Since the Colorado State Board of
Education is responsible
for our Graduation
Guidelines, it is high time for a review
Somehow the Colorado State Board has missed a step – to review the “new” Graduation Guidelines. My research finds the last time the Board studied and approved of a version of the Menu of Options was in the fall of 2017. These Guidelines, with their Menu of Options (eleven of them), were fully in place by the 2021-22 school year. Districts and schools have much to tell us about how well all of this is working, especially as to the quality and clarity of each of the 11 options. But as of today, the Board has yet to take a fresh look at our Guidelines.
As the State Board of Education is responsible for the Graduation Guidelines, it is critical that today’s Board members study and evaluate what we have learned. Are we meeting the original goals for the Guidelines? One central purpose, according to the Colorado Department of Education, is “to articulate Colorado’s shared expectations for the meaning of a high school diploma …” [1] Are there “shared expectations,” demonstrating “readiness for college and career,” in all eleven options? Seems unlikely. In that case, what updates or changes might be in order?
High school graduation rates have been
climbing with the new Guidelines, from 81.7% the year prior to full
implementation, to 82.3% in 2022, 83.1% in 2023, and 84.2% in 2024—the highest
rate in Colorado in the 21st century. (2025 data is coming soon.) We
want to have confidence in these numbers. We want to believe that a high school
degree in our state represents something meaningful, that it says something
valuable about what students have learned. Until the State Board evaluates our
Guidelines, it is impossible to have such confidence.
2025-26 is year five with the new Guidelines in place. It is high time
for an evaluation.
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Menu of College and Career-Ready Demonstrations: “Students must demonstrate
readiness for college and career based on at least one measure in Reading,
Writing, and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics.” (Emphasis mine) (CDE’s “Graduation Guidelines - Fact
Sheet” [2])
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Is such a review the
responsibility of the Colorado State Board of Education?
To make my
case for such a study, I felt it necessary to research the history of our
Graduation Guidelines. In Part 1, I trace developments since 2007, when
legislation called on the State Board to develop a “comprehensive set of
guidelines for high school graduation.” I quote there from a statement on the Board’s
“ongoing responsibilities”: “The Colorado State Board of Education is responsible
for … updating … Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines … the Board
will refine and update the College and Career Ready Determinations over
time.” [3]
Part 2 presents news articles and reports going back to 2013.
Part 1 follows. Part 2 is also at the website for Another View.
Part 1. Graduation Guidelines – state statute, State Board meetings, steps taken - 2007-2024
The first summary shows the central role of the State Board, as found in statute, and as seen in all policy decisions in determining our Graduation Guidelines. This is evident when we see the Board’s active role 10 years ago when the Menu of Options were being developed and adopted.
Part 2. Graduation Guidelines – news articles,
reports – 2013-2024
The second summary shows the role of the State Board as presented in
news articles and reports. It reveals the understanding conveyed to the public
and the media that the State Board had, and still has – the central role
in reviewing and approving of the Graduation Guidelines.
Setting
the right expectations for our students mattered – back then. Still true?
This history reveals how important the work felt to many individuals and
organizations a decade ago. You might be surprised to see the passion in the
debates over various drafts of the Guidelines examined by the State Board. People
cared about setting the best possible targets for our students. Excerpts from Part
2 hint at the strong emotions.
Colorado
Children’s Campaign: “We hope that the State Board will not back down on
insisting that a Colorado diploma have value and indicate real readiness for
college and career.” (9/2015)
A
Plus Denver: “If they lower
the standards, at some point it becomes meaningless. It becomes just another
paper chase and defeats the whole purpose …” (4/2015)
The editorial
board of The Denver Post took a strong stand.
“A high school diploma should mean something, namely that students are ready for college or to enter the workplace.
“Otherwise, it is not worth the paper it is printed on.”
The headline of that Denver Post editorial "Don't lower the bar for graduation in Colorado." (5/2015)
Did we heed that warning? Today, who knows? It
is why a thoughtful evaluation of our Guidelines in 2026 is so necessary. Having
clear and meaningful expectations of our high school students mattered then. I
trust it still matters.
I hear some say that our chief goal should
be to help as many students as possible get a high school diploma. Don’t
worry so much about how we measure what they know and can do. Just get
them across that stage. If that is the case, what does a high school degree
even mean?
A careful study of the merits of our Graduation Guidelines will not be easy. But we want to be honest. We want to be confident about what we are telling our students. When we hand out these diplomas, we want to look our new graduates in the eyes and say: you earned this.
[1]
Colorado Department of
Education, “Colorado’s Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K) - 2025 Annual
Legislative Report,” March 2025, https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdedepcom/cap4klegislativeannualreport
[2] Colorado Department of Education. “Graduation Guidelines - Fact Sheet - Menu of College and Career-Ready Demonstrations,” https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelinesmenuofoptionspdf.
[3] From: “Colorado State Board of Education Ongoing Responsibilities,” Colorado High School Graduation Guidelines Adopted by the State Board of Education, May 2013, page 7. https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduation-guidelines
Part 1. Colorado Graduation Guidelines. State
statute, State Board meetings, steps taken
2007-2024 (All
bold is mine)
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2007 – “In 2007, the
General Assembly adopted H.B. 07-1118 that set forth a process for developing
statewide high school graduation guidelines that local boards of education
must meet or exceed. Pursuant to the legislation, the Graduation Guidelines
Council was formed to develop recommendations for the State Board to
consider.[i]
“22-2-106.
State board - duties. (1) It is the duty of the state board: (a.5)
TO ADOPT, ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2008, A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF GUIDELINES FOR
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS TO BE USED BY
EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS…. THE STATE BOARD SHALL UTILIZE THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STATE GRADUATION GUIDELINES DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
ESTABLISHED IN SECTION 22-7-414 AND SHALL: (Seven points follow,
including-) (III) WORK WITH THE COLORADO COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION TO ENSURE THAT THE STATE BOARD'S GUIDELINES FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION ADOPTED PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH (a.5) AND THE POSTSECONDARY ACADEMIC ADMISSION STANDARDS … (IV) RECOGNIZE AND ADDRESS THE MULTIPLE AND DIVERSE PATHWAYS TO DIPLOMAS OFFERED BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE.… THE GUIDELINES FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD … SHALL ENSURE, AT A MINIMUM, THAT, WHILE NOT IDENTICAL, EACH PATHWAY IS EQUALLY RIGOROUS. (V) … IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE GUIDELINES FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, THE STATE BOARD SHALL ENSURE THAT THE STATE MODEL CONTENT STANDARDS, ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 22-7-406, ARE SUFFICIENTLY RIGOROUS, PARTICULARLY IN THE CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECT AREAS OF MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, READING, AND WRITING … [ii] |
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2008 – “Graduation Guidelines Council presents initial recommendation to state board of education. Legislature extends timeline to adopt revised state high school graduation guidelines to May 2013 …”[iii] |
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2012 – “The Graduation Guidelines Council, a representative group of educators and community members established in statute, met beginning in June of 2012 to draft and refine requirements for high school graduation.”[iv] The Council’s 19 members conduct this work from 2012-2013.[v] |
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2013 From CDE’s “Background and History” of the
Graduation Guidelines: “State board of education adopts Colorado Graduation Guidelines proposed by the council, including the Colorado menu of college and career-ready demonstrations. Graduation guidelines work groups - including more than 330 representatives from workforce, higher education, schools and districts - convene by topic area to begin a two-year statewide discussion of career and college-ready demonstrations.”[vi] Colorado High School Graduation Guidelines Adopted by the State Board of Education May 2013 Structure of the Proposed High School Graduation Guidelines Proposed
High School Graduation Guidelines are organized into four sections: [Section
4] Ongoing State Board of Education Responsibilities – This section outlines the responsibilities
of the State Board of Education to support the implementation of the
guidelines.”[vii] (For
full statement, see Addendum.) The Council
proposed the “Minimum Colorado College and Career Ready
Determinations Established by the Colorado State Board of Education.” These included three measures that by 2015 were changed and/or
cut: 1)
“Colorado College and Career Ready
Determinations [included] “academic competency
levels for high school graduates in English language arts (reading, writing,
and communicating), mathematics, social studies, and
science.” 2) Advanced
Placement - 3 or higher 3) ASVAB
(military) preferred AFQT score for career level jobs - 50 |
COMMENTS
The version of the Guidelines that
the State Board adopted in 2013 would change in 2015.
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2015
From CDE’s “Background and History” of the Graduation
Guidelines: “Districts continue to engage community and staff members in conversations about the skills students will need to be successful after they graduate from high school, and the consider adopted revisions to local high school graduation requirements to meet or exceed the Colorado Graduation Guidelines, including a local menu for students to demonstrate college and career readiness.” [viii] During 2015 the State Board went back and forth on a couple of items among the Menu of Options before finally adopting a new version. [See news articles, “Colorado changes requirements for high school
graduation,” The Denver Post, Sept. 9, 2015. “State board finally gives
approval to grad guidelines,” Colorado Chalkbeat, Sept. 9, 2015.] |
The State Board’s review led to several changes. 1.
Dropped requirement for science and social studies. 2. Dropped minimum score on AP tests to 2 or higher. 3.
Dropped minimum score on ASVAB – AFQT to 31. |
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2017 Colorado General Assembly passes SB 17-272 - Measure of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness "The state board must set achievement standards for each demonstration option that indicate the minimum achievement level required for high school graduation and a higher achievement level that indicates that the student is prepared to enroll in postsecondary general education core courses in reading, writing, and math without needing remediation." https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB17-272 Oct. 12, 2017 – CDE’s presentation to the State Board – “Graduation Guidelines Considerations.” The agenda for the session included this: The State Board of Education (SBE) in September 2015 directed Colorado Department of Education staff to re-assess and bring forward recommendations to the menu in two years. CDE presented the changes recommended by
the Assessment Workgroup on the Menu of Options. One of CDE’s slides, Statute
and Guidance, listed four statutes relevant to the work that day. One
referred to 22-2-106 (a.5), quoted above, that addressed the
responsibility of the State Board: • “22-2-106 (a.5) The state board shall utilize the recommendations of the state graduation guidelines development council.” The Board approved of “the technical
changes to the graduation guidelines menu of options.”[ix] |
The bill was connected to the new Graduation Guidelines still being articulated that year by the State Board.
Graduation Guidelines approved by the State Board in 2015 were reviewed again in 2017.
A new version was then approved.
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At this Oct. 12, 2017, meeting, CDE presented a page on the Menu of Options, as they
appeared then, for the State Board to study and review. This listed the “Demonstration”— the minimum score or
performance level in English and in Math – that students would need to meet
on Accuplacer, ACT, Advanced Placement, SAT, International Baccalaureate, etc.
For one option, “Collaboratively‐developed, standards‐based performance,” slide 7 read: “In Process” for both English and Math. [Another version read: “In development.”] For two other options, for both District Capstones and Industry Certificates, under “Demonstration,” slide 7 read: “District determined” for English and Math.[x] |
So at that time, on
three options, the Board was not looking at a minimum score or performance
level. |
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COMMENT: The specific examples, above, with no criteria for one option and no state criteria for two options, indicate why a review by the State Board is so important. The Board will want to examine the academic expectations for these options, among others, in the Guidelines.
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Dec. 13, 2017, meeting – CDE presented
information to the State Board regarding the possibility of adding high school
equivalency to the Menu of Options. The
Memo to the Board for that meeting included this: The
State Board of Education (SBE) in September 2015 directed Colorado Department
of Education staff to re-assess and bring forward recommendations to
the menu every two years. During
that session, CDE displayed the Menu of Options, as they were written at
that time.
[NOTE:
They are not exactly the same as
the version in place today.] |
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COMMENT: From what I have been able to gather: 1) Oct. 12, 2017, Board meeting - the last time CDE
presented the Menu of Options in our Graduation Guidelines to the State Board
of Education for a full review. 2) Dec. 13, 2017, meeting - the last time the State Board
looked at the Menu of Options until ... 3) Sept. 11, 2024, meeting - the Board had a brief look
at the Menu of Options. See 9/11/24. |
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2021-22 “Full implementation of the Graduation Guidelines Menu of
Options went into effect for students graduating in the 2021-22 school year
and beyond.” (“Graduation Guidelines,” CDE[xi]) |
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2024 At the Aug. 29, 2024, meeting of the State Board of
Education, CDE staff presented the “Agenda Item Detail - Graduation Guidelines and the new Digital SAT,”
with this noteworthy assertion: The State Board of
Education is responsible for determining the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options, including the cut-scores for the assessments.
The Board was given information about the impact on 2024 scores on the
new Digital PSAST/SAT. The Board was asked to consider adjusting the cut
scores for the SAT Math assessment.
The Menu of Options were mentioned in the agenda: “Provide a reminder on
Graduation Guidelines and the Menu of Options for showing competency in
Reading, Writing and Communicating and Mathematics.” But the other 10 options were not shown or discussed. The focus was to find an appropriate cut score on SAT MATH. CDE’s presentation concluded with this, slide 14:
Looking
forward CDE staff are working on a timeline and options for the board to learn about the implementation of the Menu of Options in totality and discuss if the board would like to consider more significant updates or changes in the future.[xii] CDE
staff told the Board: “We
want to highlight that staff are working on gathering information about the Graduation
Guidelines … the implementation of the entire Menu of Options so that we
can return and discuss the totality of the policy and the items that are
included there. We definitely want to hear your thoughts about any
significant updates or changes or things you might want us to look at for the
entire menu in the future.”[xiii]
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CDE’s presentations pointed to the Board’s responsibility:
1) to determine the minimum scores / performance level
students must achieve in order to receive a high school degree; 2) to make adjustments, when appropriate, in the
expectations stated in the Menu of Options.
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This discussion and review did not take place in 2024 or in 2025.
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2024 – At the Sept. 11, 2024, meeting of the State Board, CDE staff continued its presentation on a potential change in the SAT MATH score. It also provided more background on the Graduation Guidelines. For the first
time in perhaps seven years, the Board looked at one slide showing the entire
Menu of Options. CDE staff acknowledged that the print was “very small.” (It
would have been impossible for Board members to read the performance level
expected in any of the options). Staff told the Board: “There are 11 different options for districts to select from to incorporate into their local graduation requirements as options for students to demonstrate competency in reading, writing, and communicating and math.” A few questions and comments came up about the options. One board member expressed her surprise to learn about the 11 or 12 choices for students in a district she represents. (2024-25 was the fourth year that the Guidelines had been in place.) Again, the purpose of the session was not to explore the Menu of Options but to move towards a Board decision on SAT MATH cut score. CDE’s Assessment Director Joyce Zurkowski framed the issue for the Board this way. What CDE wanted to clarify, she told the Board, is “what you set as our guidelines ... what are your expectations at this point … as you sit there and make your decisions about what is most fair to this year’s seniors ...” |
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Addendum
Colorado State Board of Education Ongoing Responsibilities
[From: Colorado
High School Graduation Guidelines Adopted by the State Board of Education, May
2013. https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduation-guidelines
Bold mine,
most relevant in 2025
The Colorado State Board
of Education is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and updating
Colorado’s High School Graduation Guidelines and for providing
information to districts and the public on students’ college and career
readiness. Specific ongoing duties of the State Board are outlined below.
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By 2015 competency in social studies and science was no
longer required. |
1. The Colorado State
Board of Education will refine and update the Colorado College and Career Ready
Determinations over time. At a minimum, the determinations
should articulate the academic competency levels for high school graduates in
English language arts (reading, writing, and communicating), mathematics, social studies, and science. The State Board will adjust the current competency levels and add or
remove standardized measures on the menu as proof methods improve and as the
post high school sectors refine their expectations.
2. The Colorado State
Board of Education and Colorado Department of Education will annually
provide indicators of college and career readiness in order to help
parents, schools, districts and local board members prepare students for life
after high school. The data will also help school boards and district/school
leaders refine and enhance their graduation requirements and policies to better
assure and support students’ college and career readiness. Such
locally-specific and disaggregated data should include, but not be limited to:
· Number of students reaching Colorado College and Career Ready
Determination levels
· Student proficiency rates on elementary, middle and high school state
summative assessments
· ACT scores trends
· Trends for college readiness assessments
· Concurrent enrollment
· Advanced placement enrollment rate
· Graduation rates and dropout rates
· College remediation rates
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By 2015 this proposed score of 50 or above would be
reduced to 31 or above. |
· Later Colorado college-going degree completion rates
· Number of students scoring above 50 on ASVAB assessments (officer training eligibility)
· Applicable workforce data, as available
3. The State Board of
Education will examine ways to augment the state’s accountability system to
include more measures that signal that students are graduating postsecondary
and workforce ready.
Bonus accountability points to schools and districts reaching specified readiness thresholds might include: [Lists Increases or Decreases in seven categories; e.g., the number of students earning a 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate exams.]
4. The State Board of
Education will work with the Colorado Commission of Higher Education, the
Department of Defense and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to
monitor entrance competencies, inform the revision of college remediation
policy, quantify workforce benchmarks, and contribute to the college and
career readiness cut point thresholds on future multi-state tests for students
across the country.
5. The State Board of
Education may make available examples of possible demonstrations of 21st
Century skills that local school boards may use as reference when determining
required demonstrations.
6. The State Board of
Education will make available examples of ICAP attributes that local school
boards may use as reference when determining ICAP completion.
7. The State Board will
consider a way to establish with the Colorado Commission of Higher Education a
model high school transcript which effectively captures high school competency
and not merely seat time or course credit evidence.
Endnotes
[i]
Colorado High School Graduation Guidelines, Adopted by the State Board of
Education May 2013, https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduation-guidelines
[ii] House Bill 07-1118
- CONCERNING GUIDELINES FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. https://statebillinfo.com/bills/bills/07/1118_enr.pdf
[iii]
Background and History, CDE, https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-background
[iv]
Ibid.
[v] Graduation Guidelines Advisory Council, CDE, https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/gg_members
[vii]
Colorado High School Graduation Guidelines, Adopted by the State Board of
Education May 2013, https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduation-guidelines
[viii]
Background and History, CDE, https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-background
[ix] State Board meeting, Oct. 12, 2017.
https://go.boarddocs.com/co/cde/Board.nsf/files/ART32E04BC15/$file/Grad%20Guidelines%20Considerations_October%202017.pdf
[x] Ibid.
[xi]
Graduation Guidelines, CDE, https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines
[xii]
CDE, Aug. 29, 2024, meeting of the State Board of Education. Session on “Graduation Guidelines and the new
Digital SAT.” https://go.boarddocs.com/co/cde/Board.nsf/files/D8B64A131391/$file/08.24%20Graduation%20Guidelines%20and%20New%20Digital%20SAT%20Presentation.pdf
[xiii] CDE, Aug. 29, 2024, meeting of the State Board of Education. Transcription – my best
effort; I apologize for any errors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP1TeCcUx34
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