(1) The general assembly hereby finds that: (a) Since 1993, implementation of standards-based education has resulted in significant increases in the ability of school districts and the state to measure what each student knows and is able to demonstrate at various levels in the student's academic career and in significant increases in learning and academic achievement among some students enrolled in the public schools of the state; (b) However, Colorado continues to see a widening of the achievement gap, unacceptably high dropout rates throughout the state, unacceptably low numbers of high school graduates who continue into and successfully complete higher education, and an unacceptably high need for remediation among those students who do continue into higher education; (c) From the inception of the nation, public education was intended both to prepare students for the workforce and to prepare them to take their place in society as informed, active citizens who are ready to both participate and lead in citizenship. In recent years, the emphasis in public education has been squarely placed on the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, but it is important that education reform also emphasize the public education system's historic mission of education for active participation in democracy. (d) With the advent of the twenty-first century and increasing expectations and demands with regard to the use of technology and higher-level critical thinking skills, coupled with increasing levels of national and international economic competition, it is now imperative that the state move to the next generation of standards-based education. (2) The general assembly finds that: (a) More and more studies indicate that high-quality early learning experiences are crucial to ensuring students' ultimate success in school, in postsecondary education, in the workforce, and in life, generally; (b) The next generation of standards-based education must take into account the fact that children enter school with varying skills and experiences. Under the Colorado student assessment program, Colorado does not have the ability to describe achievement gaps until students are in third grade, which, in most circumstances, is too late to adequately address the varying skill levels and experiences with which the students entered school. Understanding the skills, knowledge, and behavior that students bring to their earliest years of public education will provide crucial information to families, communities, schools, and teachers so that they can better support young children's learning and development. (c) With the increasing number of children who participate in preschool and the recognized importance of providing a high-quality preschool experience, the next generation of standards-based education must ensure that preschools provide very high-quality services that are most likely to help students develop the necessary skills to excel as they enter elementary school. (3) The general assembly finds that: (a) The next generation of standards-based education must consider the needs of the whole student by creating a rich and balanced curriculum; (b) The next generation of standards-based education must also take into account the fact that, while all students must be well prepared for active citizenship, different students will have different career aspirations: Some will seek higher education upon graduation; some will seek career or technical training to pursue a particular vocation; others will immediately seek to enter the workforce; (c) In the modern world, however, there is little variation in the level of academic preparedness that a student must achieve in order to succeed after high school, regardless of the student's aspirations. To be successful in the workforce and earn a living wage immediately upon graduation from high school, a student needs nearly the same level of academic achievement and preparation that he or she would need to continue into career and technical or higher education. (d) In providing the curricula to ensure that each student attains the level of academic achievement and preparation he or she needs to continue into the student's chosen post- graduation path of entering the workforce, career and technical education, or higher education, a wide variety of curricular and program options will be necessary to spark in each student the ambition and desire to graduate from high school and achieve his or her aspirations; (e) Public education must encourage and accommodate students' exposure to and involvement in postsecondary planning and in activities that develop creativity and innovation skills; critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; communication and collaboration skills; social and cultural awareness; civic engagement; initiative and self-direction; flexibility; productivity and accountability; character and leadership; information technology application skills; and other skills critical to preparing students for the twenty-first-century workforce and for active citizenship; (f) The ultimate goal of public education, whatever the student's post-high school aspirations may be or whatever they may become over time, is to ensure that, to the extent possible, each student is prepared to meet his or her full potential. To this end, the system of preschool through postsecondary public education, and the educators who ensure its success, should never cease in striving to help a student achieve mastery of both knowledge and skills. (4) The general assembly concludes, therefore, that: (a) To educate students to their full potential, the state must align the public education system from preschool through postsecondary and workforce readiness. This alignment will ensure that a student who enters school ready to succeed and achieves the required level of proficiency on standards as he or she progresses through elementary and secondary education will have achieved postsecondary and workforce readiness when the student graduates from high school, if not earlier. As such, the student will be ready to enter the workforce or to enter postsecondary education without need for remediation. (b) Alignment of standards from preschool through postsecondary and workforce readiness requires that the state board of education and the Colorado commission on higher education, with the departments of education and higher education, work in close collaboration to create a seamless system of public education standards, expectations, and assessments; (c) Creating this seamless system of standards, expectations, and assessments from preschool through postsecondary and workforce readiness is a multi-faceted and complex project that will require multiple stages of planning, design, and implementation and that will likely continue over years. Further, achieving the goals outlined in this part 10 will likely require the reallocation of existing state resources and the identification and allocation of new resources to meet increased needs at the state and local levels, including but not limited to significant investment in professional development for educators. (d) Aligning standards from preschool through postsecondary and workforce readiness and creating a seamless system of public education will place even greater demands on principals, teachers, and other educators. The general assembly recognizes that enabling them to meet these demands will require an investment in professional development. (e) Throughout the process of creating a seamless system of public education in Colorado, the state board of education and the Colorado commission on higher education must ensure that the standards for preschool through elementary and secondary education, culminating in postsecondary and workforce readiness, are sufficiently relevant and rigorous to ensure that each student who receives a public education in Colorado is prepared to compete academically and economically within the state or anywhere in the nation or the world. (5) The general assembly finds and declares that, for purposes of section 17 of article IX of the state constitution, adoption and implementation of a school readiness description, of standards and aligned assessments for preschool through elementary and secondary education, and of a postsecondary and workforce readiness description are critical elements of accountable education reform and accountable programs to meet state academic standards and may therefore receive funding from the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution.
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