Accreditation Contract Plain Text

This contract is between the local school board for (District Name), hereinafter referred to as the District, and the Colorado State Board of Education, hereinafter referred to as the State Board, to administer accreditation in accordance with part 2 of article 11 of title 22 and 1 CCR 301-1.

This accreditation contract shall have a term of one year.

The contract may be renegotiated at any time by the parties, based upon appropriate and reasonable changes in circumstances upon which the original terms of the contract were based.

The District will be responsible for overseeing the academic programs offered in its schools and ensuring that those programs meet or exceed state and local expectations for levels of attainment on the statewide performance indicators, as specified in 1 CCR 301-1.

The District shall create, adopt and implement article, plan type, as required by the Colorado Department of Education (Department), in accordance with the time frames specified in 1 CCR 301-1. Said plan will conform to all of the requirements specified in 1 CCR 301-1.

The District will implement a system of accrediting all of its schools, as described in section 22-11-307, C.R.S., which may include measures specifically for those schools that have been designated as Alternative Education Campuses, in accordance with the provisions of 1 CCR 301-57. The District will ensure that plans are implemented for each school in compliance with the requirements of the State Board pursuant to 1 CCR 301-1.

The District will implement a system of accrediting its online schools, as defined in section 22-30.7-102(9.5), C.R.S. This system shall adhere to section 22-11-307, C.R.S., including a review of the online school’s alignment to the quality standards outlined in section 22-30.7-105(3)(b), C.R.S., and compliance with statutory or regulatory requirements, in accordance with section 22-30.7-103(3)(m), C.R.S.

1. If District is on clock or on watch

If a District continues to perform at a level that results in being Accredited with a Priority Improvement Plan or Turnaround Plan, the State Board must direct the District to take significant action, in accordance with section 22-11-209, C.R.S. For purposes of calculating whether a district has been Accredited with Priority Improvement or Accredited with Turnaround Plan for a number of years, as described in section 22-11-207(4), C.R.S., the Department will exclude the 2020, 2021 and 2022 accreditation ratings, as required by subsection 22-11-207(4)(c), C.R.S. The Department will treat the 2023 accreditation ratings as if they were consecutive to the 2019 accreditation ratings.

2. If any schools are on clock or watch

Schools that continue to perform at a level that results in being required to adopt a Priority Improvement or Turnaround Plan will be subject to restructuring or closure, in accordance with the provisions of section 22-11-210, C.R.S. For purposes of calculating whether a public school has been required to implement a Priority Improvement or Turnaround Plan for a number of years, as described in section 22-11-210(1)(d)(II), C.R.S., the Department will exclude the 2020, 2021 and 2022 school plan type assignments, as required by section 22-11-210(2.6)(a), C.R.S. The Department will treat the 2023 school plan type assignments as if they were consecutive to the 2019 school plan type assignments.

3. If district or school has active directed action from SBE

The district is expected to continue implementation of the State Board directed action for [district, school names], in accordance with section 22-11-209 and/or section 22-11-210, C.R.S. The specifics of the order(s) can be viewed here.

The District and the District’s public schools will substantially comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to the District and District’s public schools and all Department policies and procedures applicable to the District and District’s public schools, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Provisions of article 44 of title 22 concerning budget and financial policies and procedures;
• Provisions of article 45 of title 22 concerning accounting and financial reporting;
• Provisions of section 22-32-109.1, C.R.S., concerning school safety and the Gun-Free Schools Act, 20 U.S.C. 7961;
• Provisions of section 22-7-1013(8), C.R.S., concerning statewide assessments, including that:
  • The District and District’s public schools will not impose negative consequences—including prohibiting school attendance, imposing an unexcused absence, or prohibiting participation in extracurricular activities—on a student or parent if the parent excuses his or her student from participating in a statewide assessment. If a parent excuses his or her student from participating in a statewide assessment, the District and the District’s public schools will not prohibit the student from participating in an activity, or receiving any other form of reward the District or District’s public schools provide to students for participating in the statewide assessment; and
  • The District and District’s public schools will not impose an unreasonable burden or requirement on a student that would discourage the student from taking a statewide assessment or encourage the student’s parent to excuse the student from taking the statewide assessment.

If the Department has reason to believe that the District is not in substantial compliance with one or more of the statutory or regulatory requirements applicable to the District, the Department shall notify the District that it has ninety (90) days after the date of notice to come into compliance. If, at the end of the ninety-day period, the Department finds the District is not substantially in compliance with the applicable statutory or regulatory requirements, meaning that the District has not yet taken the necessary measures to ensure that it meets the applicable legal requirements as soon as practicable, the District may be subject to the interventions specified in sections 22-11-207 through 22-11-210, C.R.S. If the District has failed to comply with the provisions of article 44 of title 22 or article 45 of title 22, the District does not remedy the noncompliance within ninety (90) days and loss of accreditation is required to protect the interests of the students and parents of students enrolled in the District public schools, the Department may recommend to the State Board that the State Board remove the District’s accreditation.

If the Department determines that the District has substantially failed to meet requirements specified in this accreditation contract and that immediate action is required to protect the interests of the students and parents of students enrolled in the District’s public schools, the Department may lower the District’s accreditation category.

For purposes of monitoring the District’s compliance with this contract, the Department may require the District to provide information or may conduct site visits as needed.

• Local School Board President: Signature and Date Signed
• District Superintendent - Signature and Date Signed
• Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education - Signature and Date Signed
• Colorado State Board of Education Chairman - Signature and Date Signed