September 5, 2010
September 5, 2010
Getting involved with education can seem daunting because there are layers of governance starting with the local school board, but also including state and federal governments. This section lays out some basics of state and federal legislation you need to know a little bit about to engage in the education reform conversation.
Federal Policy:
Colorado State Agencies and Policy:
Issues relating to high school redesign:
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110) is the major federal legislation that shapes how states and localities offer public education. The law, often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nicklebee," is built on previous legislation that dates back to 1965. The bill was originally proposed by President George W. Bush immediately after taking office and was co-sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), who shepherded the bill through the Senate. It was passed by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law on January 8, 2002.
NCLB is the latest federal legislation that enacts the theories of standards-based education reform, which is based on the belief that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve individual outcomes in education.
Since enactment, Congress increased federal funding of education, from $42.2 billion in 2001 to $54.4 billion in 2007. No Child Left Behind received a 40.4% increase from $17.4 billion in 2001 to $24.4 billion.
NCLB requires states to develop assessments in basic skills (reading, mathematics, and science) to be given to all students in grades 3-8 and one time during high school, if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. NCLB requires that the states enact a plan to move all students to a level of academic "proficiency" by the school year 2012-13. Proficiency essentially means being on "grade level" in whatever way each state defines that standard. The reasoning for this 100 percent proficiency requirement (with some allowances to exempt children with significant disabilities) is that 1st graders who entered school at the time that NCLB was passed (2002) would be reaching high school during the 2012-13 timeframe. Theoretically, that 10 year period of time would give school systems ample time to reform themselves and therefore, bring all children to point of reaching "proficiency." One major challenge with NCLB is that while it calls for 100 percent proficiency, it does not impose a national standard about what proficiency actually means, so standards are set by each individual state. Beginning in 2007, a number of national governance organizations like the governors and state school superintendents, have begun calling for the creation of national standards for mathematics and reading that states could adopt voluntarily. This would create a de facto national standard for proficiency.
No Child Left Behind requires all public schools to administer state-wide standardized test in reading and math annually to all students in grades 3-8 and one time in high school. Schools which receive Title I funding (funding designated to help educate children that are educational disadvantaged) must make Adequate Yearly Progress in test scores (e.g. each year, its fifth graders must do better on standardized tests than the previous years).
One significant change from NCLB over previous federal legislation is that all the accountability data is now reported for subpopulations of students, including economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic minority, English language learners, and students with disabilities. For each achievement goal that is set under NCLB, the school (or district in some cases) has to report out student performance based on the subcategories. Each of the subcategories must meet the achievement targets in order for the school to be deemed as meeting AYP.
If a school receiving federal funds fails to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), then it is put on a list of schools "needing improvement." Results on AYP are published in local newspapers and in a state and local "report cards." In schools that need improvement, parents are given the option of having their child to transfer to another school. If it does not meet AYP for a second year, then it must provide special tutoring for its economically disadvantaged students.
In theory, schools which don't make AYP for years are eventually subject to Restructuring or closure. In practice, this has rarely occurred.
For more information about NCLB, visit:
No Child Left Behind Parents Guide
U.S. Department of Education, No Child Left Behind program office
Back to TopThe Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act was first authorized by the federal government in 1984 and reauthorized in 1998. Named for Carl D. Perkins, the act aims to increase the quality of technical education within the United States in order to help the economy.
On August 12, 2006 President George W Bush signed into law the reauthorization of the Act of 1998. The new law, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, was passed almost unanimously by Congress in late July, 2006.
The new law includes three major areas of revision:
The new law also includes new requirements for "programs of study" that link academic and technical content across secondary and postsecondary education, and strengthened local accountability provisions that will ensure continuous program improvement.
The Perkins Act provides almost $1.3 billion in federal support for career and technical education programs in all 50 States. The law will extend through 2012.
To find out more about the Perkins Act and Career and Technical Education, visit:
Association of Career and Technical Education
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education
National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education
Back to TopColorado leans toward more "local control" than many states. This means that many pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade public education decisions -- on issues such as curriculum, personnel, school calendars, graduation requirements, and classroom policy -- are made by the 178 school districts and their local school boards.
However, the State Board of Education is authorized by Article IX of the Constitution of the State of Colorado with the general supervision of the public schools. Powers and duties of the Board are described in 22-2-105 through 109 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.
The Colorado State Board of Education is the governing board of the Colorado Department of Education. Within its jurisdiction, the State Board:
CDE serves Colorado's 178 local school districts, providing them with leadership, consultation and administrative services on a statewide and regional basis. CDE is comprised of over 40 units, 25 different programs and 300-plus staff members.
For more information about the Colorado Department of Education, visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/
The Colorado Community College System is governed by a nine-member State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). The Board is unique in the nation, with responsibility for both secondary and post-secondary career and technical education and community college governance.
In April 2007, Colorado submitted a one-year Transition Plan for the first year of the Perkins Act. The Transition Plan covered Program Year 2007-08 or July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. In 2008, the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education will submit its Multi-year Colorado State Plan for Career and Technical Education covering the period of Program Years 2008-09 through 2012-13.
To ensure broad input to the State Plan, the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) convened working groups focused around a number of key issues, including: plans of study, accountability, assessment of skills, integration of CTE and academic skills, CTE instruction, and connections between CTE and the workforce.
Copies of these reports are available at: http://www.coloradostateplan.com
For more information about the Colorado Community College System, visit: http://www.cccs.edu/
The Career and Technical Act, formerly the Colorado Vocational Act of 1970, was adopted by the Colorado General Assembly to provide assistance to local school districts operating CTE programs. Programs must be approved by the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education and the program is administered by the Colorado Community College System.
In Fiscal Year 2007-08, the general assembly provided $21,208,319 to assist nearly 160 school districts in funding over 1200 secondary CTE programs. There were just over 116,600 total student enrollments in 270 high schools, 8 technical centers, 6 community colleges, one four-year college, and 4 area vocational schools/technical colleges.
An audit of a secondary school district that receives funds from the Colorado Vocational Act is conducted approximately once every five years. Currently, there are 179 secondary school districts that are participating in the Colorado Vocational Act program. The Internal Audit Department audits those secondary school districts that receive Colorado Vocational Act funds.
The "CAP4K" reform was launched by Senate Bill 08-212, also known as the "Preschool to Postsecondary Education Alignment Act." The legislation requires that the Colorado State Board of Education and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education adopt a description of "postsecondary and workforce readiness" by Dec. 15, 2009. This key requirement was accomplished in June, 2009.
Senate Bill 08-212 seeks to establish a seamless pathway from preschool into college or the workplace. Essential to that pathway is an understanding of what it means to be ready for education after high school or for the workforce and a plan to ensure that students take the necessary courses and master the content.
For more details about the "CAP4K" legislation, visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdegen/SB212.htm
The State of Colorado initiated College in Colorado as a statewide effort to improve college access and change expectations about college for all Colorado students.
The College In Colorado team reaches out to students, parents and educators through ongoing events and training opportunities, as well as providing practical tools to assist every student in Colorado in furthering their education past high school.
A cornerstone of the campaign, www.CollegeInColorado.org, offers a one-stop resource to help students, parents and counselors plan, apply and pay for college.
Back to TopCareer academies have been growing in popularity in recent years, and now operate in thousands of high schools. Spreading through local initiative, career academies are not defined by any national law, and the term is now being applied to very different kinds of programs. This has created confusion and the danger that some academies will be created without key elements that effective career academies possess. Several leading networks of career academies have joined for the first time in agreeing on a common standard. Three versions of this definition have been developed - narrative, chart, and graphic - to meet the needs of various users. All three include the same consensus definition, which consists of three structural elements:
To find out more, visit:
Career Academy Support Network
National Career Academy Coalition
A Small Learning Community (SLC), also referred to as a School-Within-A-School, is a form of school structure that is increasingly common in secondary schools to subdivide large school populations into smaller, autonomous groups of students and teachers.
The primary purpose of restructuring secondary schools into SLCs is to create a more personalized learning environment to better meet the needs of students. Each community will
SLCs can take several forms
To find out more, visit the
U.S. Department of Education Smaller Learning Communities Program
Back to Top