Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT EDUCATION

Date:12/03/2014
ATTENDANCE
Time:09:07 AM to 12:36 PM
Buckner
E
Court
X
Place:LSB A
Everett
E
Fields
*
This Meeting was called to order by
Holbert
*
Senator Kerr
Johnston
E
Marble
E
This Report was prepared by
McNulty
E
Rachel Kurtz-Phelan
Murray
E
Peniston
X
Pettersen
X
Priola
E
Renfroe
E
Scheffel
E
Todd
E
Wilson
X
Young
E
Zenzinger
E
Kerr
X
Hamner
E
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
SMART Government Act Hearing for the Department of Higher Education
Presentation by History Colorado
SMART Government Act Hearing for the Department of Education		Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only
Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only
Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only


09:09 AM -- SMART Government Act Hearing for the Department of Higher Education

Senator Kerr, chair, welcomed the committee members to the Joint Education Committee. He invited Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia, Executive Director of the Department of Higher Education (DHE), to the table to begin his presentation. Copies of his powerpoint presentation were distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Lt. Governor Garcia explained that the State Measurements for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act looks at each department's performance and makes sure that state funding is tied to performance. He provided an overview of the department and the SMART Act requirements and told the committee what the department is doing to adhere to the requirements. He provided historical background information about DHE and explained that it is a coordinating agency and not a regulatory agency.

14JtEdSMARTAct1203AttachA.pdf14JtEdSMARTAct1203AttachA.pdf






09:14 AM

Lt. Governor Garcia reviewed the organizational structure of the department, as well as its strategic priorities. He told the committee that CollegeInvest, of which DHE has oversight, manages over $3 billion in assets and receives no state money. He talked about the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE), which is the state's central policy-making board for higher education, and its relationship with the General Assembly and the governing boards of each individual institution. He discussed several policies and programs that have been implemented to help DHE achieve its strategic priorities.


09:20 AM

Lt. Governor Garcia talked about the different types of higher education institutions in Colorado, as well as the future needs of Colorado's workforce and the economic impact of a post-secondary credential. He answered questions from the committee about the impact of the Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) bill on institutions and about the percentage of students who are able to graduate college in four years.


09:30 AM

He told the committee about the CCHE master plan, Colorado Competes, and its relationship to statewide department goals, and about the funding requirements established by House Bill 14-1319. The committee discussed the public education and outreach that have gone into developing the funding model required by HB 14-1319 and about funding for College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipends.


09:42 AM

Lt. Governor Garcia answered questions from the committee and explained that the total funding request this year shows a $75.6 million increase from last year. The committee discussed the need to expand occupational and vocational programs in the state.


09:51 AM -- Presentation by History Colorado

Senator Kerr invited the presenters from History Colorado to the table. Ed Nichols, President and CEO, and Joseph Bell, Vice President of Finance, History Colorado, introduced themselves and distributed copies of the presentation to the committee (Attachment B). Mr. Nichols reviewed History Colorado's mission and strategic plan. He stated that the three main goals of the strategic plan are to engage the audience and enhance the experience, work with the state collection, and promote sustainability. Mr. Nichols discussed the State Historical Fund which provides grants to projects across the state. He talked about the educational programs provided by History Colorado and explained that it attracts over 400,000 visitors each year.

14JtEdSMARTAct1203AttachB.pdf14JtEdSMARTAct1203AttachB.pdf









10:00 AM

Mr. Nichols discussed History Colorado's budget request for FY 2015-16 and told the committee about specific educational programs, permanent exhibits, and traveling exhibits. He answered questions from the committee on tax credit rehabilitation programs and History Colorado's work on Denver Union Station. He explained that History Colorado has three main components: the museum and its educational programs, the State Historical Fund, and the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. He concluded his presentation with a discussion about the recent audit by the Office of the State Auditor.


10:17 AM

Mr. Nichols answered questions from the committee.


10:21 AM -- SMART Government Act Hearing for the Department of Education

Senator Kerr welcomed the presenters from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to the table. Robert Hammond, Commissioner of Education, CDE, introduced his team which included: Jill Hawley, Associate Commissioner of Achievement and Strategy, Keith Owen, Deputy Commissioner, and Rebecca Holmes, Associate Commissioner of Innovation and Choice. He explained that the four strategic goals of the department are that all students to start strong, read by third grade, meet or exceed standards, and graduate high school ready for college and career. He discussed the challenges of implementing new programs and initiatives such as the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act and new standards and assessments. He shared several positive stories from classrooms across the state and read some quotes from teachers about teacher effectiveness and teacher assessments.


10:36 AM

Ms. Hawley reviewed the contents of the informational binders that were distributed to committee members. She discussed the vision and mission of CDE and gave an overview of the ten-year examination of student performance that shows the percent of students in the state who are proficient or advanced, as well as the percent of students making catch-up and keep-up growth by subject area. She talked about the increase in total enrollment in the state's public school system over the past ten years, including a 61 percent increase in students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch, and a 38 percent increase in students who are English language learners.


10:48 AM

Ms. Hawley and Mr. Owen answered questions from the committee about how some districts that have a high percentage of students who are English language learners and/or qualify for free or reduced price lunch are able to achieve high performance ratings.













10:54 AM

Ms. Hawley talked about the instructional needs of districts and the strategic goals and related budget priorities of the department. She discussed the new state standards and reviewed the strategic goals of the department. Ms. Hawley answered questions about teacher preparation as it pertains to standards and assessments. She discussed the additional Colorado preschool program slots that were allocated by the 2014 School Finance Act and the need to fund full day kindergarten.


11:09 AM

Ms. Hawley highlighted key early childhood initiatives and discussed the department's goal that every student in the state be able to read by third grade. She spoke about the fact that the number of students in the state with a significant reading deficiency declined by two percentage points year over year, and the efforts being made to address achievement gaps. She told the committee about the progress implementing ten Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) content standards and the history of how the standards were developed.


11:21 AM

Ms. Hawley answered questions about the CAS, the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), and the requirement to have a statewide assessment system that is aligned with the new standards.


11:34 AM

Committee discussion ensued about PARCC, CAS, and CMAS. Ms. Hawley answered questions about Common Core and the review process for developing the standards assessment. Melissa Colsman, Executive Director of Achievement and Strategy, CDE, came to the table to respond to committee questions about standards and assessments. Ms. Hawley answered questions about the PARCC pilot program and field tests, the response from school districts, online assessments, and access to technology.


11:49 AM

The committee discussed issues surrounding the volume, length, frequency, and time spent on testing, and about the possibility of adopting the federal minimum standards. The committee discussed federal testing requirements and their impact on funding to states. Joyce Zurkowski, Executive Director of Assessments, CDE, came to the table to answer questions from the committee.


11:59 AM

Ms. Holmes came to the table to talk about the department's goal to increase graduation rates and ensure that every student graduates high school ready for college and career, and the relationship between these goals and the department's statutory authority. She discussed the Counselor Corps Grant Program, concurrent enrollment, and Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP), and reviewed current graduation guidelines.






12:09 PM

Ms. Hawley discussed the implementation of Senate Bill 10-191. Dr. Owen provided an update on accountability and improvement implementation and district accreditation ratings, and talked about priority improvement and school turnaround accreditations.


12:21 PM

The committee discussed the challenges associated with closing a school. Ms. Hawley discussed organizational excellence, specifically in terms of the lean efforts at CDE and its performance report. The committee talked about school finance and the department's budget request, including total program and categorical increase, and BEST budget request based on findings by the Office of the State Auditor). Leanne Emm, Associate Commissioner for School Finance, CDE, came to the table to answer questions about how the money received from marijuana excise tax impacts public school finance. She explained that the first $40 million goes into the Capital Construction Assistance Fund from which districts collect money to use for capital construction. The committee discussed funding through the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant program.


12:35 PM

The committee adjourned.