DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Colorado State Board of Education
ADMINISTRATION OF STATEWIDE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES FOR THE COLORADO PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, CHARTER SCHOOL INSTITUTE, PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS
1 CCR 301-1
2202-R-0.00	Statement of Basis and Purpose.
These revisions to 1 CCR 301-1, rules 5.07, 12.02 and 12.04 are  made under authority granted the State Board of Education in the Colorado Constitution, Article IX, Section 1, and Colorado Revised Statutes § 22-11-207.  These revisions have been made in response to a request from the Committee on Legal Services and in order to incorporate new powers and duties for District Accountability Committees and School Accountability Committees required by S.B. 10-191, which amended Colorado Revised Statutes §§ 22-11-302 and 22-11-402.
These accountability measures are adopted under authority granted the State Board of Education in the Colorado Constitution, Article IX, Section 1; and Colorado Revised Statutes § 22-2-106, §§ 22-7-401 through 410, §§ 22-7-501 through 505, §§ 22-11-201 through 22-11-209, §§ 22-11-303 through 306, §§ 22-11-501 through 22-11-504, § 22-30.5-503, § 22-32-109, §§ 22-44-101 through 206, and §§ 22-45-101 through 113.
The basic purposes of the Education Accountability Act of 2009 are:
To provide a process for the State Board of Education to fulfill its constitutional responsibility for supervising the Public Schools of the state;
To focus the attention of educators, parents, students and other members of the community on maximizing every student’s progress toward Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness and post graduation success;
To report information concerning performance at the State level, School District or Institute level and individual Public School level that is perceived by educators, parents and students as fair, balanced, cumulative, credible and useful;
To provide more academic performance information, and fewer labels, to move from a punitive accountability system to one that is positive and focused on learning and achieving high levels of academic performance;
To hold the State, School Districts, the Institute and individual Public Schools accountable for performance on the same set of indicators and related measures statewide;
To ensure performance indicators and measures are aligned through a single accountability system to the extent possible that objectively evaluates the performance of the thorough and uniform statewide system of public education for all groups of students at the State, School District or Institute and individual Public School levels and, as appropriate, reward success and provide support for improvement at each level;
To employ a differentiated approach to state intervention based on performance and need, whereby demonstration of high performance results in greater autonomy and demonstration of high need results in greater support and intervention.
1.00	DEFINITIONS.
5.07	The State Board may allow a District or the Institute to remain in the Accreditation category of Accredited with Improvement Plan for an unlimited number of years.  The State Board shall not allow a District or the Institute to remain in the Accreditation category of Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan and/or Accredited with Turnaround Plan for longer than a total of five (5) consecutive school years before removing the District’s or the Institute’s Accreditation as provided in § 22-11-209, C.R.S. The calculation of the total of five (5) consecutive school years shall commence July 1, during the summer immediately following the fall in which the District or the Institute is notified that it has been placed in the Accreditation category of Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan or Accredited with Turnaround Plan. For those Districts that were placed by the Department in the “Accredited: Accreditation Notice with Support” or “Accredited: Probation” category during the 2009-10 academic school year, the State Board shall not allow that District to remain in the Accreditation category of Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan and/or Accredited with Turnaround Plan for longer than a total of four (4) consecutive school years before removing the District’s Accreditation as provided in § 22-11-209, C.R.S.
12.02	POWERS AND DUTIES OF DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEES.
12.02 (A)	Each District Accountability Committee shall have the following powers and duties:
12.02 (A) (1)	to recommend to its Local School Board priorities for spending District moneys. Whenever the District Accountability Committee recommends spending priorities, it shall make reasonable efforts to consult in a substantive manner with the School Accountability Committees of the District. The Local School Board shall consider the District Accountability Committee's recommendations in adopting the District budget for each fiscal year pursuant to article 44 of title 22;
12.02 (A) (2)	to advise its Local School Board concerning preparation of, and annually submit to the Local School Board recommendations regarding the contents of, a District Performance, Improvement, Priority Improvement, or Turnaround plan, whichever is required based on the District’s Accreditation category. In advising and preparing the recommendations, the District Accountability Committee shall make reasonable efforts to consult in a substantive manner with the School Accountability Committees of the District and shall compile and submit to the Local School Board the School Performance, Improvement, Priority Improvement, and Turnaround plans submitted by the School Accountability Committees pursuant to §§ 22-11-403 to 22-11-406, C.R.S.;
12.02 (A) (3)	if the Local School Board receives a charter school application, to review the charter application prior to consideration by the Local School Board as provided in § 22-30.5-107 (1)C. R.S.;
12.02 (A) (4)	if the Local School Board receives a charter school renewal application, and upon request of the District and at the District Accountability Committee’s option, to review the renewal application prior to consideration by the Local School Board as provided in § 22-30.5-110 C.R.S.;
12.02 (A) (5)	with the Local School Board, at least annually, to cooperatively determine the areas and issues, in addition to budget issues, that the District Accountability Committee shall study and concerning which the committee may make recommendations to the Local School Board; and
12.02 (A) (6)	at its option, to meet at least quarterly to discuss whether district leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing or impeding implementation of the district’s performance, improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plan, whichever is applicable, or other progress pertinent to the district’s accreditation contract.;
12.02 (A) (7)	to provide input and recommendations on an advisory basis to principals concerning the development and use of assessment tools used for the purpose of measuring and evaluating student academic growth as it relates to teacher evaluations; and
12.02 (A) (8)	to receive input and recommendations from the School Accountability Committees of the District concerning the evaluations for the principals of the District’s Public Schools. 
12.04	POWERS AND DUTIES OF SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEES.
12.04 (A)	Each School Accountability Committee shall have the following powers and duties:
12.04 (A) (1)	to recommend to the principal of its school priorities for spending school moneys. The principal shall consider the School Accountability Committee's recommendations regarding spending state, federal, local, or private grants and any other discretionary moneys and take them into account in formulating budget requests for presentation to the Local School Board, if the school is a District Public School, other than a charter school, or in creating the school budget if the school is a District or Institute Charter School. The School Accountability Committee for a District Public School shall send a copy of its recommended spending priorities to the School District Accountability committee and to the Local School Board;
12.04 (A) (2)	to advise the principal of the Public School and, in the case of a Public School of a District (including a District Charter School), to advise the superintendent of the School District concerning the preparation of a School Performance or Improvement Plan, if either is required pursuant to § 22-11-210, C.R.S., and to submit recommendations to the principal, and superintendent if applicable, concerning the contents of the Performance or Improvement Plan;
12.04 (A) (3)	to advise the Local School Board or the Institute concerning the preparation of a School Priority Improvement or Turnaround Plan, if either is required pursuant to § 22-11-210, C.R.S., and to submit recommendations to the Local School Board or the Institute concerning the contents of the Priority Improvement or Turnaround Plan; and
12.04 (A) (4)	to meet at least quarterly to discuss whether school leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing or impeding implementation of the public school's Performance, Improvement, Priority Improvement, or Turnaround Plan, whichever is applicable, or other progress pertinent to the Public School's Accreditation contract with the Local School Board or the Institute.; and
12.04 (A) (5)	to provide input and recommendations on an advisory basis to District Accountability Committees and District administration concerning principal development plans for the school’s principal pursuant to § 22-9-106, C.R.S., and principal evaluations conducted pursuant to § 22-9-106, C.R.S.