SENATE Amended 3rd Reading March 5, 2010 SENATE Amended 2nd Reading March 2, 2010Second Regular Session Sixty-seventh General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REENGROSSED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted in the House of Introduction LLS NO. 10-0772.01 Julie Pelegrin SENATE BILL 10-026 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Romer, HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Middleton, Senate Committees House Committees Education A BILL FOR AN ACT Concerning providing to the public information to facilitate successful participation in postsecondary education. Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.) The bill transfers the college in Colorado division from the department of higher education to the department of education and specifies in statute the duties of the college in Colorado division. The bill also makes conforming amendments. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. Title 23, Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW ARTICLE to read: ARTICLE 1.7 College in Colorado 23-1.7-101. Definitions. As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Department" means the department of higher education created and existing pursuant to section 24-1-114, C.R.S. (2) "Executive director" means the office of the executive director of the Colorado commission on higher education created and existing pursuant to section 24-1-114, C.R.S. (3) "Individual career and academic plan" means the plan described in section 22-2-136, C.R.S., and by rule of the state board of education and required pursuant to sections 22-30.5-505 (2) (f) and 22-32-109 (1) (nn), C.R.S., for each student enrolled in a public high school. (4) "Office" means the college in Colorado office created pursuant to section 23-1.7-102 in the department of higher education. (5) "Unique student identifier" means the identifier assigned in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 22-11-104, C.R.S., to each student while he or she is enrolled in the elementary to secondary public education system. (6) "Web site" means the web site maintained by the office pursuant to section 23-1.7-103 (1) (a), accessible at "CollegeInColorado.org". 23-1.7-102. College in Colorado office - created. (1) There is hereby created within the department the college in Colorado office. The head of the office shall be the director of college in Colorado and shall be appointed by the executive director in accordance with section 13 of article XII of the state constitution. (2) The college in Colorado office and the office of the director of college in Colorado shall exercise their powers and perform their duties and functions under the department and the executive director as if the same were transferred to the department by a type 2 transfer as defined in the "Administrative Organization Act of 1968", article 1 of title 24, C.R.S. 23-1.7-103. College in Colorado office - duties. (1) In addition to any other duties that may be required by law, the college in Colorado office shall have the following duties: (a) To maintain a free, comprehensive web site accessible at "CollegeInColorado.org" to provide students and their parents with the resources and technical support necessary to create and implement individual career and academic plans. The office shall maintain the web site in consultation with the department of education and shall ensure that the web site is interoperable with the data portal maintained by the department of education pursuant to section 22-11-502, C.R.S. At a minimum, the resources and technical support provided by the office shall include assistance in: (I) Exploring and planning careers; (II) Selecting appropriate high school courses; (III) Accessing remedial and concurrent enrollment courses; (IV) Accessing contextual and service learning experiences; (V) Developing resumes and selecting and applying to institutions of higher education; (VI) Obtaining financial aid and scholarships; and (VII) Preparing for college entrance examinations; (b) To provide training for educators, parents, and other interested persons concerning the resources and tools available from the office and the web site; (c) To provide informational materials, including but not limited to brochures, posters, guides, and directories, to school districts, schools, and members of the public; (d) To collaborate with state and local governmental agencies, nonprofit and for-profit oganizations, educators, school districts, schools, parents, students, and community organizations throughout the state to coordinate and disseminate information concerning postsecondary education; and (e) To provide to school districts, schools, students, and parents additional technical support and information concerning students' individual career and academic plans, college preparation, admissions, financial aid, and other issues pertaining to successful enrollment in and completion of postsecondary education. 23-1.7-104. Data analysis - collaboration with department of education - reporting. (1) The office shall collaborate with the department of education in analyzing data collected through the web site. To assist in the collaboration, the office shall provide to persons in the department of education access to student-level information concerning the individual career and academic plans and related data collected through the web site. The office shall use the unique student identifiers in providing all student-level information. The office and the department of education shall ensure that all data-sharing activities required in this section are performed in compliance with the federal "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974", 20 U.S.C. sec. 1232g. (2) The office and the department of education shall analyze the data collected from students' individual career and academic plans and related data collected through the web site to determine, at a minimum, the following issues: (a) Whether students in the state are making sufficient academic and nonacademic progress to suggest that, at graduation, the students will be ready for postsecondary and workforce success; (b) The degree to which students in the state access and use the resources available through the web site; and (c) The degree to which students' use of the individual career and academic plans increases their success in entering and progressing through institutions of higher education. (3) On or before February 15, 2011, and on or before February 15 each year thereafter, the department of education and the office shall prepare and present to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees, a report of the analysis conducted pursuant to this section. The department of education and the office shall also post the report on their respective web sites. SECTION 2. 22-2-112 (1), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW PARAGRAPH to read: 22-2-112. Commissioner - duties. (1) Subject to the supervision of the state board, the commissioner has the following duties: (p) To ensure that the department collaborates with the college in Colorado office in the department of higher education to analyze the student data collected through the "CollegeInColorado.org" web site and prepare the annual analysis report as required in section 23-1.7-104, C.R.S. SECTION 3. 22-30.5-505 (3) (f), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read: 22-30.5-505. State charter school institute - institute board - appointment - powers and duties - rules. (3) The mission of the institute board shall be to foster high-quality public school choices offered through institute charter schools, including particularly schools that are focused on closing the achievement gap for at-risk students. In discharging its duties pursuant to this part 5, the institute shall: (f) Ensure that each student who enrolls in the sixth grade in an institute charter school, on the day of enrollment, is registered with the state-provided, free on-line a college planning and preparation resource. commonly referred to as "CollegeInColorado.org". The institute, the department, and the department of higher education shall collaborate to monitor the implementation of this paragraph (f) and to ensure optimal interactivity between the various data bases and student record systems employed by institute charter schools and college in Colorado Beginning no later than the 2010-11 school year, institute charter schools shall require student individual career and academic plans that meet or exceed the standards adopted by the state board pursuant to section 22-2-136. Each institute charter school shall assist each student and his or her parent or legal guardian to develop and maintain the student's individual career and academic plan no later than the beginning of ninth grade but may assist the student and his or her parent or legal guardian to develop and maintain the student's individual career and academic plan in any grade prior to ninth grade. The institute charter school may use any software or internet-based college preparation and planning service that the institute charter school deems useful and appropriate in developing and maintaining the plans. The institute and the institute charter school shall collaborate with the software vendor or service provider to ensure optimal interactivity among the various databases and student record systems used and to ensure that each student's individual career and academic plan is posted to the student's account on the state-provided college planning and preparation resource web site, commonly referred to as "CollegeInColorado.org". In addition, each institute charter school shall make data concerning each student's individual career and academic plan available to the department. SECTION 4. 22-32-109 (1) (nn), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read: 22-32-109. Board of education - specific duties. (1) In addition to any other duty required to be performed by law, each board of education shall have and perform the following specific duties: (nn) To ensure that each student who enrolls in the sixth grade in a public school of the school district, including but not limited to a district charter school, on the day of enrollment is registered with the state-provided, free on-line a college planning and preparation resource. commonly referred to as "CollegeInColorado.org". The school district, the department of education, and the department of higher education shall collaborate to monitor the implementation of this paragraph (nn) and to ensure optimal interactivity between the various data bases and student record systems employed by school districts and college in Colorado. Beginning no later than the 2010-11 school year, the public schools of the school district, including the charter schools, shall require student individual career and academic plans that meet or exceed the standards adopted by the state board pursuant to section 22-2-136. Each public school shall assist each student and his or her parent or legal guardian to develop and maintain the student's individual career and academic plan no later than the beginning of ninth grade but may assist the student and his or her parent or legal guardian to develop and maintain the student's individual career and academic plan in any grade prior to ninth grade. The public school may use any software or internet-based college preparation and planning service that the public school deems useful and appropriate in developing and maintaining the plans. The school district and public school shall collaborate with the software vendor or service provider to ensure optimal interactivity among the various databases and student record systems used and to ensure that each student's individual career and academic plan is posted to the student's account on the state-provided college planning and preparation resource web site, commonly referred to as "CollegeInColorado.org". In addition, each school district shall make data concerning each student's individual career and academic plan available to the department of education. SECTION 5. 24-1-114 (3), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW PARAGRAPH to read: 24-1-114. Department of higher education - creation. (3) The department of higher education shall include the following divisions: (e) The college in Colorado office, created by article 1.7 of title 23, C.R.S. The college in Colorado office and the director thereof shall exercise their powers and perform their duties and functions as if transferred to the department by a type 2 transfer. SECTION 6. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.