A few weeks ago, Colorado state Senators and Representatives went back to work to begin the 2016 legislative session. They have been proposing new bills and as predicted, many relate to education. Below are summaries of some education bills I find particularly interesting, and links to where you can learn more information.
House Bill 16-1131: This bill repeals the requirement that Colorado participate in assessments adopted by many states to measure students’ college/career readiness. The bill would allow the Department of Education and the State Board of Education to recommend and create assessment protocols rather than use the Federal ones.
Senate Bill 16-005: This bill would eliminate state-wide assessments for English and Math for ninth grade. This bill has received a lot of attention by those in favor and those in opposition. Keep on the look for op eds and editorials, as they are sure to pop up.
House Bill 16-1036: This bill would require schools teach the history, culture, and contributions of American Indians, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. It would also change the law from requiring a community forum to discuss content standards on these topics from every ten years to every two years. I can't be unbiased on this one--I think it is excellent and very necessary. It also speaks to some of the concerns students at Manual High School raised last Fall about their American Literature Curriculum. Read more about their project here.
House Bill 16-1128: This bill would amend the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act and require all schools to provide concurrent enrollment opportunities.
House Bill 16-1016: This bill would create grant programs to assist schools in creating and using multiple methods to measure student academic growth, performance of schools, and educator effectiveness.
House Bill 16-1050: This bill would create a task force to address child care needs of low-income parents as the parents continue their own education. The task force would be responsible for identifying and reducing barriers to accessing child care.
House Bill 16-1100: This bill would allow unaccompanied homeless youth to establish their own domicile for residency purposes for state tuition.
House Bill 16-1002: This bill would recreate the 2009 Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act, which allows parents to take limited leave from work to attend child educational activities such as conferences, special education meetings, and discipline hearings. The 2009 Act had a repeal provision for 2015 that was never amended, so the Act was repealed. However, this bill has also gained attention and support.
Senate Bill 16-104: This bill would create incentives to recruit more educators to rural areas by providing stipends for tuition and certification, establishing rural education efforts at higher education institutes in rural areas, and establishing Teacher Cadet programs in rural high schools.
Senate Bill 16-105: This bill would adjust the current teacher effectiveness law by reducing the requirement that 50% of the teacher's evaluation be based on student growth to no more than 20%. Parker Fulton, a current teacher, wrote on his perspective and opinions of the teacher effectiveness law here.
There are many more proposed bills concerning education, but these are ones I found particularly relevant and interesting. Remember that none of these bills have been enacted yet, so if you see something you like, or something you don't like, reach out to your Senators and Representatives and let them know! While we elect these people to do this important work, we also hold the power and responsibility to tell them what we want and need.
Posted by Haley DiRenzo
House Bill 16-1131: This bill repeals the requirement that Colorado participate in assessments adopted by many states to measure students’ college/career readiness. The bill would allow the Department of Education and the State Board of Education to recommend and create assessment protocols rather than use the Federal ones.
Senate Bill 16-005: This bill would eliminate state-wide assessments for English and Math for ninth grade. This bill has received a lot of attention by those in favor and those in opposition. Keep on the look for op eds and editorials, as they are sure to pop up.
House Bill 16-1036: This bill would require schools teach the history, culture, and contributions of American Indians, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. It would also change the law from requiring a community forum to discuss content standards on these topics from every ten years to every two years. I can't be unbiased on this one--I think it is excellent and very necessary. It also speaks to some of the concerns students at Manual High School raised last Fall about their American Literature Curriculum. Read more about their project here.
House Bill 16-1128: This bill would amend the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act and require all schools to provide concurrent enrollment opportunities.
House Bill 16-1016: This bill would create grant programs to assist schools in creating and using multiple methods to measure student academic growth, performance of schools, and educator effectiveness.
House Bill 16-1050: This bill would create a task force to address child care needs of low-income parents as the parents continue their own education. The task force would be responsible for identifying and reducing barriers to accessing child care.
House Bill 16-1100: This bill would allow unaccompanied homeless youth to establish their own domicile for residency purposes for state tuition.
House Bill 16-1002: This bill would recreate the 2009 Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act, which allows parents to take limited leave from work to attend child educational activities such as conferences, special education meetings, and discipline hearings. The 2009 Act had a repeal provision for 2015 that was never amended, so the Act was repealed. However, this bill has also gained attention and support.
Senate Bill 16-104: This bill would create incentives to recruit more educators to rural areas by providing stipends for tuition and certification, establishing rural education efforts at higher education institutes in rural areas, and establishing Teacher Cadet programs in rural high schools.
Senate Bill 16-105: This bill would adjust the current teacher effectiveness law by reducing the requirement that 50% of the teacher's evaluation be based on student growth to no more than 20%. Parker Fulton, a current teacher, wrote on his perspective and opinions of the teacher effectiveness law here.
There are many more proposed bills concerning education, but these are ones I found particularly relevant and interesting. Remember that none of these bills have been enacted yet, so if you see something you like, or something you don't like, reach out to your Senators and Representatives and let them know! While we elect these people to do this important work, we also hold the power and responsibility to tell them what we want and need.
Posted by Haley DiRenzo
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