Colorado § 22-14-102 - Definitions.

§ 22-14-102. Definitions.

As used in this article 14, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Completion" means a student graduates from high school or receives a certificate or other designation of high school completion such as a general educational development certificate.

(2) "Department" means the department of education created and existing pursuant to section 24-1-115, C.R.S.

(3) "Dropout prevention" means school and community-based initiatives to promote positive social, emotional, familial, and educational factors that maintain and strengthen student engagement and address barriers and conditions that may lead a student to drop out of school.

(4) "Expanded learning opportunity programs" means programs that provide kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade supervised learning activities that may include, but need not be limited to, after-school programs, before-school programs, summer school programs, weekend programs, and extended-day and extended-year programs.

(5) "Graduation" means a student meets the locally defined requirements for a high school diploma.

(6) "Grant program" means the student re-engagement grant program established in section 22-14-109.

(7) "High priority local education provider" means a local education provider that the office identifies pursuant to section 22-14-103 (4) as being most in need of technical assistance and support.

(8) "Local education provider" means a school district, a board of cooperative services created pursuant to article 5 of this title, or the state charter school institute created pursuant to section 22-30.5-503.

(9) "Office" means the office of dropout prevention and student re-engagement created within the department of education pursuant to section 22-14-103.

(10) "Parent" means a student's biological or adoptive parent or the student's legal guardian or legal custodian.

(10.5) "Performing arts" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 22-1-104.5 (1)(b).

(11) "Priority local education provider" means a local education provider that the office identifies pursuant to section 22-14-103 (4) as being in significant need of technical assistance and support.

(12) "State board" means the state board of education created and existing pursuant to section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.

(13) "Student engagement" means a student's sense of belonging, safety, and involvement in school that leads to academic achievement, regular school attendance, and graduation. Elements of promoting student engagement include providing rigorous and relevant instruction, creating positive relationships with teachers and counselors, providing social and emotional support services for students and their families, creating partnerships with community organizations and families that foster learning outside of the classroom, and cultivating regular school attendance.

(14) "Student graduation and completion plan" means a local education provider's plan, created pursuant to section 22-14-107, for reducing the student dropout rate and increasing the rates of student engagement, re-engagement, graduation, and completion.

(15) "Student re-engagement" means that a student reenrolls in high school after dropping out prior to completion. Student re-engagement usually results from a local education provider's use of evidence- or research-based strategies to reach out to students who have dropped out of school and to assist them in transitioning back into school and obtaining their high school diplomas or otherwise completing high school.

(16) "Student support personnel" means a state-licensed or state-certified school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, or school nurse, or other state-licensed or state-certified mental health professional qualified under state law to provide support services to children and adolescents.

(17) "Visual arts" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 22-1-104.5 (1)(c).

(18) "Work-based learning" has the same meaning as set forth in section 8-83-601 (15).

Source: L. 2009: Entire article added, (HB 09-1243), ch. 290, p. 1408, § 1, effective May 21. L. 2010: (10.5) and (17) added, (HB 10-1273), ch. 233, p. 1023, § 10, effective May 18. L. 2022: IP amended and (18) added, (SB 22-140), ch. 357, p. 2563, § 8, effective July 1.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in the 2010 act adding subsections (10.5) and (17), see section 1 of chapter 233, Session Laws of Colorado 2010. For the legislative declaration in SB 22-140, see section 1 of chapter 357, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.