimum, consideration of the
comments and opinions of school district superintendents and school board
members regarding the commissioner's job performance. Notwithstanding section
24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), the state board shall report the results of its evaluation to the
education committees of the house of representatives and senate, or any successor
committees.
(c) To appraise and accredit the public schools and school districts in this
state and the state charter school institute pursuant to the provisions of article 11 of
this title, and to submit recommendations to the governor and general assembly for
improvements in education;
(d) To approve the annual budget request for the department prior to
submission;
(e) To order the distribution or apportionment of federal and state moneys
granted or appropriated to the department for the use of the public schools of the
state, except moneys granted or made available to another agency specifically
designated;
(f) To review the annual report prepared by the commissioner and to transmit
it to the governor in the form and manner prescribed by the heads of the principal
departments pursuant to the provisions of section 24-1-136, C.R.S.;
(f.5) To comply with the requirements of section 24-1-136.5, C.R.S.,
concerning the preparation of operational master plans, facilities master plans, and
facilities program plans, as if the state board were the executive director of the
department;
(f.7) To provide such aggregate, nonidentifying information concerning
student enrollment in every school district in the state that the department of
human services may request pursuant to section 19-1-115.5, C.R.S.;
(f.9) Repealed.
(g) To perform any other duty which may be required by law;
(h) On or before January 15, 2012, to adopt by rule standards for charter
schools and charter school authorizers based on the recommendations made by the
charter school and charter authorizer standards review committee pursuant to
section 22-30.5-104.5;
(i) To ensure that the rules promulgated by the state board and the policies
and guidelines adopted by the department pursuant to this title impose the least
possible administrative or financial burden on school districts, charter schools, or
boards of cooperative services and, when appropriate to reduce potential
administrative burden, to promulgate rules and instruct the department to adopt
policies and guidelines that specifically apply to rural school districts, charter
schools, and boards of cooperative services, as identified by the department.
(2) and (3) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2009, (SB 09-163), ch. 293, p. 1528, �
7, effective May 21, 2009.)
Source: L. 64: R&RE, p. 530, � 1. C.R.S. 1963: � 123-1-6. L. 80: (1)(c) amended
and (2) and (3) added, p. 550, � 1, effective May 1. L. 83: (1)(f) amended, p. 832, � 33,
effective July 1. L. 93: (2) amended, p. 1047, � 2, effective June 3. L. 94: (1)(f.5)
added, p. 563, � 5, effective April 6. L. 97: (1)(f.7) added, p. 150, � 3, effective July 1;
(2)(b) amended, p. 460, � 2, effective August 6. L. 98: (1)(c), (2), and (3) amended, p.
985, � 2, effective July 1. L. 2001: (3) amended, p. 1176, � 6, effective August 8. L.
2007: (1)(b.5) added, p. 170, � 3, effective March 22; (1)(a.5) added, p. 675, � 2,
effective May 2; (1)(f.9) added, p. 1085, � 5, effective July 1. L. 2008: IP(1)(a.5) and
(1)(a.5)(V) amended and (1)(a.5)(II) added, p. 768, � 2, effective May 14. L. 2009: (1)(c),
(2), and (3) amended, (SB 09-163), ch. 293, p. 1528, � 7, effective May 21; IP(1)(a.5)
amended, (SB 09-292), ch. 369, p. 1950, � 40, effective August 5. L. 2010: IP(1)(a.5),
(1)(a.5)(III), and (1)(a.5)(VI) amended and (1)(a.5)(VI.5) added, (HB 10-1273), ch. 233, p.
1020, � 3, effective May 18; (1)(h) added, (HB 10-1412), ch. 248, p. 1108, � 2, effective
May 21; IP(1)(a.5) amended, (HB 10-1013), ch. 399, p. 1907, � 20, effective June 10. L.
2012: IP(1)(a.5) amended, (HB 12-1240), ch. 258, p. 1308, � 1, effective June 4. L.
2015: IP(1)(a.5) and (1)(a.5)(V) amended, (HB 15-1323), ch. 204, p. 720, � 19, effective
May 20. L. 2016: (1)(i) added, (HB 16-1440), ch. 316, p. 1277, � 4, effective August 10. L. 2017: (1)(b.5) amended, (HB 17-1267), ch. 242, p. 994, � 3, effective August 9. L.
2022: IP(1) amended, (SB 22-162), ch. 469, p. 3358, � 19, effective August 10.