A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning data reporting requirements for K-12 schools.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires the department of education (department), on or before June 30, 2026, to conduct an audit on data reporting requirements for schools of school districts, school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, and the state charter school institute (local education providers). The audit must include:
- Data that local education providers are required to report to comply with state and federal laws;
- The methods by which data is reported to the department;
- Whether the current data requirements meet the information needs of the state;
- How much time local education providers spend reporting to the department;
- Whether there are more efficient ways to report data to the department, including, but not limited to, consolidating data report submissions, aligning data report submission timelines to limit the number of reports submitted, and using current data systems that already exist to collect relevant information;
- An evaluation of the reporting protocols for local education providers to comply with training requirements; and
- An evaluation of current training requirements regarding reporting data.
On or before December 1, 2026, the department shall submit the results of the data audit recommendations on how to relieve the administrative data collection and reporting burdens on local education providers, and legislative changes that may be required to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or their successor committees.
For school districts and the state charter school institute (institute) that are on a performance or improvement plan, the bill allows a local school board or the institute to submit the performance or improvement plan using a format or template that best meets the school district's or institute's needs, so long as the included plan addresses statutory requirements.
For schools of a school district or district charter schools (district public schools) or institute charter schools that are on a school performance or improvement plan, the bill allows a local school board, on behalf of a district public school, or the institute, on behalf of an institute charter school, to submit the school performance or improvement plan using a format or template that best meets the district public school's or institute charter school's needs, so long as the included plan addresses statutory requirements.
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 2, Line 3(a) The Colorado education data advisory committee released the
Page 2, Line 4results of a survey conducted in the 2017-18 budget year noting that
Page 3, Line 1educational data is a valuable asset that promotes transparency and advances student learning and success;
Page 3, Line 2(b) The survey stated, however, that increasing data reporting
Page 3, Line 3requirements were placing a strain on the resources of local education providers and directing resources away from supporting students;
Page 3, Line 4(c) The survey found that:
Page 3, Line 5(I) Rural school districts spend twice as much of their overall budget on data reporting than larger school districts; and
Page 3, Line 6(II) Since 1998, the cost and effort to submit major data reporting
Page 3, Line 7collections has steadily increased and has grown by over 53% in the nearly 20-year time period;
Page 3, Line 8(d) Teachers and school leaders must focus their time on student
Page 3, Line 9achievement. Data reporting collections that divert time and resources away from this core objective must be rigorously examined and justified.
Page 3, Line 10(e) The general assembly must carefully weigh the benefit and value of data reporting requirements on local education providers.
Page 3, Line 11(2) The general assembly further finds that:
Page 3, Line 12(a) The benefit of data reporting collections must clearly outweigh the burden of completing them;
Page 3, Line 13(b) Thoughtful deliberation must take place when the general
Page 3, Line 14assembly considers adding new data reporting requirements on local education providers;
Page 3, Line 15(c) A voluntary statewide student information system must be considered to ease the data reporting burdens; and
Page 3, Line 16(d) A moratorium on additional data reporting collections must be
Page 3, Line 17instituted while the department of education conducts a data audit and
Page 3, Line 18assessment to evaluate the data reporting requirements that currently exist.
Page 4, Line 1SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-2-304.5 as follows:
Page 4, Line 222-2-304.5. Audit - reporting requirements - department -
Page 4, Line 3definition - report. (1) As used in this section, unless the context
Page 4, Line 4otherwise requires, "local education provider" means a school
Page 4, Line 5of a school district, a school district, a district charter school
Page 4, Line 6authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5
Page 4, Line 7of this title 22, an institute charter school authorized by the
Page 4, Line 8state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article 30.5
Page 4, Line 9of this title 22, or a board of cooperative services created pursuant to article 5 of this title 22.
Page 4, Line 10(2) On or before June 30, 2026, the department shall
Page 4, Line 11conduct an audit, make recommendations, and identify potential legislative changes on the following:
Page 4, Line 12(a) Data that local education providers and the state
Page 4, Line 13charter school institute are required to report to comply with state and federal laws;
Page 4, Line 14(b) The methods by which data is reported to the department;
Page 4, Line 15(c) Whether the current data requirements meet the information needs of the state;
Page 4, Line 16(d) How much time local education providers and the
Page 4, Line 17state charter school institute spend reporting to the department;
Page 4, Line 18(e) Whether there are more efficient ways to report data
Page 4, Line 19to the department, including, but not limited to, consolidating
Page 5, Line 1data report submissions, aligning data report submission
Page 5, Line 2timelines to limit the number of reports submitted, and using
Page 5, Line 3current data systems that already exist to collect relevant information;
Page 5, Line 4(f) An evaluation of the reporting protocols for local
Page 5, Line 5education providers and the state charter school institute to comply with training requirements; and
Page 5, Line 6(g) An evaluation of current training requirements regarding reporting data.
Page 5, Line 7(3) Based on the evaluation outcomes described in
Page 5, Line 8subsection (2)(f) of this section, the department shall develop an
Page 5, Line 9attestation process and procedures for local education
Page 5, Line 10providers and the state charter school institute to verify completion of training requirements.
Page 5, Line 11(4) On or before December 1, 2026, the department shall
Page 5, Line 12submit the results of the data audit described in subsection (2)
Page 5, Line 13of this section, recommendations on how to relieve the
Page 5, Line 14administrative data collection and reporting burdens on local
Page 5, Line 15education providers, and legislative changes that may be
Page 5, Line 16required to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or their successor committees.
Page 5, Line 17SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-11-303, add (5) as follows:
Page 5, Line 1822-11-303. Accredited or accredited with distinction -
Page 5, Line 19performance plan - school district or institute - contents - adoption.
Page 5, Line 20(5) A local school board or the institute may submit a
Page 5, Line 21performance plan using a format or template that best meets
Page 6, Line 1the school district's or institute's needs, so long as the included
Page 6, Line 2plan addresses the statutory requirements outlined in
Page 6, Line 3subsection (3) of this section. If the local school board or the
Page 6, Line 4institute submits the performance plan using a format or
Page 6, Line 5template that is different from the template provided by the
Page 6, Line 6department, the department may require the local school board
Page 6, Line 7or the institute to submit information related to the
Page 6, Line 8performance plan via a statewide database so the department
Page 6, Line 9can conduct a statewide analysis of the performance plan to determine how to best distribute state resources and support.
Page 6, Line 10SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-11-304, add (4) as follows:
Page 6, Line 1122-11-304. Accredited with improvement plan - school district
Page 6, Line 12or institute - plan contents - adoption. (4) A local school board or
Page 6, Line 13the institute may submit an improvement plan using a format or
Page 6, Line 14template that best meets the school district's or institute's
Page 6, Line 15needs, so long as the included plan addresses the statutory
Page 6, Line 16requirements outlined in subsection (3) of this section. If the
Page 6, Line 17local school board or the institute submits the improvement
Page 6, Line 18plan using a format or template that is different from the
Page 6, Line 19template provided by the department, the department may
Page 6, Line 20require the local school board or the institute to submit
Page 6, Line 21information related to the improvement plan via a statewide
Page 6, Line 22database so the department can conduct a statewide analysis of
Page 6, Line 23the improvement plan to determine how to best distribute state resources and support.
Page 6, Line 24SECTION 5. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-11-403, add (6) as follows:
Page 7, Line 122-11-403. School performance plan - contents. (6) A local
Page 7, Line 2school board, on behalf of a district public school, or the
Page 7, Line 3institute, on behalf of an institute charter school, may submit
Page 7, Line 4a school performance plan using a format or template that best
Page 7, Line 5meets the district public school's or institute charter school's
Page 7, Line 6needs, so long as the included plan addresses the statutory
Page 7, Line 7requirements outlined in subsection (3) of this section. If the
Page 7, Line 8local school board, on behalf of a district public school, or the
Page 7, Line 9institute, on behalf of an institute charter school, submits the
Page 7, Line 10school performance plan using a format or template that is
Page 7, Line 11different from the template provided by the department, the
Page 7, Line 12department may require the local school board, on behalf of
Page 7, Line 13the district public school, or the institute, on behalf of the
Page 7, Line 14institute charter school, to submit information related to the
Page 7, Line 15school performance plan via a statewide database so the
Page 7, Line 16department can conduct a statewide analysis of the school
Page 7, Line 17performance plan to determine how to best distribute state resources and support.
Page 7, Line 18SECTION 6. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-11-404, add (5) as follows:
Page 7, Line 1922-11-404. School improvement plan - contents. (5) A local
Page 7, Line 20school board, on behalf of a district public school, or the
Page 7, Line 21institute, on behalf of an institute charter school, may submit
Page 7, Line 22a school improvement plan using a format or template that best
Page 7, Line 23meets the district public school's or institute charter school's
Page 7, Line 24needs, so long as the included plan addresses the statutory
Page 8, Line 1requirements outlined in subsection (3) of this section. If the
Page 8, Line 2local school board, on behalf of a district public school, or the
Page 8, Line 3institute, on behalf of an institute charter school, submits the
Page 8, Line 4school improvement plan using a format or template that is
Page 8, Line 5different from the template provided by the department, the
Page 8, Line 6department may require the local school board, on behalf of
Page 8, Line 7the district public school, or the institute, on behalf of the
Page 8, Line 8institute charter school, to submit information related to the
Page 8, Line 9school improvement plan via a statewide database so the
Page 8, Line 10department can conduct a statewide analysis of the school
Page 8, Line 11improvement plan to determine how to best distribute state resources and support.
Page 8, Line 12SECTION 7. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 8, Line 13takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 8, Line 14ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 8, Line 15that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 8, Line 16of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 8, Line 17act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 8, Line 18effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 8, Line 19November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.