Colorado § 22-2-136 - Additional duty - state board - individual career and academic plans - standards - rules.

§ 22-2-136. Additional duty - state board - individual career and academic plans - standards - rules.

(1) (a) The state board shall promulgate rules pursuant to the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, to establish standards for individual career and academic plans for students enrolled in the public schools in the state.

(b) An individual career and academic plan must be designed to assist a student and the student's parent or legal guardian in exploring the postsecondary career and educational opportunities available to the student, including apprenticeship programs registered through the United States department of labor's office of apprenticeship or a state apprenticeship agency recognized by that office; aligning course work and curriculum; applying to postsecondary education institutions; securing financial aid; and ultimately entering the workforce. As part of the process of establishing the individual career and academic plan, the student and the student's parents must be made aware of the importance of completing the free application for federal student aid or the Colorado application for state financial aid, or successor forms for accessing federal and state financial aid, and be provided help in completing the forms, if requested.

(2) In establishing the standards for individual career and academic plans, the state board shall ensure, at a minimum, that:

(a) Each individual career and academic plan includes a career planning and guidance component and a portfolio that reflects, at a minimum:

(I) The student's efforts in exploring careers, including interest surveys that the student completes;

(II) The student's academic progress, including the courses taken, any remediation or credit recovery, and any concurrent enrollment credits earned;

(III) For district charter schools and institute charter schools that choose to administer the developmental education placement or assessment tests, the student's scores on the developmental education placement or assessment tests administered pursuant to section 22-30.5-117 or 22-30.5-526, any intervention plan created for the student pursuant to those sections, and the student's progress in meeting the intervention plan;

(IV) The student's progress in visual arts and performing arts courses;

(V) The student's experiences in contextual and service learning;

(VI) The student's college applications and resume, as they are prepared and submitted; and

(VII) The student's postsecondary studies as the student progresses;

(b) Each individual career and academic plan is accessible to educators, students, and parents;

(c) Each public school, in assisting students and parents in creating and maintaining the individual career and academic plans, is in compliance with the requirements of the federal "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974", 20 U.S.C. sec. 1232g; and

(d) (I) Beginning with the 2027-28 school year, each individual career and academic plan includes a requirement that, during the student's graduation year, the student has exposure to federal financial aid eligibility tools and net price calculators and practices filling out a free application for federal student aid or the Colorado application for state financial aid.

(II) Notwithstanding subsection (2)(d)(I) of this section, a student is not required to practice filling out a free application for federal student aid or the Colorado application for state financial aid if:

(A) The student or the student's parent or legal guardian affirmatively declines to practice filling out the application; or

(B) Authorized school personnel determines it is not feasible for the student to practice filling out an application.

Source: L. 2009: Entire section added, (SB 09-256), ch. 294, p. 1557, § 17, effective May 21. L. 2010: (2)(a)(II.5) added, (HB 10-1273), ch. 233, p. 1021, § 4, effective May 18. L. 2012: (2)(a) amended, (HB 12-1345), ch. 188, p. 728, § 17, effective May 19. L. 2019: (2)(a)(III) amended, (HB 19-1206), ch. 133, p. 599, § 5, effective April 25. L. 2021: (1) amended, (HB 21-1200), ch. 284, p. 1688, § 5, effective September 7. L. 2023: (1) amended, (HB 23-1212), ch. 197, p. 1004, § 2, effective August 7. L. 2025: (2)(a)(III) amended, (SB 25-222), ch. 100, p. 449, § 3, effective April 24; (2)(b) and (2)(c) amended and (2)(d) added, (HB 25-1192), ch. 239, p. 1206, § 2, effective August 6.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in the 2010 act adding subsection (2)(a)(II.5), see section 1 of chapter 233, Session Laws of Colorado 2010. For the legislative declaration in the 2012 act amending subsection (2)(a), see section 11 of chapter 188, Session Laws of Colorado 2012. For the legislative declaration in HB 19-1206, see section 1 of chapter 133, Session Laws of Colorado 2019. For the legislative declaration in HB 21-1200, see section 1 of chapter 284, Session Laws of Colorado 2021. For the legislative declaration in HB 25-1192, see section 1 of chapter 239, Session Laws of Colorado 2025.