CO Code § 22-11-306 (2021)
2021 Colorado Code|Title 22 - Education|Article 11 - Accreditation|Part 3 - School District and Institute Accountability|§ 22-11-306. Accredited With Turnaround Plan - School District or Institute - Plan Content - Adoption

     In accordance with the time frames specified in state board rule, each school district that is accredited with turnaround plan shall annually adopt and implement a district turnaround plan as described in subsection (3) of this section.    The school district accountability committee for the school district shall advise the local school board concerning preparation of the district turnaround plan and make recommendations to the local school board concerning the contents of the district turnaround plan. In advising and making its recommendations, the school district accountability committee shall take into account and incorporate any district public school performance, improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plans received pursuant to sections 22-11-403 to 22-11-406. The local school board shall create and adopt the district turnaround plan, taking into account the advice and recommendations of the school district accountability committee.    Within the time frames specified in state board rule, the local school board shall submit the adopted district turnaround plan to the commissioner for review. The commissioner may assign the state review panel to review the turnaround plan, in which case the state review panel shall critically evaluate the adopted district turnaround plan and make recommendations to the commissioner and the state board concerning the issues specified in section 22-11-208 (3). The commissioner may approve the adopted district turnaround plan or suggest modifications to the plan, taking into consideration any recommendations of the state review panel. The local school board shall revise the adopted district turnaround plan, if necessary, and resubmit the plan for approval within the time frames specified by state board rule.    The local school board shall submit the final, approved district turnaround plan to the department for publication on the data portal and shall ensure that the final, approved district turnaround plan is in effect for the school district and the district public schools within the time frames specified in state board rule. The local school board shall also make copies of the final, approved district turnaround plan available to members of the public upon request.         If the institute is accredited with turnaround plan, the institute board shall, in accordance with the time frames specified in state board rule, adopt and implement an institute turnaround plan as described in subsection (3) of this section. In preparing the institute turnaround plan, the institute board shall take into account and incorporate any institute charter school performance, improvement, priority improvement, and turnaround plans received pursuant to sections 22-11-403 to 22-11-406.    Within the time frames specified in state board rule, the institute shall submit the adopted institute turnaround plan to the commissioner for review. The commissioner may assign the state review panel to review the turnaround plan, in which case the state review panel shall critically evaluate the adopted institute turnaround plan and make recommendations to the commissioner and the state board concerning the issues specified in section 22-11-208 (3). The commissioner shall approve the adopted institute turnaround plan or suggest modifications to the plan, taking into consideration any recommendations of the state review panel. The institute shall revise the adopted institute turnaround plan, if necessary, and resubmit the plan for approval within the time frames specified by state board rule.    The institute shall submit the final, approved institute turnaround plan to the department for publication on the data portal and shall ensure that the final, approved institute turnaround plan is in effect for the institute and the institute charter schools within the time frames specified by state board rule. The institute shall also make copies of the final, approved institute turnaround plan available to members of the public upon request.       A district turnaround plan or an institute turnaround plan must be designed to ensure that the school district or the institute improves its performance to the extent that, following completion of its next annual accreditation review, the school district or the institute attains a higher accreditation category. At a minimum, a district turnaround plan or an institute turnaround plan must:   Set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the school district, including the district public schools, or the institute, including the institute charter schools, shall attain on the performance indicators. The local school board or the institute shall ensure that the targets are aligned with the statewide targets set by the state board pursuant to section 22-11-201.  (a.5) Identify the strategies to be used in addressing the needs of students enrolled in kindergarten and first, second, and third grade who are identified pursuant to section 22-7-1205 as having significant reading deficiencies and set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the school district, including the district public schools, or the institute, including the institute charter schools, shall attain in reducing the number of students who have significant reading deficiencies and in ensuring that each student achieves grade level expectations in reading;     Identify positive and negative trends for district public schools as a group and individually or for institute charter schools as a group and individually in the levels of attainment by the public schools as a group and individually on the performance indicators;    Assess and prioritize the issues and needs of the district or institute and of the district public schools or institute charter schools that must be addressed to raise the levels of attainment on the performance indicators by the district public schools or institute charter schools and to improve school readiness in district public schools or institute charter schools that serve students in preschool and kindergarten. If a school district includes a district public school that is operating under a priority improvement or turnaround plan and enrolls students in kindergarten or any of grades one through three, the needs assessment for the school district shall include, but shall not be limited to, the early childhood learning needs assessment described in section 22-11-305 (4).    Identify specific, research-based strategies that are appropriate in scope, intensity, and type to address the needs and issues identified pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (3), which strategies shall, at a minimum, include one or more of the following:   Employing a lead turnaround partner that uses research-based strategies and has a proven record of success working with schools under similar circumstances, which turnaround partner shall be immersed in all aspects of developing and collaboratively executing the turnaround plan and shall serve as a liaison to other school partners;    Reorganizing the oversight and management structure within the school district or the institute to provide greater, more effective support for public schools;    For a school district, recognizing individual district public schools as innovation schools or clustering district public schools with similar governance or management structures into one or more innovation school zones and seeking designation as a district of innovation pursuant to article 32.5 of this title;    Hiring an entity that uses research-based strategies and has a proven record of success working with schools under similar circumstances to operate one or more district public schools or institute charter schools pursuant to a contract with the local school board or the institute;    For a school district, converting one or more district public schools to charter schools;    For the institute, renegotiating and significantly restructuring an institute charter school's charter contract;    Closing district public schools or institute charter schools; and    Other actions of comparable or greater significance or effect;       Identify the local, state, and federal resources that the school district or the institute will use to implement the identified strategies with fidelity; and    Address any other issues required by rule of the state board or raised by the department through the accreditation process pursuant to part 2 of this article.         History. Source: L. 2009: Entire article R&RE, (SB 09-163), ch. 293, p. 1496, § 1, effective May 21. L. 2011: (1)(c) amended, (HB 11-1277), ch. 306, p. 1474, § 4, effective August 10. L. 2012: (3)(a.5) added, (HB 12-1238), ch. 180, p. 669, § 8, effective July 1. L. 2017: IP(3) and (3)(c) amended, (SB 17-103), ch. 372, p. 1932, § 4, effective June 6. L. 2018: (1)(c) and (2)(b) amended, (HB 18-1355), ch. 324, p. 1948, § 7, effective May 30.