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State Board Accountability Hearings

 

Background

The state’s Accountability Clock requires the State Board of Education to direct a course of action to the local board of education if the school or district has received Priority Improvement or Turnaround ratings for five consecutive years. These courses of action are called “Accountability Pathways”, and are directed by the state board during an Accountability Hearing.

View the Accountability Pathways and Hearings Fact Sheet (PDF).

For more information about the accountability pathways, visit the Accountability Pathways webpage,

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Accountability Hearings

When deciding a course of action for a school or district that has received five consecutive ratings of Priority Improvement or Turnaround, the state board holds an Accountability Hearing. The state board must make their determination by considering only the following during an Accountability Hearing:

  • Commissioner and Department Report: the Commissioner and CDE staff provide relevant academic data, prior improvement efforts, and other information as requested by the state board in the form of a submitted report.
  • State Review Panel Recommendation: prior to the hearing, the State Review Panel (third-party education experts) will visit the school or district to review documents and interview school and/or district staff. The State Review Panel will issue a written recommendation regarding which Accountability Pathway can best improve student outcomes.
  • District Proposal: CDE staff will work with the district to select a pathway that is best suited to create dramatic change at the school or district.
  • Public Comment: the State Board Office collects comments, feedback, and testimony submitted in advance of the hearing by parents, community members, local officials, and others.

The official Accountability Hearing procedures are available in the Administrative Procedures for State Board Accountability Actions (PDF).

If the school or district continues to receive Priority Improvement or Turnaround ratings after implementing their state board directed-pathway, the state board may in any year - and must every two years - hold an additional Accountability Hearing and direct the district to continue the previously directed action or undertake additional or different actions. If a school or district receives two consecutive ratings of Improvement or Performance, then the school or district is no longer required to implement the state board directed-pathway and is considered off of the Accountability Clock and Performance Watch. The Accountability Hearing process is outlined in the figure below.

A timeline of the Accountability Hearing process

Early Action Accountability Hearings

Early Action is a voluntary process through which schools and districts in Year 3 or Year 4 of Performance Watch can pursue an improvement pathway before the required state board-directed action in Year 5. An Early Action hearing replaces the Year 5 hearing. During this hearing, the state board has the opportunity to approve or deny the proposed school or district pathway plan. The state board does not have the opportunity to direct a different pathway during an Early Action hearing.

The official Early Action Accountability Hearing procedures are available in the Administrative Procedures for Considering Early State Board Accountability Actions (PDF).

Active State Board Orders

The schools and districts below have been directed by the State Board of Education to implement an accountability pathway, and are currently on the Accountability Clock or Performance Watch. If a school or district receives two consecutive years of being rated Improvement or Performance, then the school or district will fully exit Performance Watch, and their state board order will expire.

District

School

Accountability Pathway

Current Pathway Plan

Active State Board Orders

Prior State Board Orders

Adams County 14

District-level

Partial Management (TNTP)

Pathway Plan

2024 Order

2022 Order2018 Order2017 Order

Adams County 14

Adams City High School

Partial Management (TNTP)

Pathway Plan

2024 Order

2022 Order2018 Order2017 Order

Adams County 14

Central Elementary School

Partial Management (TNTP) & Innovation

Pathway Plan

2022 Order

2019 Motion

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Aurora Central Campus

Partial Management (TNTP) & Innovation

Pathway Plan

2024 Order

2020 Order2019 Order2017 Order

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Gateway High School

Innovation

Pathway Plan

2023 Order

2021 Order2019 Order

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

North Middle School

Partial Management (TNTP)

Pathway Plan

2024 Order

2019 Order

Aguilar Reorganized 6

Aguilar Elementary School

Partial Management (TNTP)

Pathway Plan

2024 Order

--

Colorado Springs 11

Mitchell High School

Innovation

Pathway Plan

2022 Order

--

Denver Public Schools

Abraham Lincoln High School

Innovation

Pathway Plan

2024 Order

2022 Motion2020 Order

Pueblo City 60

Risley International Academy of Innovation

Partial Management (Relay GSE)

Pathway Plan

2023 Order

2022 Order2021 Order2020 Order2018 Order2017 Order

Progress Monitoring

Department staff monitors the implementation of state board orders, and provides progress updates to the state board twice per year. Materials from the most recent progress monitoring update are available on BoardDocs from the September 11, 2024 State Board of Education meeting.

Upcoming State Board Accountability Hearings

The State Board of Education acts in a quasi-judicial manner during accountability hearings. This means that once an accountability hearing has been officially noticed, state board members are not allowed to have ex parte communication with any interested parties or members of the public. The public is allowed to submit public comment regarding the accountability hearing prior to its date. The public comment period is open for approximately one month prior to the scheduled hearing.

As such, state board members are not allowed to communicate with any interested parties or members of the public for hearings listed in the table below.

District

School

Hearing Date

Public Comment Period

The state board does not currently have any upcoming Accountability Hearings scheduled.

Public Comment

The State Board of Education seeks input from students, families, school staff, and community members on upcoming accountability hearings. Members of the public may:

  • comment on the school's current status and effectiveness, and
  • provide input regarding state board directed-actions (what should be done moving forward).

Comments may be submitted ANY of the following ways:

Public comment submissions may not be related to personnel matters.

The deadline for all written comments is four business days prior to the accountability hearing. Comments will be compiled by the State Board of Education Office and sent to all state board members. All submissions will become part of the official record for the hearings and posted publicly. Personal information will be redacted before public posting. Comments submitted in languages other than English will be translated into English as time permits. Comments received past the deadline will not be included in the record or forwarded to the state board.

Past State Board Accountability Hearings - Active Orders

The table below lists all completed accountability hearings for schools and districts that currently have an active State Board of Education order, and remain on the Accountability Clock or Performance Watch.

District

School

Hearing Date

Hearing Type 

Hearing Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Aurora Central Campus

June 12, 2024

Rehearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

North Middle School

June 12, 2024

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

Adams City High School

May 8, 2024

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

District-level

May 8, 2024

Rehearing

Materials

Denver Public Schools

Abraham Lincoln High School

March 13, 2024

Rehearing

Materials

Aguilar Reorganized 6

Aguilar Elementary School

February 14, 2024

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Risley Intl. Academy

November 8, 2023

Rehearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Gateway High School

June 14, 2023

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

Central Elementary School

June 8, 2022

Rehearing

Materials

Denver Public Schools

Abraham Lincoln High School

June 8, 2022

State of the Schools

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Risley Intl. Academy

May 11, 2022

State of the Schools

Materials

Adams County 14

District-Level

May 10, 2022

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

District-Level

April 14, 2022

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

Central Elementary School

April 14, 2022

Rehearing

Materials

Colorado Springs 11

Mitchell High School

April 12, 2022

Early Action Hearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Gateway High School

September 10, 2021

Order Modification

Materials

Adams County 14

District-Level

September 9, 2021

Appear and Show Cause Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Risley Intl. Academy

March 10, 2021

Order Modification

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Risley Intl. Academy

September 9, 2020

Order Modification

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Aurora Central Campus

June 11, 2020

Order Modification

Materials

Denver Public Schools

Abraham Lincoln High School

February 13, 2020

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Aurora Central Campus

November 13, 2019

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

Central Elementary School

May 9, 2019

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Gateway High School

April 11, 2019

Early Action Hearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

North Middle School

April 11, 2019

Early Action Hearing

Materials

Adams County 14

District-Level

November 14, 2018

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

Adams City High School

November 14, 2018

Rehearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Risley Intl. Academy

November 14, 2018

Rehearing

Materials

Adams County 14

District-Level

May 11, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Adams County 14

Adams City High School

May 11, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Risley Intl. Academy

April 24, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Adams-Arapahoe 28J

Aurora Central Campus

April 12, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Past State Board Accountability Hearings - Expired Orders

The table below lists all completed accountability hearings for schools and districts that have either since exited Performance Watch in the past or have closed. These schools and districts no longer have an active state board order.

District

School

Hearing Date

Hearing Type 

Hearing Materials

Denver Public Schools

Manual High School

June 8, 2022

State of the Schools

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Central High School

May 11, 2022

State of the Schools

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Minnequa Elementary School

May 11, 2022

State of the Schools

Materials

Denver Public Schools Manual High School

February 13, 2020

Year 5 Hearing Materials

Monte Vista C8

Bill Metz Elementary School

February 12, 2020

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Douglas County Re 1

HOPE Online Elementary School

January 9, 2020

Rehearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Central High School

January 8, 2020

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Minnequa Elementary School

June 12, 2019

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Heroes Middle School

November 14, 2018

Rehearing

Materials

Montezuma Cortez RE-1

Manaugh Elementary School

May 9, 2018

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Greeley 6

Martinez Elementary School

February 15, 2018

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Huerfano Re-1

Peakview School

May 10, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Aguilar Reorganized 6

District-Level

May 4, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Aguilar Reorganized 6

Aguilar Jr./Sr. High School

May 4, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Westminster Public Schools

District-Level

May 4, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Greeley 6

Franklin Middle School

April 24, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Greeley 6

Prairie Heights Middle School

April 24, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Bessemer Elementary School

April 24, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Pueblo City 60

Heroes Middle School

April 24, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Douglas County Re 1

HOPE Online Elementary School

April 13, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Douglas County Re 1

HOPE Online Middle School

April 13, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Julesburg Re-1

District-Level

March 9, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Julesburg Re-1

Destinations Career Academy

March 9, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Montezuma Cortez RE-1

District-Level

March 9, 2017

Year 5 Hearing

Materials

Contacts

Nate Goss, Accountability Project Manager
720-682-8535, Goss_N@cde.state.co.us