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 2SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-11-208, amend (1)(a) as follows:
Page 4, Line 322-11-208. Accreditation - annual review - supports and
Page 4, Line 4interventions - rules. (1) (a) The department shall annually review each
Page 4, Line 5school district's and the institute's performance and, based on the rules of
Page 4, Line 6the state board, determine the appropriate accreditation category for the
Page 4, Line 7school district or institute. The department shall notify each school district
Page 4, Line 8and the institute of its accreditation category and shall publish each
Page 4, Line 9school district's and the institute's accreditation category, with supporting
Page 4, Line 10data, on the data portal. The department shall also publish each school
Page 4, Line 11district's and the institute's performance, improvement, priority
Page 4, Line 12improvement, or turnaround plan, whichever is applicable, on the data
Page 4, Line 13portal following adoption of the plan. The department shall develop
Page 4, Line 14a streamlined format for plans that consolidates various state,
Page 4, Line 15federal, and grant reporting requirements and allows a school
Page 4, Line 16district or the institute to attach a locally-developed action
Page 4, Line 17portion of the plan that addresses action steps, resources, and
Page 4, Line 18any other plan components identified in state board rule. The
Page 4, Line 19department shall maintain a centralized system for plan
Page 4, Line 20submissions so the department can conduct a statewide analysis
Page 4, Line 21of school district and institute plans in order to determine how
Page 4, Line 22to best distribute state resources and supports. On or before
Page 4, Line 23August 31, 2025, and regularly thereafter, the department must
Page 4, Line 24collect user feedback to assess the extent to which the
Page 4, Line 25streamlined format for plans is used, whether it is helpful, and how to use this feedback to improve the centralized system.
Page 5, Line 1SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-11-210, amend (2)(a) as follows:
Page 5, Line 222-11-210. Public schools - annual review - plans - supports
Page 5, Line 3and interventions - rules. (2) (a) The department shall annually review
Page 5, Line 4each public school's performance and, based on the rules of the state
Page 5, Line 5board, recommend to the state board that the public school shall
Page 5, Line 6implement a performance, improvement, priority improvement, or
Page 5, Line 7turnaround plan for the coming school year. Based on the department's
Page 5, Line 8recommendation, the state board shall notify the local school board for
Page 5, Line 9the public school, or the institute if the public school is an institute charter
Page 5, Line 10school, regarding the type of plan the public school shall implement. The
Page 5, Line 11local school board or the institute shall place the public school in the
Page 5, Line 12district or institute accreditation category that correlates to the public
Page 5, Line 13school's plan, based on the school district's or institute's school
Page 5, Line 14accreditation process. The department shall develop a streamlined
Page 5, Line 15format for plans that consolidates various state, federal, and
Page 5, Line 16grant reporting requirements and allows a local school board
Page 5, Line 17for the public school, or the institute if the public school is an
Page 5, Line 18institute charter school, to attach a locally-developed action
Page 5, Line 19portion of the plan that addresses action steps, resources, and
Page 5, Line 20any other plan components identified in state board rule. The
Page 5, Line 21department shall maintain a centralized system for plan
Page 5, Line 22submissions so the department can conduct a statewide analysis
Page 5, Line 23of public school plans in order to determine how to best
Page 5, Line 24distribute state resources and supports. On or before August 31,
Page 5, Line 252025, and regularly thereafter, the department must collect
Page 6, Line 1user feedback to assess the extent to which the streamlined
Page 6, Line 2format for plans is used, whether it is helpful, and how to use this feedback to improve the centralized system.
Page 6, Line 3SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 6, Line 4takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 6, Line 5ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 6, Line 6that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 6, Line 7of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 6, Line 8act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 6, Line 9effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 6, Line 10November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.