Colorado Academic Standards Review and Revision

News and Announcements

Timeline and schedule announced for reviewing Colorado Academic Standards

Commissioner Katy Anthes announced the timeline and schedule for the statutorily required review of the Colorado Academic Standards. Statute requires the board to review and approve each content area in the standards every six years. The board approved revisions to the social studies and arts standards in 2022, and districts are required to implement the revisions in the 2024-25 school year. The second set of standards to be reviewed will include computer science, English language proficiency, physical education and world languages. CDE staff will begin the process later this spring by comparing the standards to national and international benchmarks. After reviewing this report on the benchmarks, the board will determine the extent to which these standards should be updated. If the board determines revisions are necessary, a process will be created with stakeholder engagement to review and recommend updates to the board. The board will review and approve the standards by June 2024, and districts must implement the updated standards by the 2026-27 school year. The third set of standards to be reviewed will include math; reading, writing and communicating; science, and comprehensive health. The same process for reviewing these standards will begin in spring 2025, with approval by the board by June 2026. Implementation will be required in the 2028 school year.

About the Colorado Academic Standards Review and Revision

Colorado House Bill 20-1032 (section 22-7-1005(6) C.R.S.) amended the provision that required the regular review and revision of the Colorado Academic Standards. The statute previously required the revisions to occur within six years of the prior cycle which occurred in 2018. The changes now require the state board to review and revise approximately one-third of the standards beginning in 2022 and an additional one-third every two years thereafter.

It is understood that the 2020-2021 school year is the first year of implementation of the standards that were revised in 2018. One-third of the standards that were adopted in 2018 will begin the review and revision cycle beginning in the Spring of 2021. These review and revision cycles are not intended to re-write the standards, but to update them to be most current with national and international benchmarks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Standards Review and Revision Schedules are at the discretion of the State Board.

Standards Review and Revision Process

The standards review and revision process includes five steps outlined in Figure 1: (1) planning and approval, (2) research and resource development, (3) standards review and revision, (4) revision approval, and (5) communication and dissemination.

Standards Review and Revision Committees

The benchmarking process is underway in the areas of computer science, English language proficiency, physical education and world languages. The current plan is for the State Board of Education to discuss benchmarking reports conducted over the summer and decide at their August meeting whether to call for revision in any of these four areas. For any of these four areas that the Board wishes to revise, CDE will be soliciting applications for standards revision committees. These committees are essential to ensuring stakeholder engagement in determining what all PK-12 Colorado students need to know and be able to do. PK-12 educators, higher education professionals, parents, business community members and students will all be welcome to apply. If committees will be needed, we anticipate applications to be open in mid-August 2023. Information will be posted here.

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