Colorado § 22-11-304 - Accredited with improvement plan - school district or institute - plan contents - adoption.

§ 22-11-304. Accredited with improvement plan - school district or institute - plan contents - adoption.

(1) (a) In accordance with the time frames specified in state board rule, each school district that is accredited with improvement plan shall annually adopt and implement a district improvement plan as described in subsection (3) of this section.

(b) The school district accountability committee for the school district shall advise the local school board concerning preparation of the district improvement plan and make recommendations to the local school board concerning the contents of the district improvement plan. In advising and making its recommendations, the school district accountability committee shall take into account and incorporate any district public school performance, improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plans received pursuant to sections 22-11-403 to 22-11-406. The local school board shall create and adopt the district improvement plan, taking into account the advice and recommendations of the school district accountability committee.

(c) The local school board shall submit the adopted district improvement plan to the department for publication on the data portal and shall ensure that the district improvement plan is in effect for the school district and the district public schools within the time frames specified in state board rule. The local school board shall also make copies of the district improvement plan available to members of the public upon request.

(2) (a) If the institute is accredited with improvement plan, the institute board shall, in accordance with the time frames specified in state board rule, adopt and implement an institute improvement plan as described in subsection (3) of this section. In preparing the institute improvement plan, the institute board shall take into account and incorporate any institute charter school performance, improvement, priority improvement, and turnaround plans received pursuant to sections 22-11-403 to 22-11-406.

(b) The institute shall submit the adopted institute improvement plan to the department for publication on the data portal and shall ensure that the institute improvement plan is in effect for the institute and the institute charter schools within the time frames specified by state board rule. The institute shall also make copies of the institute improvement plan available to members of the public upon request.

(3) A district improvement plan or an institute improvement plan must be designed to ensure that the school district or the institute improves its performance to the extent that, following completion of its next annual accreditation review, the school district or the institute attains a higher accreditation category. At a minimum, a district improvement plan or an institute improvement plan must:

(a) Set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the school district, including the district public schools, or the institute, including the institute charter schools, shall attain on the performance indicators. The local school board or the institute shall ensure that the targets are aligned with the statewide targets set by the state board pursuant to section 22-11-201.

(a.5) Identify the strategies to be used in addressing the needs of students enrolled in kindergarten and first, second, and third grade who are identified pursuant to section 22-7-1205 as having significant reading deficiencies and set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the school district, including the district public schools, or the institute, including the institute charter schools, shall attain in reducing the number of students who have significant reading deficiencies and in ensuring that each student achieves grade level expectations in reading;

(a.7) Identify strategies to address the needs of students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the school district or the institute shall attain in reducing the number of students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and to increase the number of students who achieve grade-level expectations in mathematics. Strategies may include tutoring, including peer tutoring; additional educator training; personalized learning models, which may include a combination of in-person instruction, online modules, and self-paced learning techniques; or supplemental supports or curricula in mathematics, including digital mathematics accelerator programs.

(b) Identify positive and negative trends for district public schools as a group and individually or for institute charter schools as a group and individually in the levels of attainment by the public schools as a group and individually on the performance indicators, including a description of how the school district or the institute will provide different supports for the school district's public schools or the institute's institute charter schools that are on performance watch;

(c) Assess and prioritize the issues and needs of the district or institute and of the district public schools or institute charter schools that must be addressed to raise the levels of attainment on the performance indicators by the district public schools or institute charter schools and to improve school readiness in district public schools or institute charter schools that serve students in preschool and kindergarten;

(d) Identify specific, research-based strategies that are appropriate in scope, intensity, and type to address the needs and issues identified pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (3);

(e) Identify the local, state, and federal resources that the school district or the institute will use to implement the identified strategies with fidelity; and

(f) Address any other issues required by rule of the state board or raised by the department through the accreditation process pursuant to part 2 of this article.

Source: L. 2009: Entire article R&RE, (SB 09-163), ch. 293, p. 1492, § 1, effective May 21. L. 2012: (3)(a.5) added, (HB 12-1238), ch. 180, p. 669, § 6, effective July 1. L. 2023: IP(3) amended and (3)(a.7) added, (HB 23-1231), ch. 190, p. 946, § 5, effective May 15. L. 2025: (3)(b) amended, (HB 25-1278), ch. 235, p. 1142, § 13, effective May 23.

Editor's note: This section, as it existed prior to 2009, was relocated to § 22-11-605.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 25-1278, see section 1 of chapter 235, Session Laws of Colorado 2025.