SB13-139: Supplemental On-line Education Services

• Amends Colorado law to establish a fair and transparent request for proposal (RFP) process for selecting one or more nonprofit providers to deliver supplemental online courses, professional development, and consulting assistance to school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, with deadlines moving from August 1 to February 15 beginning in 2015.

• Establishes five specific goals for online and blended learning: expanding availability of courses, increasing student participation in high-quality affordable courses, establishing programs for schools to create their own blended learning courses with professional development support, increasing educator capacity to use standards and data in online/blended classes, and documenting best practices.

• Requires that courses be provided at an affordable total program cost for high-quality, accredited courses with local support, and allows each Colorado high school student to take at least one supplemental online course per year.

• Creates a review committee consisting of representatives from the designated BOCES, the Department of Education, a national online learning expert, an alternative education administrator, and a school administrator to evaluate proposals using an established rubric and recommend providers.

• Requires annual data collection on student completion and passage rates from nonprofit providers, with reporting to the Department of Education and legislative committees, and mandates a summary report on student participation beginning June 1, 2015.