The Colorado State Board of Education met in August to review results from the spring 2025 statewide assessments. The presentation showed steady improvement among many student groups, but also revealed ongoing achievement gaps between different groups.
During the meeting, board members approved revised science standards that now include climate science concepts. The Colorado Academic Standards are updated every six years and outline what students should know at each grade level. Over the past year, staff from the Colorado Department of Education developed eight recommended revisions for third-grade and high school science standards after analyzing 10 essential climate science concepts, including guidance from NOAA’s 2009 and 2024 Guides to Climate Literacy. Public feedback was collected from about 950 responses and through board meetings. After considering this input, board members discussed the revisions and made amendments in three areas related to middle school and high school standards before voting 7-2 in favor of adopting the changes.
The board also addressed budget issues for fiscal year 2026-27 due to a projected statewide shortfall of more than $700 million following federal tax law changes. They approved proposed reductions totaling approximately $3.35 million for the Colorado Department of Education’s budget. These cuts include administrative efficiencies, changes to program evaluation cycles, and reduced offerings for science-focused educator professional development.
In other business, the board recognized Chris Reynolds, vice principal at Liberty Common High School in Fort Collins’ Poudre School District, as the 2024 Milken Educator Award winner.
The board unanimously agreed to advance notices of rulemaking for October hearings on updated School Transportation Fund rules as well as new accounting and reporting rules. Additionally, they held a hearing on updates to school finance rules—covering Census block data collection, support for District Special Education funding within School Finance, and clarifications on proof of residency requirements—with a vote scheduled for September.
According to the department: “The Colorado Department of Education’s vision is to create equitable educational environments where all students and staff in Colorado thrive. Our role is to improve student outcomes and ensure students and families across Colorado have access to high-quality schools by serving, guiding, and elevating our state’s 178 school districts and BOCES.”
