Reducing Frequency of Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act Independent Evaluations

HOUSE BILL 26-1352

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Brown and Taggart, Sirota, Story; also SENATOR(S) Bridges and Kirkmeyer, Amabile, Kolker, Marchman.

CONCERNING REDUCING THE FREQUENCY OF "COLORADO READING TO ENSURE

ACADEMIC

DEVELOPMENT

ACT"

INDEPENDENT

EVALUATIONS, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, REDUCING AN APPROPRIATION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly ofthe State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-7-1209, amend (8)(a) and (8)(e) as follows: 22-7-1209. State board - rules - department - duties independent evaluations. (8) (a) (I) By Oetobc1 1, 2019, The department shall issue a 1cqucst f-o1 prnposals to contract with an entity to act as an independent evaluator to provide independent evaluations of the use of per-pupil intervention money and money received through the early literacy grant program by local education providers and to conduct a multi-year evaluation to determine whether the student outcomes achieved by local education providers in implementing this part 12 meet the goals of this part 12 as described in

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material added to existing law; dashes through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of the act.

section22-7-1202 (2) and(3)(a). BEGINNINGINTHE2026-27SCHOOL YEAR, THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS MUST OCCUR BIENNIALLY.

(II) LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS SHALL CONTINUE TO ANNUALLY SUBMIT TO THE DEPARTMENT THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BY SECTION 22-7-1208 (8)(a). (111) IN ADDITION TO POSTING THE INFORMATION AS REQUIRED BY SUBSECTION (9) OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ANNUALLY POST A REPORT ON ITS WEBSITE THAT SUMMARIZES THE DATA FROM THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS AND INCLUDES ANY DEPARTMENT INPUT ON PROPOSED PROGRAM CHANGES.

(e) The independent e'\I aluator contracted pm suant to this subsection (8) shall complete the evaluation of the implementation of this part 12 as described in subsection (8)(c) of this section by July 1, 2021. The department shall include a report of the evaluation in the hearing before the joint education committee held pmsuant to section 2-7-203 in No'\lember or December 2021. BEGINNING IN THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR, AND BIENNIALLy THEREAFTER, the independent evaluator shall continue evaluations of EVALUATE the growth in reading achieved by local education providers' use ofper-pupil intervention money and money received through the early literacy grant program.

SECTION 2. Appropriation - adjustments to 2026 long bill.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, to implement this act, the cash funds appropriation from the state education fund created in section 17 (4)(a) of article IX of the state constitution made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education for use by student learning for the early literacy program external evaluation is decreased by $750,000. (2) Subsection (1) of this section does not require a reduction of an appropriation in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year if: (a) The amount of the cash fund appropriation from the state education fund made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education for use by student learning for the early literacy program external evaluation is less than the amount of

the adjustment required in subsection ( 1) of this section; or (b) The annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year does not include an appropriation from the state education fund to the department of education for use by student learning for the early literacy program external evaluation.

SECTION 3. Effective date. This act takes effect upon passage; except that section 2 of this act takes effect only if the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year becomes law, in which case section 2 takes effect upon the effective date of this act or of the annual general appropriation act for state fiscal year 2026-27, whichever is later. SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for

the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state institutions.

Julie McCluskie SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

James Rashad Coleman, Sr. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Vanessa Reilly CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Esther van Mourik SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

APPROVED on Monday June 1st 2026 at 11:00am (Date and Time)

Jared S. Polis GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO