READ act - programming - teacher training - evaluation - distribution of money - appropriations. The act makes several changes concerning implementation of the "Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act" (READ act) by school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services that operate schools (local education providers) as follows: Requiring that instructional programming and services for teaching reading be focused on the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension; Directing each local education provider to include in its performance plan specified information concerning the reading assessments, curriculum, instructional programs, and intervention instruction and services used and, for certain local education providers, the plan for providing professional development for teachers; Specifying that students with significant reading deficiencies and students who read below grade level must receive educational services in a daily literacy block for the length of time indicated by research; Requiring each local education provider that receives money through the READ act to provide evidence-based training in teaching reading to kindergarten and first- through third-grade teachers; and Encouraging local education providers to partner with adjacent public libraries to enhance instruction in literacy. The act directs the department of education (department) to develop and implement a public information campaign to emphasize the importance of learning to read by third grade and to highlight the local education providers that achieve high percentages of third-grade students who are reading at grade level. The act directs the department to contract with an independent evaluator to evaluate the implementation of the READ act in the state and evaluate whether a local education provider's use of per-pupil intervention money or early literacy grant program money results in students making progress toward reading competency. The act changes the distribution of money appropriated from the early literacy fund for the 2019-20 budget year by reducing the amount distributed as per-pupil intervention money, increasing the amount distributed through the early literacy grant fund, and adding distributions to pay for the public information campaign, the independent evaluator, and teacher training. For the 2020-21 budget year and budget years thereafter, the act specifies the purposes for which the money in the early literacy fund may be appropriated in amounts specified in the annual general appropriations bill. The act changes the procedure for distributing the per-pupil intervention money by: Requiring a local education provider to provide information and meet certain requirements in order to receive the money; Authorizing the department to monitor and, if necessary, audit the use of the money throughout the budget year; Expanding the allowable uses of the per-pupil intervention money to include purchasing core reading instructional programs and purchasing technology, including software, to assist in assessing and monitoring student progress; and Capping the amount of per-pupil intervention money that a local education provider may retain from year to year. The act amends the early literacy grant program to allow a school district to apply for a district-level grant or a school-level grant and to prohibit the state board of education (state board) from restricting an applicant's use of any of the approved reading assessments. The act also provides that if the department, at the completion of a grant, determines that the program implemented with the grant money was successful in moving students toward reading competency, the state board must automatically renew the grant and increase the grant amount, if necessary, to enable the grant recipient to expand the program. The act requires a local education provider to report the scores attained by students on the interim reading assessments if the local education provider uses per-pupil intervention money to purchase instructional programming in reading. The act expands reporting requirements to include information regarding student academic growth to standard in reading. Each local education provider must submit, in accordance with privacy laws, information requested to complete the independent evaluation of the implementation of the READ act, and the department, the independent evaluator, and the local education provider must collaborate to minimize the impact on instructional time caused by increased reporting. For the 2019-20 fiscal year, the act appropriates money from the marijuana tax cash fund and the early literacy fund to the department as follows: $7,500,000 for the early literacy competitive grant program; $2,702,557 for teacher training; $1,664,570 for early literacy program administration, technical assistance, and monitoring; $750,000 for the independent evaluation; $500,000 for the public information campaign; and $26,261,551 for early literacy program per-pupil intervention money. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
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Teacher preparation - best practices - teacher mentor grant program - license endorsement - teacher preparation program requirements - appropriation. The act directs the department of higher education and the department of education (departments) to work with the deans of the schools of education to review, research, and identify best practices in teacher preparation. By January 1, 2020, the departments must jointly adopt guidelines to assist educator preparation programs in adopting and implementing the best practices. The departments must also jointly prepare a report concerning the best practices, the guidelines, and regulatory and statutory recommendations to ensure that the policies and criteria for approving educator preparation programs align with the best practices. The departments must submit the report to the Colorado commission on higher education, the state board of education, and the education committees of the general assembly. By March 1, 2020, the educator preparation programs must each submit a report to the departments demonstrating how the program will implement the best practices over the following 3 years. The act creates the teacher mentor grant program in the department of higher education to provide money to school districts, boards of cooperative services, and charter schools that partner with educator preparation programs to provide training and stipends for teachers who serve as mentors for teacher candidates participating in clinical practice. The act specifies requirements that a partnership's teacher mentor program must meet to receive a grant, including paying the mentor teacher a stipend. The act directs the departments to work with interested parties to identify best practice standards and guidelines for teacher mentoring and requires the department of higher education to adopt the standards and guidelines by January 1, 2020. Beginning in the 2020-21 budget year, the department of higher education must annually prepare a report concerning implementation of the teacher mentor grant program and submit the report to the Colorado commission on higher education, the state board of education, the department of education, and the education committees of the general assembly. The act relocates with nonsubstantive changes the existing collaborative educator preparation grant program and the "Rural Colorado Grow Your Own Educator Act", which provides grants for teaching fellowship programs. The act directs the department of education to collaborate with the department of higher education to create a mentor teacher endorsement for teachers who hold master certificates and provide mentoring and oversight for teacher candidates. The act allows a teacher to use service as a mentor teacher as an approved professional development activity for license renewal. Before passage of the act, the statute specified the requirements that an educator preparation program must meet to be approved. The act adds 2 requirements: An educator preparation program must include instruction in the science of reading and must include at least one full, continuous school year of clinical practice. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $1,217,787 from the general fund to the department of higher education to implement the teacher mentor grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Financing for K-12 public schools - transfer to the state education fund - rural school funding - tier B special education funding - ninth grade success grant program - health and wellness through comprehensive physical education grant program - appropriation. The act increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2019-20 budget year by $182.76 to account for inflation, for a new statewide base per pupil funding of $6,951.53. The act also sets the minimum district total program funding for the 2019-20 budget year. The district total program funding reflects a $100 million reduction in the dollar amount of the budget stabilization factor over the prior budget year. In addition, the act: Amends the professional development and student support program (program) for English language learners and educators who work with English language learners to distribute money appropriated for the program's services and educator professional development activities proportionately, based on the level of English language proficiency of the students served by the program; For the 2019-20 budget year, distributes $20 million on a per pupil basis to large rural school districts and small rural school districts, including district charter schools and each institute charter school whose accounting district is a large or small rural school district. Large rural school districts share 55% of the appropriation, and small rural school districts share 45% of the appropriation. The act bases the distribution on a school district's funded pupil count for the 2018-19 budget year. The act specifies the intended uses of the money and requires each rural district that receives money to report to the department of education concerning the use of the money. Increases the amount of tier B special education funding by $22 million and allows the amount to be appropriated from the state education fund or the general fund; Transfers $40,326,896 from the general fund to the state education fund; Creates the ninth grade success grant program in the department of education to provide funding to local education providers and charter schools to implement a ninth grade success grant program. Grant recipients must use the money to implement a ninth grade success program that includes elements set forth in the act, including creating a cross-disciplinary success team of teachers and support staff, which includes mental health professionals or social workers. Creates the health and wellness through comprehensive quality physical education instruction pilot program in the department of education that awards 3-year pilot program grants to schools or school districts to implement comprehensive quality physical education instruction. The act specifies the necessary components of a the comprehensive quality physical education instruction. The department of education shall contract with a qualified evaluator to conduct a program evaluation of the pilot program. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates: $22 million from the general fund to the department of education for tier B special education programs; In addition to funding appropriated through the annual general appropriation act, $7,633,721 and $2,509,623 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of education for the state share of district total program funding; $20 million from the general fund to the department of education for rural school funding; $800,000 from the general fund to the department of education for the ninth grade success grant program; $125,495 from the state education fund to the department of education to fund hold-harmless kindergarten; and $1,100,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of education for the health and wellness through comprehensive quality physical education instruction pilot program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado student leaders institute - extension - appropriation. The act extends the Colorado student leaders institute to June 30, 2024. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $218,825 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of higher education for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
The bill creates the health and wellness through comprehensive quality physical education instruction pilot program (pilot program) in the department of education (department). The purpose of the pilot program is to allow a school or a school district, as defined in the bill, serving any of grades K-8, to apply for grant money to implement a pilot program in a school or in schools of a school district. The pilot program must be implemented in all K-8 grades in the school or school district. Subject to available appropriations, pilot program grants are for 3 academic years and are awarded to up to 15 eligible schools or school districts for a total of not more than $3 million awarded annually, including department administrative expenses. Pilot program grants are awarded in February prior to the first academic year to allow grantees to create a 3-year plan for the use of the grant money. The bill includes application deadlines and criteria for the award of grants. The department will review grant applications and make recommendations to the state board of education for the award of the pilot program grants. Grant money awarded through the pilot program can be used only to implement comprehensive quality physical education instruction, as described in the bill. The bill lists the components that must be included in a comprehensive quality physical education instruction program. The department shall contract with a program evaluator for purposes of completing a program evaluation of the pilot program at the end of the 3-year grant period. The bill lists program evaluation criteria. First priority shall be given to a vendor proposal from a state-supported institution of higher education that has the expertise necessary to assess the impact of the pilot program. The bill requires annual reporting to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the bill requires the general assembly to appropriate $1.1 million from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department to implement the pilot program. Unspent appropriations are further appropriated for the remainder of the pilot program to implement the pilot program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill establishes the ninth grade success grant program (grant program) to provide money for school districts, boards of cooperative services (local education providers), and charter schools to implement a ninth grade success program to assist ninth-grade students in developing the skills they need to graduate from high school and be successful postgraduation. The grant program is funded by annual appropriations, which may include appropriations from the marijuana tax cash fund. The department of education (department) may also accept and expend gifts, grants, and donations for the grant program. The bill specifies the minimum application requirements for a local education provider or charter school that chooses to apply for a grant. The department shall administer the grant program by reviewing applications and making recommendations to the state board of education (state board), which will award the grants. In making recommendations and awarding grants, the department and the state board shall prioritize those applying local education providers and charter schools that have 4-year high school graduation rates that rank in the bottom 20% of the 4-year high school graduation rates statewide. The bill includes additional criteria that the department and the state board must consider. A local education provider or charter school that receives a grant must provide matching money or in-kind contributions in amounts set by the state board, not to exceed specified percentages. Each local education provider and charter school that receives a grant must use the money to implement a ninth grade success program that meets the requirements specified in the bill. Each grant recipient must report information concerning its ninth grade success program, including evaluation data for several specified outcome measures. The department must submit a report concerning the implementation of the grant program to the state board and to the education committees of the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
School districts - organization. The act creates an alternate process for the dissolution and annexation of a school district. Pursuant to the act, if a school district meets specified criteria, the board of education of the school district (local school board) may seek dissolution and annexation of the school district by convening an organization planning committee (committee) that consists of representation from the local school board of the dissolving school district and the local school boards of the contiguous school districts. The local school board of the dissolving school district must notify the commissioner of education (commissioner) when a committee is formed. The committee must create a proposed plan of organization (plan) that dissolves the convening school district and annexes the territory of the dissolved school district to one or more of the contiguous school districts. The act specifies the issues that the committee must consider in creating the plan. After adopting the proposed plan, the committee must submit the proposed plan to the commissioner and the local school boards of the affected school districts and provide notice of public hearings on the proposed plan. After holding public hearings, the committee must work with the commissioner to develop and adopt a final plan of organization. Within a set time after the final plan is adopted, the local school board of each affected school district must adopt the final plan by written resolution. If a local school board does not adopt the plan and there are only 2 affected school districts, or if the plan is not approved by at least 2 of the affected school districts, the committee is dissolved. If fewer than all but at least 2 of the affected school districts approve the plan, the committee may continue and prepare a new plan that involves only the school districts of the local school boards that approved the final approved plan. Following approval of a final plan by the local school boards of all of the affected school districts, the county clerk and recorder for each affected county must file a map and legal description of the annexing school districts with the commissioner. The final plan takes effect on the date specified in the plan, and the final plan must be available for public review upon request. If the dissolved district has a certain level of indebtedness that is not bonded indebtedness, an annexing school district, after the effective date of the annexation and subject to voter approval, may levy a temporary tax of a specified amount on the annexed property to retire the indebtedness. The act clarifies that, if the dissolving school district has bonded indebtedness existing as of the date of the dissolution and annexation and the annexing school district or school districts do not vote to assume the amount of the bonded indebtedness, the bonded indebtedness continues to be paid by the existing levy against the property of the dissolved school district, collected by the annexing school district or school districts. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Prescribing health care practitioners - electronic prescribing of controlled substances - exceptions. The act requires health care practitioners with prescribing authority to prescribe schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances only via a prescription that is electronically transmitted to a pharmacy unless a specified exception applies. The requirement to electronically prescribe starts on July 1, 2021, for podiatrists, physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and optometrists, and on July 1, 2023, for dentists and practitioners serving rural communities or in a solo practice. Prescribing practitioners are required to indicate on license renewal questionnaires whether they have complied with the electronic prescribing requirement. Pharmacists need not verify the applicability of an exception to electronic prescribing when they receive an order for a controlled substance in writing, orally, or via facsimile transmission and may fill the order if otherwise valid under the law. Specifies that certain sections take effect only if HB 19-1172 becomes law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Commission duties - funding formulas - 5-year reviews. The act requires the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) to conduct a review of the funding formula for institutions of higher education every 5 years and to submit a report on recommended changes to specified committees of the general assembly on or before November 1 of the year in which the review was conducted. It also specifies certain steps that the commission shall take in conducting the review.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
School finance - mid-year adjustment to state share of total program funding - appropriation. The general assembly recognizes that the actual funded pupil count and the actual at-risk pupil count for the 2018-19 budget year are lower than anticipated when the appropriation amount was established during the 2018 legislative session. In addition, local property tax and specific ownership tax receipts are more than anticipated, increasing the local share of total program funding. The act declares the general assembly's intent to reduce state share of total program funding to maintain the dollar amount of the budget stabilization factor established during the 2018 legislative session. The act adjusts the amount of total program funding specified in statute to reflect this intent. The act makes an appropriation to the department of education to correct errors in the calculation and distribution of at-risk funding to the state charter school institute in 2 previous budget years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More