(1) As
used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) CASFA means the Colorado application for state financial aid.
(b) Department means the department of higher education.
(c) FAFSA means the free application for federal student aid.
(d) Local education provider means a school district, a charter school
authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5 of title 22, a charter
school authorized by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article
30.5 of title 22, or a board of cooperative services created and operating pursuant
to article 5 of title 22 that operates one or more public schools.
(2) (a) The department shall use technology to assist in increasing the
number of students who complete the FAFSA and CASFA forms. On or before
September 15, 2023, the department shall develop a tool kit and training outlining
web tools and resources for use by higher education administrators, middle and
high schools, and nonprofit organizations that support the completion of FAFSA
and CASFA forms. The tool kit must include free resources, including:
(I) Net price calculators and information about how to use calculators to
outline resources available based on financial need;
(II) Supports for populations of students who have accommodations as
outlined by the FAFSA or youth who may be considered independent according to
federal department of education policies, including:
(A) Youth who have deceased parents, are currently or previously were in
foster care, or are a ward of the court;
(B) Emancipated minors;
(C) Youth under a legal guardianship; and
(D) Youth who are homeless, self-supporting, or at risk of homelessness;
(III) Information for students who are the first in their family to attend
college and how to navigate financial aid resources and application processes; and
(IV) Public information available through state or federal entities.
(b) The information in the tool kit must be:
(I) Offered in multiple languages; and
(II) Updated annually for educators and nonprofit organizations to support
students and families in developing individual career and education plans pursuant
to sections 22-32-109 (1)(oo) and 22-30.5-525 and career-connected strategies,
such as work-based learning in support of financial literacy education and
completion of the financial aid forms.
(c) The department should consider avoiding duplication of efforts by
leveraging existing resources in creating the tool kit.
(3) Notwithstanding section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), on or before October 15, 2023,
and on or before October 15 each year thereafter, the department shall submit to
the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any
successor committees, a report concerning:
(a) The steps that the department has made to improve the tool kit;
(b) Any recommendations for legislative changes necessary to improve
FAFSA and CASFA completion rates;
(c) Subject to data availability and data privacy requirements, data indicating
the FAFSA and CASFA completion rates by high school and school district and,
where available, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, first-generation status, and Pell
grant eligibility for:
(I) Adults by county; and
(II) High schools and school districts; and
(d) Other information as determined by the department or partner agencies,
including, but not limited to, the Colorado department of education, Colorado
workforce development council, Colorado department of labor and employment, or
office of economic development and international trade in support of Colorado's
economic and job needs.
(4) (a) The department shall make improvements to its web-based financial
aid completion tool to support schools and school districts across Colorado in
determining which students have competed financial aid forms by:
(I) Updating and modernizing the completion tool with federal and state
financial aid information; and
(II) Displaying the information for FAFSA and CASFA completion and
verification status on a local level to show how many students in a high school have
completed an application form and make the information accessible by school or
district administrators in alignment with state data privacy regulations and
requirements.
(b) Financial information shall not be shared in this tool. The tool may only be
used to show application completion, partial completion, and verification status.
(5) The department shall support college access activities by:
(a) Providing career advising aligned with Colorado's critical industry
shortage areas;
(b) Providing information about degree programs in alignment with in-demand, high-wage jobs;
(c) Providing information about the application and financial aid processes
associated with accessing postsecondary education;
(d) Supporting students and families in completing financial aid applications;
and
(e) Providing information associated with return-on-investment and financial
literacy education in relation to additional education beyond high school, including:
(I) Degree programs;
(II) Credentials;
(III) Apprenticeships;
(IV) Work-based learning; and
(V) Scholarships, grants, and other financial tools to support postsecondary
education.
(5.5) Any money appropriated to the department for the implementation of
this section may be used for maintenance of the web-based financial aid
completion tool.
(6) For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the general assembly shall appropriate
six hundred eighty thousand dollars from the general fund to the department for
the purposes of this section. Any unexpended money remaining at the end of the
2022-23 state fiscal year:
(a) Does not revert to the general fund or any other fund;
(b) May be used by the department in subsequent state fiscal years without
further appropriation; and
(c) Shall not be used for any other purpose other than the purposes set forth
in this section.