Accountability Pathways

Background

In 2009, Colorado’s legislature passed the Education Accountability Act that created a system to hold the state, school districts, and schools accountable for student academic performance on specific indicators and measures, including achievement and growth on state tests and graduation rates. Every year, schools and districts receive performance ratings. Those that do not meet expectations are assigned a rating of Priority Improvement or Turnaround. The state’s Accountability Clock requires the State Board of Education to direct a course of action to the local board of education if the school or district has received Priority Improvement or Turnaround ratings for five consecutive years. These courses of action are called “Accountability Pathways”, and are directed by the state board during an Accountability Hearing.

View the Accountability Pathways and Hearings Fact Sheet (PDF)

For more information about Accountability Hearings, including upcoming and past State Board Accountability Hearings, visit the State Board Accountability Hearings webpage.

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Accountability Pathways

If a school or district receives a plan type of Priority Improvement or Turnaround for five consecutive years, then the State Board of Education must direct an action to the local board of education. After five consecutive years, the local board will be directed by the State Board of Education as to which pathway to pursue. The State Board of Education can direct different pathways based on whether the chronically low-performing site is a district, a district-run public school, or charter school.

District Pathways

For districts that receive Priority Improvement or Turnaround ratings for five consecutive years as measured by the District Performance Frameworks, the state board can direct one of the following Accountability Pathways:

Management: that a public or private entity serve as the lead partner in the management of the school district, or partially or fully manage one or more of the district public schools.
Charter Conversion: that one or more of the district public schools be converted to a charter school.
Innovation: that one or more of the district public schools be granted status as an innovation school, or that the local board recognize a group of district public schools as an innovation school zone.
Community School Conversion: that one or more of the district public schools be converted to a community school.
Closure: that one or more of the district public schools be closed.
District Reorganization/Consolidation: that a reorganization committee be formed to study reorganization pursuant to the School District Organization Act of 1992.
Removal of Accreditation: that the district’s accreditation be removed.

District-Run Public Schools

For district-run public schools that receive Priority Improvement or Turnaround ratings for five consecutive years as measured by the District Performance Frameworks, the state board can direct one of the following Accountability Pathways:

Management: that a public or private entity partially or fully manage the school.
Charter Conversion: that the school be converted to a charter school.
Innovation: that the school be granted status as an innovation school.
Community School Conversion: that the school be converted to a community school.
Closure: that the school be closed.

Charter School Pathways

For charter schools that receive Priority Improvement or Turnaround ratings for five consecutive years as measured by the School Performance Frameworks, the state board can direct one of the following Accountability Pathways:

Operator Replacement: that the public or private entity operating the charter school be replaced by a different public or private entity.
Governing Board Replacement: that the governing board of the charter school be replaced by a different governing board.
Charter Revocation: that the public school’s charter be revoked.

Accountability Pathways Resources

When a school or district reaches the end of the accountability clock, CDE staff will work with the district to select a pathway that is best suited to create dramatic change. We are continuing to develop resources to support this process. Below are guidance documents and rubrics for each pathway. The Guidance documents overview important information about each pathway, including rationale for selecting that pathway, governance implications, and funding considerations. Rubrics are intended to guide planning for schools who have chosen a pathway and are in the process of developing a pathway plan. The rubrics will also be used by CDE staff to inform the Commissioner’s report and assess whether the plan, if implemented, will have significant, rapid and positive impact on student learning.

Pathway Guidance Documents

Pathway Rubrics

Accountability Pathways Grant

The Accountability Pathways grant is intended to support Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and schools nearing the end of the Accountability Clock to explore pathway options, take thoughtful action, and increase readiness for discussions with the State Board of Education. The Accountability Pathways grant is apart of the Empowering Action for School Improvement (EASI) application.

Contacts

Andy Swanson, Director - Transformation Strategy
303-817-9067, Swanson_A@cde.state.co.us

Nate Goss, Accountability Project Manager
720-682-8535, Goss_N@cde.state.co.us