A task force created to examine the state’s education accountability system is recommending a major overhaul — including adjustments to ratings for schools and districts — to better reflect the achievement of different student groups and to provide parents, guardians and family members with a clearer understanding of how well schools prepare students for life after high school.
The Accountability, Accreditation, Student Performance and Resource Inequity Task Force, formed under House Bill 23-1241 by the Colorado General Assembly, recently released its report recommending improvements to Colorado’s education accountability system to more accurately address the needs of students and schools.
The 26-member task force that included parents, educators, students and community leaders from across Colorado held more than 150 hours of meetings to discuss how to improve the system. The focus was to address gaps in educational outcomes and to make sure all students have fair access to resources.
In total, the task force developed 30 recommendations aimed at helping the state better evaluate and support student success.
“I am thrilled that 26 diverse voices from across our state came together to identify ways to strengthen our accountability and accreditation system, focusing on addressing academic inequities and expanding opportunities for all,” said Wendy Birhanzel, task force chair and superintendent of Harrison School District 2. “While these recommendations are essential, they are just the beginning. Our commitment to this work must continue to ensure that every student in Colorado has access to the educational opportunities and outcomes they deserve.”
State Board of Education chair Rebecca McClellan, who was the task force’s co-chair said, “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Colorado’s legislators for focusing on academic opportunities and inequities that contribute to achievement gaps. A special thank you also goes to our facilitators, and the Colorado Department of Education staff for their unwavering support as we navigated our work.”
The recommendations cover four core areas: accountability frameworks, state assessments, public reporting and engagement, and continuous improvement practices.
Key recommendations:
Refining school and district ratings: The task force suggests changing how schools and districts are rated to reflect the achievements of various student groups more accurately. This includes adding support for smaller student populations and addressing achievement gaps.
Better metrics for growth, achievement and postsecondary readiness: To give parents a clearer idea of how schools prepare students for college or careers, the task force recommends adding new measures focused on postsecondary and workforce readiness.
Modernizing state assessments: Recommendations include creating assessments that adapt to student needs, offer multilingual options and provide quicker results to help teachers and the community understand student progress.
Improving data sharing and accessibility: Recognizing the importance of accessible information, the task force proposes a statewide dashboard. This dashboard would offer clear, easy-to-understand data on school performance for parents, educators and policymakers.
Strengthening improvement processes: The task force suggests creating a system of early identification and targeted support to help schools and districts address issues as they arise and recognize their successes.
These recommendations show the task force’s commitment to a system that not only assesses performance, but also promotes continuous improvement and community engagement. By adding a new dashboard, clearer rating frameworks and improved reporting, the accountability system could become a valuable tool for guiding education policy and resource allocation across Colorado.
The full report is available for public review, detailing each recommendation and suggested pathways for the accountability system’s future.
The 1241 task force’s executive summary can be found here.