SB 25-087: Academic Adjustments in Higher Education - Colorado

Revised (03/28/2025) → PA1 (02/27/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reverted from a revised version to a pre-amended version, removing all substantive policy changes and committee amendments. The original bill text was deleted and replaced with the version before any legislative amendments were adopted.

Scope change

The bill's scope reverts to its original introduction state before any amendments were applied.

REQUIREMENT

Removed requirements for institutions to create policies supporting student self-disclosure of disabilities and engage in interactive processes for academic adjustments.

Removed requirements for policies to include information about eligibility determination processes, documentation requests, available resources, and appeals processes.

DEFINITION

Removed new definitions for terms including 'academic adjustment', 'institution of higher education', 'local education provider', and 'student with a disability'.

TECHNICAL

Removed all formatting changes, committee amendments, and revision dates that were added during the legislative process.

Rerevised (03/31/2025) → Revised (03/28/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was updated from a 'Rerevised' version to a 'Revised' version, reflecting changes made during the legislative process. The substantive content of the bill remains largely the same, with the primary changes being formatting updates and the addition of new sections establishing a standardized process for reviewing academic adjustments for students with disabilities in Colorado higher education institutions.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on higher education institutions in Colorado, specifically addressing the review of academic adjustments for students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

REQUIREMENT

Added new Section 2 establishing Part 2 of Article 1 in Title 23 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, which creates a transparent document review process for determining whether students with disabilities qualify for academic adjustments.

Added findings stating the need for clarity in document review processes, accountability measures for institutions, and alignment with state and federal law regarding academic adjustments.

DEFINITION

Added definitions section (23-1-201) defining 'academic adjustment' as modifications to academic requirements to ensure equal educational opportunities.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Rerevised' header and updated to 'Revised' status, indicating the bill has been amended on second reading in the second house.

Updated the list of House sponsors, removing several names from the original sponsorship list.

PA2 (03/21/2025) → Rerevised (03/31/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was substantially rewritten to clarify its purpose and policy foundation. The original version focused on establishing definitions and processes for academic adjustments, while the revised version now includes a legislative declaration explaining why the law is needed. This provides clearer context about inconsistencies in current review processes and the need for standardized procedures to support students with disabilities in higher education.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on academic adjustments for students with disabilities in Colorado institutions of higher education, but the revised version adds explicit legislative findings that justify the need for the law.

REQUIREMENT

Added a legislative declaration section (Section 1) that explains the purpose and necessity of the law, including federal compliance requirements and identified gaps in current institutional review processes.

DEFINITION

Removed the original definitions section that defined key terms like 'academic adjustment,' 'Americans with Disabilities Act,' 'IEP,' 'institution of higher education,' 'local education provider,' 'Section 504,' and 'student with a disability.' These definitions appear to have been moved to a different section or reorganized.

STRUCTURE

Changed the bill's structure from starting with definitions to beginning with a legislative declaration, which is a common practice to establish the rationale behind new legislation before defining terms.

TIMELINE

Added versioning information indicating this is the 'Rerevised' version from March 31, 2025, which includes all amendments adopted in the Second House, replacing the previous 'PREAMENDED' version.

Final Act (04/08/2025) → PA2 (03/21/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reorganized and reformatted from a final act version to a pre-amendment draft version, showing the bill as it appeared before committee amendments were adopted. The substantive policy content regarding academic adjustments for students with disabilities remains consistent between versions, though the formatting, page numbers, and some explanatory notes were updated to reflect the current legislative status.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; this is a formatting update showing the bill in its draft form before final passage.

TECHNICAL

Removed final act language and added draft bill header information including session details and committee amendment notes.

Reorganized the bill structure to show it as a draft version with updated page numbering and formatting conventions.

Added explanatory notes about how to interpret the bill text, including symbols used to denote amendments and deletions.

Signed Act (04/18/2025) → Final Act (04/08/2025) · 1 edit

MINOR

This bill was finalized and signed into law, transitioning from a draft Senate Bill to an enacted Final Act. The substantive policy content regarding academic adjustments for students with disabilities in higher education remains unchanged from the original draft version.

TECHNICAL

The document format changed from a draft bill to a signed Final Act, adding standard legislative signatures, dates, and formatting notes indicating the bill has been enacted.

Reengrossed (03/04/2025) → Signed Act (04/18/2025) · 7 edits · Apr 18, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add a legislative declaration explaining the need for clearer, standardized processes for reviewing disability documentation in higher education. The amendments also updated definitions to align more closely with federal regulations and clarified that the appeals process for academic adjustments should focus on documentary review. These changes aim to improve transparency and consistency while maintaining institutional authority.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains the same - applying to institutions of higher education in Colorado - but the legislative declaration now explicitly addresses inconsistencies in current review processes and emphasizes alignment with federal law.

REQUIREMENT

Added a legislative declaration section explaining the need for standardized documentation review processes to improve support for students with disabilities.

Changed the policy dissemination requirement from multiple channels (application, orientation, catalogues, website) to a single requirement to publish the policy on the institution's website in an accessible format.

Added a specific requirement that the appeals process for academic adjustment decisions must focus on documentary review.

Added a new representative to the bill sponsorship list (Boesenecker, Camacho, English, Froelich, Garcia, Hamrick, Jackson, Joseph, Lieder, Lukens, Martinez, Paschal, Ricks, Sirota, Soper, Stewart K., Story, McCluskie).

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'academic adjustment' to explicitly reference federal regulation 34 CFR Sec. 104.44 and clarified that adjustments do not include changes that fundamentally alter academic programs.

Added a new definition for 'state education agency' to clarify which state entity is responsible for public school supervision.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the definition of 'student with a disability' to specify that it applies to admitted or enrolled students meeting federal ADA or Section 504 definitions.

Engrossed (03/03/2025) → Reengrossed (03/04/2025) · 4 edits · Mar 4, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to add new co-sponsors and update the title to reflect that it includes all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction. The text also includes a note indicating that a bill summary for the reengrossed version will be available after third reading. Some detailed policy requirements regarding academic adjustment processes were removed from the visible text, though the core purpose of the bill remains focused on higher education policies.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on institutions of higher education in Colorado, but the text now explicitly references that it includes all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction.

TECHNICAL

Added new co-sponsors to the Senate sponsorship list (Ball, Coleman, Cutter, Danielson, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Michaelson Jenet, Roberts, Snyder, Sullivan, Weissman, Winter F.).

Changed the document title from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' to indicate all amendments have been incorporated.

Added a note indicating that a bill summary for the reengrossed version will be available after third reading in the House of Introduction.

REQUIREMENT

Removed specific policy requirements detailing how institutions must describe their academic adjustment eligibility process and documentation requests.

Academic Adjustments in Higher Education

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