Colorado § 22-54-201 - Legislative declaration.

§ 22-54-201. Legislative declaration.

(1) The general assembly finds that:

(a) The department is committed to improving the postsecondary and workforce readiness options and outcomes for students across the state;

(b) Postsecondary and workforce readiness opportunities increase student engagement, decrease dropout rates, and improve students' long-term workforce outcomes;

(c) The Colorado evaluation and action lab, housed at the university of Denver, found that concurrent enrollment is shown to be highly effective in increasing college graduation for Colorado students across various demographics. Students who participate in concurrent enrollment are twenty-five percent more likely to attend college, are eight percent more likely to earn a two-year degree on time, are ten percent more likely to earn a four-year degree on time, and earn higher wages five years after entering the workforce. Therefore, maintaining guaranteed transfer pathways and cooperative agreements between local education providers and colleges is beneficial to students in Colorado and to the state as a whole.

(d) It is the department's goal that for the high school graduating class of 2029, and for each high school graduating class thereafter, one hundred percent of high school graduates will have achieved at least one of the following:

(I) Earned a quality, in-demand non-degree credential;

(II) Earned twelve postsecondary credits that count toward a postsecondary credential; or

(III) Participated in at least one high-quality work-based learning opportunity;

(e) In order to achieve the goal described in subsection (1)(d) of this section, the secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration task force recommended streamlining postsecondary and workforce readiness programming and funding to increase access to postsecondary credit, industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning, commonly referred to as the "big three", by mitigating barriers and offering programming that supports achievement in the big three;

(f) The postsecondary and workforce readiness financial study found that student access to existing postsecondary and workforce readiness programs is inequitable, with only fifty-four percent of the state's one hundred seventy-eight school districts participating in the funded programs included in the study;

(g) Student individual career and academic plans provide a process and portfolio for students to explore their interests and various postsecondary career and educational opportunities across the big three; and

(h) In addition to the student individual career and academic plans described in subsection (1)(g) of this section, educators play a crucial role in helping students meet students' postsecondary workforce and readiness goals and achieving success in the big three.

(2) Therefore, the general assembly declares that:

(a) It is beneficial to consolidate current postsecondary and workforce readiness programs that the department administers into three funding streams for the purpose of building capacity to implement and expand access to valuable postsecondary and workforce readiness programs for students;

(b) It is beneficial for local education providers to receive flexibility with respect to their funding to establish or increase student participation in opportunities for postsecondary credit attainment, industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning and to enable scaling effective and innovative practices in the big three; and

(c) Funding recipients are encouraged to consider ways in which to collaborate and leverage economies of scale across local education providers to expand access for students.

Source: L. 2025: Entire part added, (SB 25-315), ch. 237, p. 1179, § 1, effective May 23.