First Regular Session
Sixty-second General Assembly
LLS NO. 99-0248.01 Beth Braby HOUSE BILL 99-1232
STATE OF COLORADO
BY REPRESENTATIVE S. Williams;
also SENATOR Chlouber.
EDUCATION
A BILL FOR AN ACT
101 CONCERNING THE COLLECTION OF DATA ON SCHOOL CLASSES THAT MAY
102 PREDICT SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not necessarily reflect any amendments that may be subsequently
adopted.)
Acknowledges the importance of understanding predictors of
successful students. States that class size and composition of that class
are linked to the success of students. Requires the state board of
education to collect data with respect to core class size, number of at-risk
students, and number of special education students for kindergarten
through the third grade. Requires the state board to submit this
information to the governor and the education committees of the house
of representatives and the senate commencing on January 15, 2000, and
continuing annually each January 15 through January 15, 2004. Requires
the education committees of the house of representatives and senate to
hold hearings to consider the benefits and burdens of continuing to collect
and disseminate this data during the regular session of the sixty-fourth
general assembly. Repeals this section, effective July 1, 2004.
Requires the commissioner of education to maintain this
information and make it available upon request.
1 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
2 SECTION 1. Part 1 of article 2 of title 22, Colorado Revised
3 Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION to
[ ] denotes HOUSE amendment. { } denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters indicate new material to be added to existing statute.
Dashes through the words indicate material to be deleted from existing statute.
Page 2
1 read:
2 22-2-114.3. Successful students - collection and dissemination
3 of class composition data for kindergarten through the third grade -
4 repeal. (1) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HEREBY DECLARES THAT NATIONAL
5 STUDIES INDICATE THAT CLASS SIZE AND COMPOSITION OF THAT CLASS ARE
6 PREDICTORS OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7 FURTHER FINDS THAT INFORMATION RELATING TO THESE PREDICTORS
8 WOULD BENEFIT THE STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE
9 STATE OF COLORADO. THEREFORE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FINDS THAT
10 IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO INITIATE
11 MEASURES TO COLLECT AND DISTRIBUTE THIS AGGREGATE DATA.
12 (2) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE
13 REQUIRES:
14 (a) "AT-RISK STUDENTS" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS
15 "AT-RISK PUPILS", AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN SECTION 22-54-103 (1).
16 (b) "CLASS SIZE" MEANS THE RATIO OF LICENSED TEACHERS AND
17 TEACHERS HOLDING EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATIONS, AS DEFINED IN
18 SECTION 22-60.5-111 (1) (c), TO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE
19 CORE CLASS.
20 (c) "CORE CLASS" MEANS THE BASIC SKILLS CLASSES OF LANGUAGE
21 ARTS AND MATH.
22 (d) "ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ACT STUDENTS" MEANS
23 THOSE STUDENTS WHOSE DOMINANT LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH AND WHO
24 ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
25 PROGRAM PURSUANT TO SECTION 22-24-104.
26 (e) "SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS" SHALL HAVE THE SAME
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1 MEANING AS "CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES", AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN
2 SECTION 22-20-103 (1.5).
3 (3) IN COOPERATION WITH LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION, THE
4 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL COLLECT AGGREGATE DATA FROM
5 EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT ON CORE CLASS SIZE, THE NUMBER OF AT-RISK
6 STUDENTS PER CORE CLASS, THE NUMBER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE
7 PROFICIENCY ACT STUDENTS PER CORE CLASS, AND THE NUMBER OF
8 SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS PER CORE CLASS, FOR CHILDREN IN
9 KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THE THIRD GRADE, WITH RESULTS TO BE
10 REPORTED TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE EDUCATION COMMITTEES OF THE
11 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE. THE STATE BOARD OF
12 EDUCATION SHALL REPORT SUCH INFORMATION COMMENCING JANUARY
13 15, 2000, FOR THE ACADEMIC SEMESTER CONTAINED IN THE FALL OF 1999,
14 AND CONTINUING EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER, WITH RESULTS REPORTED ON
15 JANUARY 15 OF EACH YEAR THROUGH JANUARY 15, 2004.
16 (4) (a) IN THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE SIXTY-FOURTH GENERAL
17 ASSEMBLY CONVENING IN 2004, THE EDUCATION COMMITTEES OF THE
18 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE SHALL HOLD HEARINGS TO
19 CONSIDER THE BENEFITS AND BURDENS OF CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT THE
20 PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION. THE EDUCATION COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE
21 OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE SHALL THEN MAKE A REPORT TO
22 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AS TO WHETHER THE REPEAL IN PARAGRAPH (b)
23 OF THIS SUBSECTION (4) SHOULD TAKE EFFECT.
24 (b) THIS SECTION IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2004.
25 SECTION 2. 22-2-112 (1), Colorado Revised Statutes, is
26 amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW PARAGRAPH to read:
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1 22-2-112. Commissioner - duties - repeal. (1) Subject to the
2 supervision of the state board, the commissioner has the following duties:
3 (p) (I) TO MAINTAIN INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE STATE
4 BOARD OF EDUCATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 22-2-114.3, AND TO MAKE
5 THIS INFORMATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST BY ANY STATE OR FEDERAL
6 AGENCY OR MEMBER OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
7 (II) THIS PARAGRAPH (p) IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2004.
8 SECTION 3. Effective date. This act shall take effect July 1,
9 1999.
10 SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds,
11 determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
12 preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.