2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 22 - Education
General and Administrative
Article 7 - Educational Accountability
Part 12 - Colorado Read Act
§ 22-7-1203. Definitions

As used in this part 12, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Body of evidence" means a collection of information about a student's academic performance which, when considered in its entirety, documents the level of a student's academic performance. A body of evidence, at a minimum, shall include scores on formative or interim assessments and work that a student independently produces in a classroom, including but not limited to the school readiness assessments adopted pursuant to section 22-7-1004 (2) (a). A body of evidence may include scores on summative assessments if a local education provider decides that summative assessments are appropriate and useful in measuring students' literacy skills.

(2) "Department" means the department of education created and existing pursuant to section 24-1-115, C.R.S.

(3) "District charter school" means a charter school authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5 of this title.

(4) "Evidence based" means the instruction or item described is based on reliable, trustworthy, and valid evidence and has demonstrated a record of success in adequately increasing students' reading competency in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension.

(5) "Institute charter school" means a charter school authorized by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article 30.5 of this title.

(6) "Local education provider" means a school district, a board of cooperative services, a district charter school, or an institute charter school.

(7) "Master settlement agreement" means the master settlement agreement, the smokeless tobacco master settlement agreement, and the consent decree approved and entered by the court in the case denominated State of Colorado, ex rel. Gale A. Norton, Attorney General v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.; American Tobacco Co., Inc.; Brown Williamson Tobacco Corp.; Liggett Myers, Inc.; Lorillard Tobacco Co., Inc.; Philip Morris, Inc.; United States Tobacco Co.; B.A.T. Industries, P.L.C.; The Council For Tobacco Research--U.S.A., Inc.; and Tobacco Institute, Inc., Case No. 97 CV 3432, in the district court for the city and county of Denver.

(8) (a) "Parent" means a student's biological or adoptive parent, stepparent, foster parent, or legal guardian.

(b) As provided in section 2-4-102, C.R.S., the singular use of "parent" includes the plural, and local education providers shall, to the extent practicable, involve both of a student's parents, as defined in this subsection (8), in implementing the provisions of this part 12.

(9) "Per-pupil intervention moneys" means the moneys calculated and distributed to local education providers pursuant to section 22-7-1210 (5).

(10) "Reading competency" means a student meets the grade level expectations in reading adopted by the state board.

(11) "Reading to ensure academic development plan" or "READ plan" means an intervention plan created pursuant to section 22-7-1206 to remediate a student's significant reading deficiency.

(12) "Response to intervention framework" means a systemic preventive approach that addresses the academic and social-emotional needs of all students at the universal, targeted, and intensive levels. Through the response to intervention framework, a teacher provides high-quality, scientifically based or evidence-based instruction and intervention that is matched to student needs; uses a method of monitoring progress frequently to inform decisions about instruction and goals; and applies the student's response data to important educational decisions.

(13) "School district" means a school district, other than a junior college district, organized and existing pursuant to law.

(14) "Scientifically based" means that the instruction or item described is based on research that applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge that is relevant to reading development, reading instruction, and reading difficulties.

(15) "Significant reading deficiency" means that a student does not meet the minimum skill levels for reading competency in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension established by the state board pursuant to section 22-7-1209 for the student's grade level.

(16) "State board" means the state board of education created pursuant to section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.

(17) "Teacher" means the educator who is the main instructor for a class of students or an educator who provides specific literacy instruction to selected students.