Colorado’s education system needs an overhaul, task force says
Group was assembled in 2023 with the goal of examining Colorado's K-12 education accountability system
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A Colorado education task force entrusted with studying accountability in the state’s education system recently returned from 150 hours worth of meetings with a new recommendation: an overhaul of the state’s education accountability system.
The Accountability, Accreditation, Student Performance, and Resource Inequity Task Force was formed under House Bill 23-1241 by the Colorado General Assembly in 2023 with the goal of examining the statewide K-12 education accountability system. It is composed of 26 members that include parents, educators, students and community leaders from across Colorado.
On Nov. 8, the task force published a report recommending a major overhaul, which would include ratings adjustments for schools and districts to better reflect the achievement of different student groups and to provide guardians with a clearer understanding of how schools prepare students for life after high school, according to a Colorado Department of Education news release.
The focus of the task force’s report was “to address gaps in educational outcomes and to make sure all students have fair access to resources,” according to the department.
The task force’s report identified 30 recommendations covering four core areas: accountability frameworks, state assessments, public reporting and engagement, and continuous improvement practices.
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Some of the key recommendations include:
- Changing how schools and districts are rated, which includes adding support for smaller student populations and addressing achievement gaps
- Adding better metrics for growth and achievement and adding new measures focused on postsecondary and workforce readiness
- Modernizing state assessments by creating assessments that adapt to student needs, offer multilingual options, and provide quicker results
- The creation of a statewide dashboard offering data on school performance for parents, educators, and policymakers to improve data sharing and accessibility
- Creating a system of early identification and targeted support to help schools and districts address issues as they arise and recognize their successes
The report also suggests areas for further study, including exploring best practices for assessing students with disabilities and leveraging technology, such as artificial intelligence, in state assessments, according to the news release.
The task force encourages the legislature, the State Board of Education, the Colorado Department of Education, and all education stakeholders to implement these recommendations to more accurately address the needs of students and schools. The report does not lay out a concrete timeline for these changes. The full report is available for public review on the department’s website by visiting CDE.State.co.us/accountability/1241taskforcefinalreport.
