SBE Work News
Relevant Links:
Legislative Foundations
Reform Initiatives
Key Groups
- Full list of Council members and follow the Council's work: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/LtGovGarcia/CBON/1251599819747
- Video of the recent statewide literacy bus tour led by Lt. Governor Joe Garcia: http://www.youtube.com/user/MileHighUnitedWay
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Read the adopted description here.
In 2009, the Colorado State Board of Education and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education adopted a description of “postsecondary and workforce readiness (PWR).”
This was the first time in state history the two boards have met to take formal action on state policy. In addition, The PWR definition is unique in American education policy, representing the nation’s only formal, jointly adopted, standards-based definition of college and career readiness.
“It’s a historic day for our P-12 and higher education governing boards to come together to adopt a description of postsecondary and workforce readiness", said Governor Bill Ritter. "The PWR description serves as a guidepost to our state standards. The description outlines the skills, knowledge and behaviors that high school graduates will need in order to enter college and the workforce so they can compete and succeed in a 21st century global economy.”
Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones added, “This is not the end of the conversation, but the beginning. It is not the description itself, but what we do with it, how we implement it. Similarly, collaboration across the system is just the beginning; our next challenge is to consider how we maintain momentum during implementation in the field.”
Beginning in fall 2008, CDE and CCHE hosted more than 13 regional meetings across the state to discuss and solicit feedback on the elements of “postsecondary and workforce readiness.” More than 1,000 early childhood, P-12, higher education, businesses, parents, students and other community members participated in the meetings.
“The success today is the result of input from all over the state and from the full range of interests,” said CCHE Chairman Jim Polsfut, who also facilitated the meeting. “We are all determined to carry out the purposes of CAP4K to make sure all Colorado high school graduates are ready to continue their education or enter the 21st century workforce.”
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The PWR description is just one component of Senate Bill 08-212, known as the Preschool to Postsecondary Education Alignment Act, Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids, or CAP4K. The purpose of the bill is to improve Colorado’s public education system through alignment of preschool through postsecondary expectations.The CAP4K timeline outlines several steps before completion:
• Completed Dec. 2008 - State Board adopts a school readiness description• Completed June 2009 - State Board and Colorado Commission on Higher Education jointly
adopt a postsecondary and workforce readiness description• Completed Dec. 2009 - State Board adopts revised content standards in 13 subjects, aligned
to school, postsecondary and workforce readiness• Completed 2010 - Districts participate in a postsecondary and workforce readiness
assessment pilot• Completed Dec. 2010 - SBE and CCHE jointly agree on design specifications for a new
system of assessments• Completed Fall 2011 - State Board adopts the components of the new state assessment
system and authorizes release of Requests For Proposal to vendors• Completed Dec. 2011 - Local districts adopt standards that meet or exceed the new Colorado
Academic Standards• Dec. 2011 - State Board approves new state assessments for implementation in 2014
(On hold pending adoption of 2012-13 state budget)