On the Issues

School District Accreditation

The process of accrediting local school districts has existed for about 100 years. Many years ago, high schools asked the universities in their states to accredit them. Later, accreditation agencies were created, such as the North Central Accreditation Agency which reviewed Colorado high schools for many years.

Accreditation has long been linked to public accountability. Colorado's 1988 School Finance Act required every school and school district to issue an annual report to the public. Recently, however, this practice changed with the passage of a new state accreditation law.

Our Association supported HB 1267 in the 1998 Legislature. The law requires state accreditation of school districts based on students' results on standards-based assessments. Under the law, school districts will be required to enter into a six-year contract with the State Board of Education;, defining the goals, standards and requirements the districts will meet. The law includes a "corrective action" cycle for districts that do not meet their own goals.

In October 1999, the State Board of Education adopted rules and regulations for the implementation of the 1998 School District Accreditation Act. These outline what must be included in a school district's contract with the state:

  • The district's goals and standards, along with evidence that the district's academic content standards are at least as rigorous as the state model standards;
  • The strategies the district will use to improve student achievement;
  • The assessments the district will use to measure student achievement;
  • The process the district will use to accredit each of its schools;
  • The method the district will use to recognize high performing schools and intervene with low performing schools;
  • The district's assurance that all schools will participate in state assessments (CSAP);
  • The district's plan for involving its citizens in accreditation.
The local school board is required, under the Accreditation Act, to submit a contract to the State Board of Education by July 1, 2000. The local board is also required to report annually to the State Board and the public on student achievement, using a "report card" adopted by the State Board. The report card will include results of the CSAP assessments; results of the Basic Literacy Act (third grade reading) assessments; number of students taking AP classes and exams; and information about expelled students, students who don't take CSAP, graduation requirements, and other information.

The State Board will have four accreditation categories for schools and districts:

Accredited:
The district and the school must meet or exceed one of three Accreditation Targets:

Ultimate Goal:
100% of students Advanced or Proficient on CSAP

Intermediate Benchmark:
80% Advanced or Proficient on CSAP

Short Term Benchmark:
25% increase in base line percentage of Advanced or Proficient CSAP students over three years; 25% decrease in percentage of third graders not on grade level in third grade reading test over three years; and the school and the district meet or exceed district goals for other indicators

Academic Watch:
The district and the school go on Academic Watch if they do not meet any of the three Accreditation Targets included in the "Accredited" category above.

Academic Probation:
The district and the school go on Academic Probation if after one year on Academic Watch they do not meet the Accreditation Targets in the "Accredited" category above.

Nonaccredited:
The district and the school are Nonaccredited if after one year on Academic Probation they fail to meet the State Accreditation Targets or fail to show adequate growth on their improvement plans.

CEA testified in writing to the State Board in July 1999, requesting that the board consider several changes to its proposed rules:

  1. Three elements should be included in the contract that require districts to show evidence of their teacher evaluation process; that every teacher they employ is licensed in Colorado; and that they provide professional development opportunities linked to student achievement;
  2. The Report Card should include CSAP scores delineated by category of learner (regular learner, special needs student, non-English speaking student, etc.);
  3. Districts should include an indicator on student mobility rates.

CEA also expressed concerns that the state does not provide districts with any assistance under the Accreditation Act to help them improve student achievement, e.g., funding for additional professional development for teachers.

In December 1999, Governor Bill Owens released an overview of his 2000 Education Reform Agenda, Putting Children First. In his plan, the Governor included a state report card on every public school in Colorado. At this time, it is unclear whether the Governor intends to use the Academic Achievement Report Card in the Accreditation Act or if he wants a different report card  –  and what effect this will have on the State Board of Education's intentions in the Accreditation Act.

We anticipate that the Legislature will address this issue in its 2000 session (January 5-May 3, 2000) and may change the Accreditation Act as a result.

Learn more about School District Accreditation from the Colorado Department of Education's web site.