2022 Accountability FAQ

Note: This is an iterative resource that the department will continually update as information becomes available. 

Overview of Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is provided to inform the field about the developments in the policy making process that impact accountability for the 2022-23 school year. State accountability in 2022 is currently being shaped  through the state legislation and State Board of Education. Information on federal accountability (e.g., ESEA identification of comprehensive support and targeted support schools) is included, as well.  This resource will be updated as decisions about the state and federal accountability systems are available.

Key Dates for 2022 

Anticipated Timeline	Activities/Actions
June 24	Districts Receive ACCESS Growth Data
August 9	Districts Receive CMAS and P/SAT Growth Data; Performance Framework Source Data Files
August 17 (SBE Meeting)	Public Release of Colorado Growth Data Results
August 24	Preliminary Transitional Frameworks Released to Districts (including AEC frameworks)
End of August	ESEA Identifications Released to Districts
September 15	School Accreditation & Request to Reconsider Form Submissions Due
October 17	Unified Improvement Plan Submissions Due   For Districts/Schools going through Request to Reconsider, final request materials are due
November 10-11 (SBE Meeting)	District Accreditation Ratings & School Plan Types final for Districts/Schools not going through Request to Reconsider
December 14-15 (SBE Meeting)	District Accreditation Ratings & School Plan Types final for Districts/Schools going through Request to Reconsider
January 16, 2023	Newly identified schools and districts eligible to submit plans for CDE review until January 16, 2023

** Due to the attendance and truancy data pause, AEC frameworks will be released at the same time as non-AEC frameworks. Please note that this is temporary for this year, next year the typical staggered release timeline is expected. 

Performance Framework Timeline (including contributing data sources)

For additional questions and assistance, you may contact anyone in the Accountability and Continuous Improvement Unit.  Email us at accountability@cde.state.co.us. To submit additional questions to this FAQ, you may also use this form.

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Table of Contents

Section A. Policy: Law, Board Resolution and Rule Process, and CDE Policy  

A-1: What do we currently know about 2022 school and district accountability? (Updated)     

A-2: What is the difference between the proposed legislation, board rule and CDE policy?    

Section B. Transitional Performance Framework Calculations: School and District Transitional Performance Frameworks    

B-1: What changes are expected for the School and District Transitional Performance Frameworks in 2022-23?    

B-2: Will performance framework cut scores stay the same as in 2019? (Updated)   

B-3: What changes are expected for the Alternative Education Campus (AEC) Transitional Performance Frameworks in 2022-23?   

B-4: Will performance frameworks take into account the percent of students who were taught remotely or in hybrid settings during the 2022-23 school year?    

B-5: If my students took non-required grade and content assessments in Spring 2021, will growth data for those students be included in the 2022 performance framework? (New)

B-6: If a school or district does not have publicly reportable growth data (n<20) on their 2022 performance framework, will their performance framework rating only reflect achievement results? 

Section C. ESSA Identification 

C-1: What is the status of ESSA identification?

Section D. Request to Reconsider 

D-1: Will the request to reconsider occur in 2022-23? (Updated)

D-2: Why might a school or district participate in the request to reconsider process?

Section E. Accountability Clock and Performance Watch

E-1: With suspending automatic advancement years on the clock years, how will 2022 accountability clock years be determined? 

E-2: Under what conditions will schools or districts that have had ratings of improvement or higher for more than two years be able to exit performance watch?    

E-3: What is the role of the State Review Panel in 2022?    

E-4: Will newly identified schools, using 2022 Transitional Performance Framework ratings, need to submit a UIP for review?    

E-5: What occurs if a school or district with board directed action receives a Turnaround or Priority Improvement rating in 2022?

Section F. Reporting and Interpreting Accountability Data    

F-1: How will baseline and cohort growth results be reflected in reporting and visualization?

Section G. Supports: General Supports, EASI Eligibility and Available Technical Assistance    

G-1: Where can we get additional help on any of the questions raised in this FAQ?    

G-2: What does the change to the State Transformation Grant fund mean for providing support to schools and districts?    

Section H. Unified Improvement Planning   

H-1: With the planned release of performance frameworks in August and the UIP deadline occurring in October, how can I ensure our school/district submits our UIP on time? 

H-2: Our school/district has typically been able to exercise biennial flexibility.  What steps can we take to ensure we’re not writing a plan at the last minute if we are no longer eligible when performance ratings are released in August? 

H-3: What is the UIP review and feedback process for schools identified as Comprehensive Support, Priority Improvement, Turnaround or On Watch?

H-4: Where can I access resources on the UIP Process ?

Section A. Policy: Law, Board Resolution and Rule Process, and CDE Policy

A-1: What do we currently know about 2022 school and district accountability?

Last updated: August 3, 2022

The “Transition Back to Standard K-12 Accountability” bill (SB 22-137) was signed into law by the Governor on April 13, 2022. The legislation requires that the department calculate frameworks in 2022-23, but suspends automatic advancement on the accountability clock. The percentage of students contributing to the growth indicator is added to the framework for informational purposes. The request to reconsider process will be offered (see Section D for more information on this process). Clarification is provided for the State Board regarding schools or districts on the accountability clock when action has already been directed (currently there are 12 schools and 2 districts with directed action). The School Transformation grant (embedded within the EASI grant) is expanded to districts with an Improvement plan type.

The state board finalized the accountability rules during a special meeting on June 16. Final rule language is available on the CDE website. 

A-2: What is the difference between the proposed legislation, board rule and CDE policy?

Last updated: Mar 18, 2022

Legislation sets the initial parameters.  The state board provides administrative oversight through board rule and action to further clarify the law, including operationalizing framework metrics and approving cut scores, reporting and request to reconsider options.  CDE policy and practices address the details to carry out implementation of statute and board rules (e.g., parameters of a process, documentation of calculations, logistics). 

Section B. Transitional Performance Framework Calculations: School and District Transitional Performance Frameworks 

B-1: What changes are expected for the School and District Transitional Performance Frameworks in 2022-23?

Last updated: Aug 3, 2022

While the policy making process unfolds to shape 2022 accountability, there are some changes that can be anticipated now due to data availability, including (1) only 1-Year frameworks will be calculated in 2022, (2) there will be some limitations on growth data availability for elementary and middle schools, (3) science will not be included in the frameworks, and (4) military enlistment data is now available to include in the matriculation measure. CDE staff hosted a webinar on June 29th to provide an overview and updates on accountability for the 2022-23 year. The webinar included a description of policy decisions that are unique to this school year (see slides).

One-Year Frameworks.  Only 1-year frameworks will be calculated for the 2022 performance framework cycle. Given that there have been interruptions in state data availability due to the pandemic, the department will be unable to produce multi-year frameworks in 2022.  This will have a greater impact on smaller systems that need the aggregation of data over time to have a large enough n-count for public reporting.  In these cases, the department will assign an “Insufficient State Data” rating.  If the school or district is currently on the accountability clock, then the year on the clock will hold (e.g., Priority Improvement - Year 3 in 2021 would be Insufficient State Data - Year 3 in 2022).

Growth Data Availability.  Growth data in 2022 will be limited due to the alternating CMAS assessment schedule in 2021 for elementary and middle schools. Since growth calculations require two consecutive years of achievement data for a given student, growth data will only be available for students with usable achievement data for a given content area in both 2021 and 2022. For example, since 3rd graders took English Language Arts assessments but not Math assessments last year, those students (now 4th graders) would have both achievement and growth results for English Language Arts but only achievement results for Math.  This means that elementary and middle schools will have half as much data as in a typical year to use for growth calculations (i.e., 2 out of 4 indicators for elementary; 3 out of 6 indicators for middle schools).  The growth weighting in the performance frameworks, however, will remain constant.

2022 Growth Data Availability for Elementary and Middle Schools

Data for growth calculations at the high school level will be more consistent with past years as PSAT and SAT were made available in all typical grades and content areas. Note that 8-9th grade growth in English Language Arts/Evidence-Based Reading and Writing has not been historically released due to test construct alignment issues and was not included in the 2019 framework calculation.

District Transitional Performance Frameworks will be somewhat affected by the issues described for calculating growth at the elementary and middle school levels.

2022 Growth Data Availability for High Schools and Districts

Growth Participation. As required by SB 22-137, the Department has added a growth participation rate onto the 2022 transitional framework reports. For this growth participation calculation, the numerator is defined as the total number of students with a valid growth percentile contributing to the median growth percentile (MGP) while the denominator is defined as students who could have tested in 2021 (i.e., all students in tested grades in 2021). Grades and content areas that were not part of the required state assessment administration in 2021 due to the alternating state assessment schedule are removed from the denominator. This calculation provides an accurate estimate of how representative the reported growth results are likely to  be of the eligible student population. The department consulted with the TAP and Accountability Work Group (AWG) in creating this calculation. See recorded May 19, 2022 meeting for a more detailed explanation. 

Approach to Growth Calculation. The department will use the cohort-referenced growth methodology in the 2022 performance frameworks as recommended by the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). Cohort-referenced growth is the approach the state has traditionally used in the  performance frameworks. This approach is a comparison of a student’s progress against their current-year academic peers (i.e. a student’s score is compared to what is expected given performance on the current year assessment) and indicates year over year student progress. Baseline-referenced growth, reported in 2021, compares a student’s progress against a baseline historical academic peer group (i.e. a student’s score is compared to what would have been expected given performance on prior year assessments) and indicates whether students are accelerating or decelerating their performance. In 2022, baseline-referenced growth will be reported and available separate from the performance frameworks. This Growth Model Overview resource describes the two approaches to calculating growth.

Science.  As Colorado fully implements the 2020 Colorado Academic Standards, CMAS science items will reflect those standards for the first time in spring 2022. Therefore, scale scores and performance levels will not be available in summer 2022. Science assessment results will not be factored into 2022 performance framework ratings. 

Accountability Participation Rate.  Schools and districts are still expected to meet the 95% accountability participation rate on the performance frameworks.  Per board direction from 2018, parent excusals cannot negatively impact a school or district rating, so the accountability participation rate counts parent excusals as participants.  If a district and or school does not meet the 95% threshold, then the plan type will be reduced by one performance level (e.g., Performance to Improvement) due to participation in 2022.  Note that the 2022  accountability participation rate will only consider English language arts/evidence-based reading and writing and math. Science participation will be included on the frameworks for informational purposes only. For more information about participation, see the Accountability and Participation Guide on the CDE website. 

Addition of Military Enlistment Data in Matriculation Calculation.  While most postsecondary and workforce readiness measures will resume, the department will add military enlistment (as reported by districts in the 2021 Student End of Year collection for inclusion in the 2022 frameworks) to the matriculation rate measure. In this case, data can only help a high school or district.  Students are already in the measure’s denominator and now get added to the measure’s numerator. It is anticipated that the same cut points for matriculation will be used as on the 2019 performance frameworks.

Additional Metrics. Other new PWR metrics (e.g., SB 17-272 known as the higher bar measure, SB 18-012, known as completion of AP, IB or Concurrent Enrollment), will not be included on the 2022 performance frameworks. There have been delays in data collection related to these two metrics, so they will be included in the frameworks in later years.

Insufficient State Data. The criteria for assigning Insufficient State Data (ISD) has been adjusted under approved rule language and as recommended by the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). An ISD plan type will be automatically assigned if the total participation rate is at or below 25% for both English language arts/Evidence-based reading and writing and math. An ISD plan type will also be applied if reportable data are not available for all applicable performance indicators (achievement, growth, and postsecondary and workforce readiness). For multi-level schools (i.e., combined elementary, middle and/or high schools) and districts, ISD will be assigned if one or more EMH levels do not have reportable data for either achievement or growth. See item B-3 for implications for AECs.
In the past, districts could request an Insufficient State Data plan type through the request to reconsider process if they could establish that the available state data was not representative of their student population.  The state board’s approved rules require 90% total participation to participate in request to reconsider. Therefore, this option for a request is not available in 2022. See Section D for more information on the request to reconsider process.

B-2: Will performance framework cut scores stay the same as in 2019? 

Last updated: June 27, 2022

Current state legislation keeps the 2022 sub-indicator, indicator and overall performance framework cut scores and ratings the same as they were on the 2019 performance frameworks (see SB 22-137). To find cut scores and ratings from 2019, use the 2019 scoring guide.

B-3: What Changes are expected for the Alternative Education Campus (AEC) Transitional Performance Frameworks in 2022-23? 

Last updated: Mar 18, 2022

Building upon the answer provided in question Item B-1, AECs are impacted by the same known changes.  In addition, there are a few other unique considerations for these schools.  The Selection of Measures process for AECs to submit optional local data for use on the 2022 AEC school performance framework will open in May. As always, AECs are encouraged to participate in this process and submit local measures. As in previous years, districts may submit up to three years of local data.  Note that multiple years of data can only be submitted if those years of data are consistent and comparable over time. Contact B Sanders (sanders_b@cde.state.co.us) to discuss the usability of local data.

Given changes to the attendance data collection, and given the impact of the pandemic on both enrollment and attendance, the attendance and truancy measures will be removed from the 2022 performance frameworks. CDE plans to reintroduce these measures when that data is consistent and comparable. In the meantime, districts are able to submit locally collected attendance and truancy rates as optional measures if needed.

Historically, the Insufficient State Data plan type has not been assigned to AECs. This year, given the lack of state required data available, and given the potential lack of optional measure data for AECs that faced changes in learning mode and assessment administrations, the department anticipates that a portion of AECs will not have enough data to meaningfully determine their performance. Insufficient State Data plan types will be assigned to AECs using the same criteria used to assign this plan type to non-AEC schools. There may be some limited opportunities through request to reconsider for AECs if approved through the state board rule making process (see Section D).

B-4: Will performance frameworks take into account the percent of students who were taught remotely or in hybrid settings during the 2022-23 school year?

Last updated: Mar 18, 2022

Currently, the department does not have the information needed to differentiate students’ learning mode based on available statewide data. At this time, no additional inclusion criteria related to learning mode is expected to be included in the 2022 performance frameworks.

B-5: If my students took non-required grade and content assessments in Spring 2021, will growth data for those students be included in the 2022 performance framework? 

Last updated: May 18, 2022

The state will not be able to supply growth data for students who took non-required grade and content assessments in Spring 2021.  This information cannot be calculated due to the small number of students across the state with available data. 

B-6: If a school or district does not have publicly reportable growth data (n<20) on their 2022 performance framework, will their performance framework rating only reflect achievement results? (Updated)

Last updated: May 18, 2022

Starting in fall 2022, a district or school will need reportable data for each applicable performance indicator (achievement, growth, and PWR for high schools and districts) to receive an overall performance framework rating. See Item B-1 for information on assigning an Insufficient State Data rating.

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Section C. ESSA Identification 

C-1: What is the status of ESSA identification? 

Last updated: June 27, 2022 

Just like with the state accountability system, the department is gearing up to restart the ESEA identification process (e.g., Comprehensive Support and Improvement, Targeted Support and Improvement) in 2022. The U.S. Department of Education has approved the state’s waiver to make some adjustments to the process in light of the two-year pause.  We will be sharing more information soon.  In the meantime, contact Nazie Mohajeri-Nelson (mohajeri-nelson_n@cde.state.co.us) with questions about the ESEA identification process or visit the CDE ESSA State Plan website for an overview of the changes to be implemented in 2022.

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Section D. Request to Reconsider

D-1: Will the request to reconsider occur in 2022?

Last updated: Aug 3, 2022

The request to reconsider is the district’s opportunity to review the state’s identified district or school rating from the performance frameworks.  If the district disagrees with the preliminary plan type, then additional evidence may be provided to make a case for a different plan type. The board adopted rules that reflect the following eligibility requirements for the 2022 request to reconsider process: 

• Only those districts and schools with a 90% total participation rate on 2022 statewide assessments can participate in the request to reconsider process. Note: Total participation includes all students for all content areas (i.e., reading/EBRW and math in 2022) in the base.  Parent excusals are counted as non-participants.  This is different than the accountability participation rate (i.e., parent excusals are counted as participants) used in the performance frameworks.

• While SB 22-137 does not automatically advance a school or district on performance watch, sites may use request to reconsider to move to “On Watch” or fully exit the accountability clock if they meet certain conditions (e.g., Improvement plan type or higher, meet 90% total participation on state assessments). 

• Because of the 90% total participation rate eligibility requirement, certain historical practices (e.g., ability to request Insufficient State Data with less than 85% participation rate if the district or school is able to demonstrate that data is not representative) will not be available. 

Final rule language is available on the CDE website. 

D-2: Why might a school or district participate in the request to reconsider process?  

Last updated: Aug 3, 2022

Districts may submit a request to reconsider for the district on behalf of schools for a variety of reasons. Conditions unique to 2022 include:

• Exit performance watch (i.e., move to On Watch, exit clock fully)

• Move from an Improvement to Performance rating

• Move from Priority Improvement or Turnaround to Improvement, when not previously on clock.

*CDE will inform districts on their eligibility for this condition

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Section E. Accountability Clock and Performance Watch 

E-1: With suspending automatic advancement years on the clock years, how will 2022 accountability clock years be determined?

Last updated: Aug 3, 2022

In calculating a district's or school’s years on performance watch, the department will not automatically advance any school or district on the accountability clock in 2022 (see SB 22-137). Schools and districts have the option to exit the clock or move to “on watch” status through a request to reconsider in 2022. See item D-1 about the proposed 2022 process.  For more information on request to reconsider, visit the request to reconsider webpage. See a selection of draft scenarios below and more in item E-2.  CDE is also creating a more comprehensive resource on the possible progressions for schools and districts on the accountability clock. 

DRAFT Scenarios on Plan Type and Years on Clock

E-2: Under what conditions will schools or districts that have had ratings of improvement or higher for more than two years be able to exit performance watch?  

Last updated: August 3, 2022

Schools and districts with a rating of Performance or Improvement may engage in the clock exit process (i.e., move to on watch, exit fully) through the request to reconsider process in 2022-23.  Note that the state board approved rules that added a 90% total participation threshold for any school or district to be eligible to participate in the request to reconsider process. For additional scenarios and the requirements associated with each, see the Performance Watch Labels and Progression fact sheet on the CDE website. 

DRAFT Accountability Clock Progression through an Approved 2022 Request to Reconsider

E-3: What is the role of the State Review Panel in 2022-23?

Last updated: Mar 18, 2022

For schools and districts considered Year 4 or later on the clock, CDE will work with districts to determine whether a State Review Panel visit is necessary during the 2022-23 school year. For more information on the State Review Panel, visit the State Review Panel webpage. Those schools and districts with state board orders may have additional progress monitoring. For more information on State Board Accountability actions and to view active orders, visit the State Board Accountability webpage.

For 2022 State Review Panel recommendations and progress monitoring visits, the State Review Panel will consider a district's 2022 final accreditation category or a school's 2022 plan type in evaluating performance and recommending actions (see SB 22-137).

E-4: Will newly identified schools, using 2022-23 Transitional Performance Framework ratings, need to submit a UIP for review? 

The department will review plans for schools and districts with (1) a rating of Priority Improvement or Turnaround,  (2) performance/improvement on watch (3) Insufficient State Data with years on the clock and/or (4) ESEA identification (i.e., Comprehensive Support).  Technical assistance is available from the department at any point in the year. 

E-5: What occurs if a school or district with board directed action receives a Turnaround or Priority Improvement rating in 2022-23? 

Last updated: Mar 30, 2022

Schools and districts with board directed action that receive a Turnaround or Priority Improvement rating and do not participate in the 2022 request to reconsider would not advance on the clock (see SB 22-137). For example, a school or district that is Priority Improvement Year 5 in 2021 and receives a Priority Improvement rating in 2022 would be considered Priority Improvement Year 5. 

The state board may consider a school district’s or the institute’s 2022-23 accreditation category as a factor in determining whether to require the school district/institute to continue the previous directed actions or direct additional or different actions. However, this will be determined by the state board once ratings are released.

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Section F. Reporting and Interpreting Accountability Data 

F-1: How will baseline and cohort growth results be reflected in reporting and visualization? 

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Section G. Supports: General Supports, EASI Eligibility and Available Technical Assistance 

G-1: Where can we get additional help on any of the questions raised in this FAQ?

Last updated: Mar 18, 2022

The department has a variety of ways of accessing support.  

• Self-service:  The Accountability website is full of resources.  The department will continue to update the website as more resources (e.g., request to reconsider guidance, improvement planning guidance, accountability clock progressions) become available in preparation of the 2022-23 school year.

• Accessing support:  You can contact any staff on the Accountability and Continuous Improvement team.  Contact us through accountability@cde.state.co.us.  If your district has been assigned a Support Coordinator, then your assigned SC can also help answer questions and get you connected.

• Trainings:  While CDE has not designed any trainings yet, these will be announced soon as policy decisions are made.

G-2: What does the change to the State Transformation Grant fund mean for providing support to schools and districts?

Last updated: Mar 18, 2022

The Transformation grant is currently embedded in the EASI grant (the department’s school improvement grant available to schools/districts on performance watch (e.g., on the clock, identified as PI/T, identified for support under ESSA).  S.B. 22-137 expands eligibility for this funding source to include schools with an Improvement rating.

Section H. Unified Improvement Planning

H-1: With the planned release of performance frameworks in August and the UIP deadline occurring in October, how can I ensure our school/district submits our UIP on time?

Some school and district requirements (e.g., READ Act, combined plan eligibility, grant requirements) will be available within Section 1 (pre-populated report) of the UIP online system as of April 15th. Requirements based on the School or District Performance Framework and federal identifications will be updated in the fall. UIP 101, a series of short videos focused on the basics of improvement planning and the UIP, will be accessible on the UIP Training page.