Colorado State Board of Education
Department of Education
1 Colorado Code of Regulation 301-74
Rules for the Administration of 
The School Counselor Corps Grant Program

Authority:  Article IX, Section 1, Colorado Constitution.  22-2-106(1)(a) and (c); 22-2-107(1)(c); 22-7-409(1.5); 22-90-101 et seq. of the Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.).

1.00   	Statement of Basis and Purpose.  
The statutory basis for these rules adopted on May 15, 2008 is found in 22-2-106(1)(a) and (c), State Board Duties; 22-2-107(1)(c), State Board Powers; and sections 22-90-101 through 22-90-105, the School Counselor Corps Grant Program, C.R.S.

	The School Counselor Corps Grant Program, sections 22-90-101 through 22-90-105, C.R.S., requires the State Board of Education to promulgate rules which include, but are not limited to:  the timeline for submitting applications to the Department; the form of the grant application and any information in addition to that specified in section 22-90-104 (2), C.R.S. to be included in the application; any criteria for awarding grants in addition to those specified in section 22-90-104 (3), C.R.S.; and any information to be included in the Department’s Program report in addition to that required in section 22-90-105, C.R.S. 

2.00 	Definitions.

2.00 	(1)	Department:  The Department of Education created pursuant to section 24-1-115, C.R.S.
 
2.00 	(2)	Education Provider: A school district, a board of cooperative services, a charter school authorized by a school district pursuant to Part 1 of Article 30.5 of Title 22 C.R.S., or a charter school authorized by the State Charter School Institute pursuant to Part 5 of Article 30.5 of Title 22, C.R.S.

2.00 	(3)	Postsecondary Service Provider:  An independent agency whose primary purpose is to provide career and college preparatory services to students.

2.00 	(4)	Program:  The School Counselor Corps Grant Program created in section 22-90-103, C.R.S.

2.00 	(5)	Recipient Secondary School: A secondary school at which an Education Provider will use moneys received from the Program to either increase the number of School Counselors or otherwise raise the level of school counseling provided.  

2.00	(6)	School Counselor: A person who holds a special services provider license with a School Counselor endorsement issue pursuant to Article 60.5 of Title 22 or who is otherwise endorsed or accredited by a national association to provide school counseling services. 

2.00 	(7)	Secondary School:  A public school that includes any of grades seven through twelve. 
2.00 	(8)	State Board:  The State Board of Education created pursuant to Section 1, Article IX of the State Constitution.

2.01 	Implementation Procedures.
2.01 	(1)	Application Timeline.  During the 2008-09 school year, the Department will conduct two initial grant funding competitions for the School Counselor Corps Grant Program.  The first round of applications will be due to the Department on or before July 1, 2008.  The second round applications will be due to the Department on or before October 1, 2008.  Beginning on January 31, 2009, and January 31 of each year thereafter, subject to available appropriations, School Counselor Corps grant applications will be due for funding available July 1 of the subsequent fiscal year.   
2.01 	(2)	Application Procedures.  The Department will be the responsible agency for implementing the School Counselor Corps Grant Program.  The Department will develop a Request for Proposal (RFP), pursuant to the Department’s RFP process and pursuant to the requirements and timelines found in sections 22-90-104, C.R.S.  Each grant application, at a minimum, must specify: 
2.01 	(2)	(a)	How receipt of the grant will affect the culture of  postsecondary planning at the applicant school, district or BOCES, and a vision for how the grant will transform the postsecondary expectations and options of students served;

2.01 	(2)	(b)	The intended recipient Secondary Schools, the number of secondary School Counselors employed by the Education Provider prior to receipt of a grant, and the ratio of students to School Counselors in the Secondary Schools operated by or receiving services from the Education Provider;
2.01	(2)	(c)	Whether the Education Provider has adopted standards for School Counselor responsibilities that meet or exceed those recommended by the American School Counselor Association; 
2.01	(2)	(d)	The extent to which the Education Provider has developed and/or plans to develop partnerships, which may include but need not be limited to institutions of higher education or Postsecondary Service Providers, to support and increase the capacity and effectiveness of the school counseling and postsecondary preparation services provided to secondary school students enrolled in or receiving educational services from the Education Provider; 
2.01	(2)	(e)	The Education Provider’s plan for use of the grant moneys, including the extent to which the grant moneys will be used to increase the number of School Counselors at recipient Secondary Schools and to provide professional development for a team of School Counselors and professional development to enable other faculty members and administrators to provide school counseling and postsecondary preparation services at recipient Secondary Schools;
2.01	(2)	(f)	The Education Provider’s plan for involving leaders at the recipient Secondary Schools and in the surrounding community and the faculty at recipient Secondary Schools in increasing the capacity and effectiveness of the school counseling and postsecondary preparation services provided to secondary school students enrolled in or receiving educational services from the Education Provider;
2.01	(2)	(g)	The extent to which the Education Provider has developed or plans to develop partnerships, whether within the school district, with external education agencies and/or community and/or business/workforce partners, to serve the postsecondary needs for every secondary student enrolled in or receiving educational services from the Education Provider;
2.01	(2)	(h)	The extent to which the Education Provider has implemented or plans to implement Individual Career and Academic Plans for students;
2.01	(2)	(i)	The Education Provider’s use of district-level, or school-level if the Education Provider is a charter school, needs assessments that use data to (1) identify challenging issues in the district or school in terms of student learning and success and barriers to learning and (2) identify programs, strategies, or services delivered by the Education Provider to secondary students that have helped to increase graduation rates and the level of postsecondary success among graduates and (3) Identify the strategies that will be used by the Education Provider to address the challenges identified in this self assessment and strengthen, expand or improve existing programs to improve graduation rates, post-secondary enrollment and success rates;
2.01	(2)	(j)	The attendance, grade-retention and promotion, and grading policies implemented by the Education Provider, including an analysis of how the schools’ and districts’ current policies and practices in these areas contribute to success or act as obstacles to students graduating from high school, as well as a description of a plan for how these policies and practices will be improved or modified to increase the graduation rate, as well as college-going, and college-success rates of high school students;
2.01	(2)	(k)	Whether the Education Provider intends to provide matching funds to augment any grant moneys received from the Program and the anticipated amount and source of any matching funds; 
2.01	(2)	(l)	The Education Provider’s plan for continuing to fund the increases in school counseling services following expiration of the grant; and
2.01	(2)	(m)	The Education Provider’s plan for using data over time to: (1) demonstrate outcomes and (2) revise and improve programs, policies, and practices to improve outcomes.  
2.01	(3)	Application Review Criteria.  In reviewing applications and making recommendations, the Department shall apply the following criteria:
2.01	(3)	(a)	The dropout rate at the intended Recipient Secondary School or schools and, if the Education Provider is a school district, at all of the Secondary Schools within the school district.  Priority will be given to Education Providers that intend to use the grant moneys to assist Secondary Schools at which the dropout rate exceeds the statewide average;
2.01	(3)	(b)	The percentage of students enrolled in the intended Recipient Secondary School or schools who are eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.  Priority will be given to Education Providers that indentify intended Recipient Secondary Schools with a high percentage of said students;
2.01	(3)	(c)	The percentage of students enrolled in the intended Recipient Secondary School or schools, and if the Education Provider is a school district, in the school district, who graduate and enroll in postsecondary education within two years after graduating from high school;
2.01	(3)	(d)	Whether the Education Provider has adopted, or has demonstrated a commitment to adopting, standards for School Counselor responsibilities that meet or exceed those recommended by the American School Counselor Association;
2.01	(3)	(e)	Assurance that the Education Provider shall use the grant funding to increase the level of funding the Education Provider allocated to school-based counseling prior to receiving the grant and not to replace other funding sources allocated to school-based counseling; 
2.01	(3)	(f)	The overall quality of the plan, including but not limited to the quality of professional development, the quality of partnerships, how the ratio of students to counselors will be impacted, school-wide involvement in postsecondary and workforce readiness preparation, and the quality of the role of the School Counselor; and 
2.01	(3)	(g)	The likelihood that the Education Provider will continue to fund the increases in the level of school counseling services following expiration of the grant.
2.01 	(4)	Additional Review Criteria.  The Department and the State Board shall consult with experts in the area of school counseling, including but not limited to School Counselors, persons who provide education and professional development in the areas of school counseling and career counseling, Postsecondary Service Providers and higher education admissions officers, in establishing any additional criteria for awarding grants and in reviewing applications and selecting grant recipients.
2.01 	(5)	Duration and Amount of Grant Awards.  Subject to available appropriations, the State Board shall award grants to applying Education Providers pursuant to section 22-90-104, C.R.S.  The State Board shall base the grant awards on the Department’s recommendations.  Each grant shall have a term of three years beginning in the 2008-09 budget year.  In making the award, the State Board shall specify the amount of each grant. 

2.01 	(6)	Reporting.  Each Education Provider that receives a grant through the Program shall report the following information to the Department each year during the term of the grant: 
2.01	(6)	(a)	The number of School Counselors hired using grant moneys;
2.01	(6)	(b)	Any professional development programs provided using grant moneys;
2.01	(6)	(c)	Any other services provided using grant moneys;
2.01	(6)	(d)	A comparison of the dropout rates, postsecondary and workforce readiness rates, and the college matriculation and remediation rates, if applicable, at the Recipient Secondary Schools for the years prior to the receipt of the grant and the years for which the Education Provider receives the grant; and
2.01	(6)	(e)	Information indicating an increase in the level of postsecondary preparation services provided to secondary students at Recipient Secondary Schools, such as the use of individual career and academic plans or enrollment in pre-collegiate preparation programs or postsecondary or vocational preparation programs.

2.01 	(7)	Evaluation of Program.  On or before April 15, 2009, and on or before April 15 each year thereafter, the Department shall submit to the State Board of Education and to the education committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, or any successor committees, a report that, at a minimum, summarizes the information received by the Department pursuant to subsection (1) of 22-90-105, C.R.S.  The Department shall also post the report to its website. 
 2.01	(7)	(a)	The Department shall work with the Department of Higher Education to obtain information necessary for the report submitted by the Department pursuant to subsection (2) of 22-90-105, C.R.S.