Colorado Academic Standards and Essential Skills

The laws that govern Colorado's Academic Standards exist in Colorado Revised Statutes Title 22 (Education), Article 7 (Accountability), Part 10 (Preschool to Postsecondary Education Alignment). These statutes date back to 2008 when Senate Bill 08-212 was passed, known as "Colorado's Achievement Plan for Kids," or "CAP4K." Statutes prior to 2008 led to the creation of Colorado's original Model Content Standards in 1993, and the current CAP4K statutes continue to be revised by the legislature and implemented by the State Board of Education and CDE.

C.R.S. 22-7-10 defines a standard as "a clear, measurable, learning target for what a student should know or be able to do relative to a particular instructional area." In Part 10's legislative declaration, the general assembly finds that "standards-based education must consider the needs of the whole student by creating a rich and balanced curriculum" and that it must be the goal of standards to prepare all students for active citizenship and success in higher education and/or the workforce. The general assembly also finds that creating a "seamless system" of standards is a "complex project that will require multiple stages of planning, design, and implementation and that will likely continue over years."

Most of the statutes specifically about standards are in C.R.S. 22-7-1005. These statutes describe which content areas will have standards, including specific content related to mental health, media literacy, Holocaust and genocide studies, and financial literacy. These statutes also require the State Board of Education to adopt and revise standards in staggered six-year cycles, with a third of the standards being up for revision every two years. With each revision, the State Board must ensure that standards are aligned with postsecondary and workforce readiness and comparable in scope, relevance, and rigor to the highest national and international standards.

C.R.S. 22-7-1010 requires the State Board of Education to engage stakeholders in adopting and revising the state's educational accountability system, including academic standards. This includes meeting with interested persons throughout the state, soliciting information from schools and school boards, and collaborating with state and national organizations. Staff from the Department of Education provides the state board with technical assistance and support to fulfill these duties. C.R.S. 22-7-1011 describes the conduct of regional educator meetings where standards should be discussed. C.R.S. 22-7-1011 also requires student involvement in the standards review process, which started in the 2024 revision cycle after it was added to the law by Senate Bill 23-008.

While the State Board of Education is responsible for adopting Colorado's state academic standards, C.R.S. 22-7-1013 requires each local education provider to adopt standards locally that meet or exceed Colorado's state standards. In doing so, the local education provider may adopt the state standards as their own. The statute requires local education providers to review their local standards every six years (starting in 2017 and every six years thereafter) and revise and readopt its standards, if necessary, to ensure that the local education provider's standards continue to meet or exceed the state's standards. In addition, the local education provider shall revise its curricula accordingly to ensure that the curricula continue to align with their standards.

For more legal details about Colorado's standards and how standards work within a system of educational accountability, navigate to C.R.S. 22-7-10 in the Colorado Revised Statutes.

• Colorado Academic Standards (PDF)
  This fact sheet provides an overview of the Colorado Academic Standards as well as a high-level look at the purpose of each content area. 
• Know the Difference: Standards vs. Curriculum (PDF)
  This fact sheet clarifies the difference between standards and curriculum and how they both inform instruction in the classrooms of Colorado students. 
• History, Culture, Social Contributions and Civil Government in Education
  This fact sheet gives background information on the commission created by House Bill 19-1192 created to add minority groups into the history and civics lessons in public schools. It also contains examples of the committee's drafted recommended revisions and the next steps in the review and revision process for the social studies standards.

The Colorado State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in August 2010. In December 2010, CDE released the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Mathematics and Reading, Writing and Communicating incorporating the entire CCSS while maintaining the unique aspects of the Colorado Academic Standards, which include personal financial literacy, 21st century skills, prepared graduate competencies, and preschool expectations.

"The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce."

- Common Core State Standards Initiative

Benefits to Colorado's Children

Internationally Benchmarked Standards
The CCSS, like Colorado's standards in all content areas, are informed by standards in top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society.

High Standards for All Students
The design principles and instructional shifts within the CCSS reflect the priorities and intent of CAP4K in terms of focus, coherence, and rigor.

• Focus: The focus of the CCSS on fewer, clearer, and higher expectations meets the intent of CAP4K to identify key knowledge and skills students need for college and career success.
• Coherence: As the drafters of CAP4K intended, the CCSS provide a coherent set of expectations, aligning learning goals from preschool through postsecondary education.
• Rigor: The rigor reflected within the CCSS assures that Colorado students will be postsecondary and workforce ready, a major goal of CAP4K.

Consistent Student Learning in a Mobile Society
Shared standards provide more stability for mobile students.

• The CCSS provide consistent, shared learning targets for each grade level for students across schools, districts, and states.
• Clear expectations across each county, state and nation helps create stability for students who move often due to economic and personal reasons. Colorado's military presence alone, warrants as much consistency as possible for mobile families serving our country.

Benefits to Colorado's Schools and Districts

Higher Quality Instructional Materials
Colorado benefits from the shared standards that drive the development of high-quality educational materials. Through cross-state collaborative efforts, Colorado educators and children benefit from commercially and privately developed instructional resources designed to align to the shared standards rather than having to use resources developed for larger markets (i.e., California or New York).

Better, More Focused Professional Development
Professional development through professional organizations can now be focused on shared goals for students, allowing focused, coherent learning for educators.

Cross State Collaboration
Collaboration across the nation is enhanced when educators are using the same standards and a common language. Colorado educators can now collaborate across state lines because Colorado now shares the same standards as 43 other states. Common resources can be co-developed by educators from multiple states, enhancing the effectiveness of educators and the quality of learning tools.

Resources

English Language Arts (ELA)

• Common Core State Standards for ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
• ELA Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards and Glossary of Key Terms
• ELA Appendix B: Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks
• ELA Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing