Colorado’s Accountability, Accreditation, Student Performance, and Resource Inequity Task Force is advocating for a major overhaul of the state’s education accountability system.
As part of the overhaul recommendation, the task force is pushing for better metrics to measure school and student performance and a statewide dashboard to better share school and student data, among other steps.
The task force’s goal is to create an accountability system that better reflects the achievement of different student groups, and to provide parents, guardians, and family members with a clearer understanding of how well schools prepare students for life after high school.
The 26-member task force includes parents, educators, students, and community leaders from across Colorado. To develop their report, the task force held over 150 hours of meetings to discuss how to improve the system. The focus was on addressing gaps in educational outcomes and making sure all students have fair access to resources.
Their final report includes a total of 30 recommendations aimed at helping the state better evaluate and support student success.
“I am thrilled that 26 diverse voices from across our state came together to identify ways to strengthen our accountability and accreditation system, focusing on addressing academic inequities and expanding opportunities for all,” said Wendy Birhanzel, task force chair and superintendent of Harrison School District 2. “While these recommendations are essential, they are just the beginning. Our commitment to this work must continue to ensure that every student in Colorado has access to the educational opportunities and outcomes they deserve.”
The recommendations cover four core areas: accountability frameworks, state assessments, public reporting and engagement, and continuous improvement practices.
Key recommendations include:
- Refining School and District Ratings: The task force suggests changing how schools and districts are rated to reflect the achievements of various student groups more accurately. This includes adding support for smaller student populations and addressing achievement gaps.
- Better Metrics for Growth, Achievement, and Postsecondary Readiness: To give parents a clearer idea of how schools prepare students for college or careers, the task force recommends adding new measures focused on postsecondary and workforce readiness.
- Modernizing State Assessments: Recommendations include creating assessments that adapt to student needs, offer multilingual options, and provide quicker results to help teachers and the community understand student progress.
- Improving Data Sharing and Accessibility: Recognizing the importance of accessible information, the Task Force proposes a statewide dashboard. This dashboard would offer clear, easy-to-understand data on school performance for parents, educators, and policymakers.
- Strengthening Improvement Processes: The task force suggests creating a system of early identification and targeted support to help schools and districts address issues as they arise and recognize their successes.
In a press release, the task force said that by adding a new dashboard, clearer rating frameworks, and improved reporting, the accountability system could become a valuable tool for guiding education policy and resource allocation across Colorado.
The report also suggests areas for further study, including exploring best practices for assessing students with disabilities and leveraging technology, such as AI, in state assessments.
