SB23-007: Enhancing Adult Education in Colorado

• Establishes an adult education and literacy grant program providing state funding to adult education providers participating in workforce development or education attainment partnerships to serve low-skilled, low-income adults.

• Adds "digital literacy" as a core skill area throughout adult education programs, alongside literacy and numeracy, reflecting the importance of technology skills for modern employment.

• Permits community colleges, area technical colleges, and local district colleges to develop and award high school diplomas based on local school district graduation requirements and to partner with service providers.

• Requires adult education providers to track and report demographic data, literacy gains, employment outcomes, and program completion rates; allows the department to use data matching with state agencies to measure post-program employment and wage improvements.

• Appropriates $2,000,000 from the general fund for fiscal year 2023-24 to implement the grant program, supporting an estimated 1.7 additional FTE in the department of education.