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Secondary, Postsecondary and Work-Based Learning Integration (1215) Task Force

Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness (PWR) Financial Study

House Bill 24-1364: Education-Based Workforce Readiness was heavily informed by the 1215 Task Force work and included the creation of a one-time postsecondary workforce readiness financial study. House Bill 24-1393: Accelerating Concurrent Enrollment Program Modifications required further analysis of the ASCENT program, which was ultimately included in the overall study. Read the final Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Financial Study Report, completed by the vendor, Slalom, Inc.

 

Read the PWR Financial Study Report

 

 

Task Force Final Report: Colorado’s “Big Blur”

The Task Force Final Report was released Dec. 1, 2023.

Read the Final Report

Overview

Per H.B. 22-1215, the primary responsibilities of the task force are:

  • Coordinating with the Education Leadership Council and the State Work Force Development Council in completing its duties.
  • Designing and recommending comprehensive, uniform policies that encourage and empower high schools and postsecondary institutions to create and sustain secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs in every region of the state. The task force shall design the policy recommendations to increase the number, coordination, and collaboration of these programs and must include, at a minimum, policies that enable a high school that chooses to provide an early college program to structure the program as a four-year program, encompassing grades nine through twelve; a five-year program, encompassing grades nine through thirteen; or a six-year program, encompassing grades nine through fourteen. In designing comprehensive, uniform policies to enable four-, five-, and six-year early college programs, the task force shall address the ways in which existing statutes and rules must be modified, combined, or repealed to accomplish the goal of enabling school districts and charter schools, working with postsecondary institutions, to provide early college programs.
  • Designing and recommending policies to coordinate and expand innovative postsecondary and workforce credential options and career pathways available through secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs, with a focus on career pathways leading to credentials associated with high-need, in-demand, high-value businesses and industries.
  • Making recommendations concerning the creation of a statewide corps of counselors to assist students in identifying, understanding, and navigating options for secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs.
  • Making recommendations concerning methods for publicizing the requirements, benefits, and availability of secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs to students and families throughout the state.
  • Taking into account all existing and potential funding sources, designing policy recommendations that create a uniform and comprehensive funding mechanism for secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs. The policy recommendations must address implications for existing programs, including the ASCENT program, the TREP program, and P-TECH high schools.
  • Recommending characteristics of and standards for secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs for purposes of authorizing and measuring the performance of these programs and make recommendations concerning how best to use data to build evidence of the long-term impact of these programs. The characteristics and standards must allow high schools of all sizes and from every region of the state to demonstrate program quality, regardless of the size of the school.
  • Identifying challenges students face in accessing and completing credentials through secondary, postsecondary, and work-based learning integration programs and recommending ways to address and reduce these challenges.

Task Force Meetings

The task force shall meet at least four times from July 2022 through December 2022 and at least four times from May 2023 through December 2023. The task force is a state public body, so it is subject to the Colorado Open Meetings Law (24-6-402, C.R.S.).

2023 Task force meeting dates and times:

2022 Task force meeting dates and times:

Task Force Reports

The task force is required to prepare both an interim report and a final report of its findings and recommendations and submit these to the governor, the State Board of Education, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, and the Education Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, or any successor committees. The task force’s interim report must be submitted by December 1, 2022, and the final report must be submitted by December 1, 2023.

Task Force Members

Task force membership is outlined in 22-35.3-23, C.R.S.

Susana Córdova – Colorado Department of Education
Commissioner
 
Angelika Schroeder – Education Leadership Council
2nd Congressional District, State Board of Education - Colorado Department of Education
 
Danielle Ongart – Colorado Department of Education
Assistant Commissioner, Student Pathways and Engagement
 
Dr. Angie Paccione – Colorado Department of Higher Education
Executive Director
 
Kim Poast  – Colorado Department of Higher Education
Chief Student Success & Academic Affairs Officer, CDHE
 
Carl Einhaus  – Colorado Department of Higher Education
Senior Director of Student Success & P-20 Alignment, CDHE
 
Sarah Heath  – Career and Technical Education
Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs - State Career and Technical Education Director, CCCS
 
Lauren Jones  – Career and Technical Education
CTE Program Director for Special Populations, Counseling & Middle School, CCCS
 
Lee Wheeler-Berliner – Colorado Workforce Development Council
Managing Director, CWDC
 
Violeta Apodaca – Parents
Concurrent Enrollment Advisory Board parent member
 
Becky Dancer – School District Administration
Director of Teaching & Learning, Clear Creek School District
 
Julie McCluskie – Representative, District 13
Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives
 
Rod Pelton – Senator, District 35

Amadou Dieng – Students
Communications Manager, Colorado Succeeds
 
Raymond Chard - Local District Colleges
Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs & Director of High School Programs, Aims Community College
 
Bill Summers - Principals
Principal, Canon City High School
 
Mike Pintaric - Teachers
CTE Instructor, Thompson School District
 
Marty Goldberg - Community Colleges 
Director of Concurrent Enrollment, Colorado Community College System
 
Chrissie Nehrenberg – Four-Year Institutions of Higher Education
Director of Concurrent Enrollment, Western Colorado University
 
Jenise Rosa – Area Technical Schools
Career Advisor, Pickens Technical College
 
Jennifer Levin – Disability Advocacy Groups
Interim Executive Director, The Arc of Colorado
 
Joe Kuntner – Business Community
Managing Director of Public Sector, Slalom
 
Therese Ivancovich – Postsecondary Education Advocacy Groups
Chief Executive Officer, Attainment Network
 
Katherine Novinski – HS Education Advocacy Groups
Assistant Director of Implementation & Partnership, Colorado Education Initiative
 
Erin Silver – Work-Based Learning Education Advocacy Groups
Strategy and Policy Consultant, CareerWise
 
 

Contact

Danielle Ongart 
Phone: 303-866-6206
E-mail: ongart_d@cde.state.co.us