

Matt Gianneschi
Deputy Executive Director, CDHE

CAP4K Requirements:
o “Postsecondary and Workforce Ready” Description
o Aligned Academic Content Standards
o Aligned Standards-based Assessments
o Integration of Standards and Assessments into
Admission and Remedial Policies
o Integration of Standards and Assessments into Teacher
Preparation Standards
The PWR endorsed diploma criteria include three
components a student must satisfy:

establish and maintain an Individual Career and
Academic Plan (as defined in SB09-256 ICAP and CDE
rules and guidelines);

exhibit 21st century/learning and life skills; and,

demonstrate academic preparation and excellence
without the need for remediation.

A student must first satisfy the existing Higher Education Admissions
Requirements (HEAR) or HEAR proxies and the Admissions Index and
demonstrate they do not require remediation to be considered for a
PWR endorsed diploma. The following two steps indicate how a student
can meet this requirement.

1) Satisfy current HEAR requirements (currently under review) or HEAR
proxies and the Admissions Index.

In order to satisfy the existing HEAR, a student must successfully
complete seventeen academic units/credits of coursework in English,
Mathematics, Natural Science, Social Science and Foreign Language
based on the distribution below. Students must receive a passing
grade in each course to fulfill the requirement.
Existing HEAR and Alternatives
HEAR (Academic
course units
must total 17)
Remedial
Natural/
Physical
Science
Foreign
Language
Electives
English
Mathematics
Social
Science
4
4
3
3
1
2
ACT:
Writing: 18
Reading: 17
ACT:
19
SAT: Writing: 440
Reading: 430
SAT:
470
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
ACTFL =
Novice-Mid
N/A
PSY 101
HIS 101
BIO 111
SPA 101
FRE 111
Combination
Accuplacer:
Sent Skills 95
Rdg Comp 80
Accuplacer:
Intermediate
Algebra 85
Course
Equivalent
ENG 090 =
4 years
MAT 090 =
3 years
MAT 106 =
4 years
Course
Completion
Examples*
ENG 121
MAT 120
Demonstrate that the student does not need remediation:
 a) Approved ACT cut-scores
 b) Approved SAT cut-scores
 c) Placement assessments: including Accuplacer, COMPASS
(not yet approved by CCHE)
 d) Successful completion of college level courses via
Concurrent Enrollment
 e) Completion of necessary remedial courses
 f) Approved State Summative/National Consortia
Assessment cut-scores*; or
 g) ACT/SAT writing test score*

Beyond the minimum requirements, a student will be eligible for PWR
endorsement if he/she demonstrates academic excellence by either
high school course completion, other performance indicators, or college
course completion in at least three of the seven following content areas:
o Reading, Writing, Communicating
o Mathematics
o Social and Behavioral Sciences
o Natural and Physical Sciences
o Arts and Humanities
o World Languages
o Career and Technical Education

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
a) High School Courses: student receives a course grade of B or better in at least three years (or equivalent) of
coursework in Career and Technical education, two of which must be from a single area of focus.

OR














b) Other performance indicators, which could include one or more of the following:
i) Advanced score (or equivalent) on state end-of-program summative assessments
ii) AP score of 4 or 5 in relevant AP coursework (e.g. Environmental Science, Economics, others to be
determined)
iii) IB test scores of 4, 5, 6, or 7 – Career Diploma Focus area
iv) CTE certifications
v) Career Ready Colorado Certificate - Advanced scores on future qualifying assessments
vi) Nationally recognized adjudication criteria and artifacts to certify a student’s body of evidence
vii) Rubrics and artifacts that show evidence of mastery or above mastery of the evidence outcomes in the high
school standards.
viii) Other external events or performance events.
ix) Portfolio of achievements (mastery includes “outside” experience), competitions, industry experiences,
reflections, qualifying certifications
OR
c) Postsecondary Credit-Bearing Coursework
i) student receives a course grade of B or better in a transferable postsecondary CTE course credit.
The Goal:
Move students as quickly and
effectively through their first college
level course.
Traditional Remedial Sequence
Assessment
• Take single
standardized
exam
Placement
• Cut score
determines
placement in
one or more
levels of
remedial
education
Enrollment
• Students take
1 or more
courses
consecutively
before
enrolling in
gateway
courses
Completion
• Success is
defined as
completion of
remedial
course
Accelerated Remedial Sequence
Assessment
• Use of multiple
tools to include
HS curriculum,
HS GPA and
diagnostic
academic
assessment
Placement
• Placement is
based on
student
motivation and
precise
diagnosis of
deficiencies
• Range of cut
scores, rather
than a precise
cut score
enables
flexibility
Enrollment
• Co-Enrollment
in Remedial
and CollegeLevel Course
• Offer single
semester
remedial
option for
students in
need of more
intense
academic
preparation
Completion
• Success is
defined as
completion of
gateway course

Goals for Higher Education
o Increase Degree Attainment
o Improve Student Outcomes—Remedial, Time-to-degree,
Retention
o Diversify Enrollments and Reduce Attainment Gaps
o Restore Balance in Postsecondary Revenues and Improve
Productivity
o -Economic Development?-
40
30
0
46.4
45.8
45.2
44.6
44.6
44.5
44.4
44.2
43.7
43.4
42.9
42.6
42.3
41.4
41.2
40.1
40.0
39.8
39.2
38.7
38.6
38.6
38.6
38.3
38.2
38.1
37.9
37.8
36.4
36.2
35.8
35.1
34.9
34.9
34.9
34.8
34.7
34.3
33.9
33.2
33.0
31.8
31.7
31.7
30.4
30.4
28.9
28.1
27.0
26.4
50.2
50
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Colorado
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New York
New Jersey
Maryland
Vermont
North Dakota
Virginia
Hawaii
Rhode Island
Washington
Illinois
Nebraska
Iowa
Kansas
Oregon
Utah
California
South Dakota
Maine
Delaware
Montana
Wisconsin
United States
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Florida
Georgia
Michigan
Alaska
Missouri
South Carolina
Wyoming
Arizona
Ohio
Idaho
New Mexico
Texas
Indiana
Tennessee
Oklahoma
Alabama
Kentucky
Nevada
Mississippi
Louisiana
Arkansas
West Virginia
60
Percent of 26 to 64 Year Olds with College Degrees Associate and Higher (2009)
15
Colorado ranks 3rd among states –
with 45.8 percent of working-aged
adults with college degree.
20
10
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey
-10
-5
-0.43
-0.49
-0.72
-0.83
-0.89
-1.21
-1.59
-1.77
-1.92
-2.07
-2.31
-3.02
-3.09
-4.06
-4.19
5
6.50
6.24
6.18
6.00
5.56
5.20
5.13
5.09
4.93
4.92
4.89
3.85
3.71
3.64
3.51
3.29
3.15
2.63
2.24
2.05
2.03
1.94
1.85
1.77
1.58
1.56
1.28
0.52
0.28
9.93
9.11
8.18
8.13
10
North Dakota
Iowa
Pennsylvania
Minnesota
New York
Illinois
Missouri
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Montana
Ohio
Nebraska
Indiana
Louisiana
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Rhode Island
New Jersey
Tennessee
South Dakota
Arkansas
Maryland
New Hampshire
Kansas
United States
North Carolina
Mississippi
Virginia
Michigan
South Carolina
Alabama
Vermont
Georgia
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Oklahoma
Delaware
Wyoming
Maine
California
Utah
Washington
Texas
Nevada
Oregon
Idaho
Arizona
Colorado
New Mexico -7.28
-8.79
Alaska
11.77
Difference in College Attainment between Young Adults (25 to 34) and
15
Older Adults (45 to 64) (2009)
0
16
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey
Change in Population Age 25-44 By Race/Ethnicity,
2005-2025
…2,689,700
…1,044,516
slide 17
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
0.0
21.8
21.3
21.1
20.6
20.3
19.9
19.9
18.7
18.5
18.5
18.4
18.2
18.1
18.0
17.8
17.3
17.1
17.0
16.9
16.6
16.4
16.4
16.3
16.0
15.9
15.9
15.4
15.3
14.8
14.6
14.5
14.4
14.3
14.2
14.0
13.9
13.9
13.7
13.3
13.2
13.2
13.0
12.9
12.4
12.4
11.8
10.4
9.3
8.6
30.0
28.1
31.8
35.0
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wisconsin
Maine
Minnesota
Arkansas
Iowa
Utah
Montana
Mississippi
Florida
Idaho
New Hampshire
Kentucky
Wyoming
Arizona
Louisiana
West Virginia
Washington
Oklahoma
Kansas
Vermont
Hawaii
New York
Massachusetts
Michigan
Maryland
Nebraska
Delaware
Missouri
New Mexico
Georgia
United States
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Indiana
New Jersey
Virginia
Colorado
Alabama
Rhode Island
Texas
Tennessee
South Carolina
Illinois
Oregon
North Carolina
Connecticut
California
Nevada
Alaska
Undergraduate Awards (One Year and More) per 100 FTE
Undergraduates – Public Two-Year, 2008-09
5.0
Sources: NCES, IPEDS Completions and Enrollment Surveys
10.1
20.0
15.0
0.0
25.6
24.4
24.3
24.3
24.3
23.8
22.1
21.9
21.8
21.2
21.1
21.1
21.1
21.0
20.8
20.5
20.3
20.3
20.0
19.9
19.9
19.8
19.7
19.4
19.4
19.3
19.1
18.9
18.8
18.6
18.6
18.5
18.5
18.4
18.2
18.0
17.9
17.8
17.7
17.5
17.4
17.1
16.5
16.5
16.1
15.9
15.6
15.2
13.8
25.0
Vermont
Florida
Washington
Kansas
New Jersey
Illinois
California
Iowa
North Dakota
Maryland
New York
New Hampshire
Texas
Hawaii
Oklahoma
Utah
Maine
Connecticut
Michigan
United States
Oregon
Virginia
Minnesota
Rhode Island
Missouri
Delaware
Wisconsin
South Carolina
Idaho
Pennsylvania
North Carolina
Tennessee
Nebraska
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Kentucky
Arkansas
West Virginia
Colorado
Montana
Alabama
Indiana
Arizona
Georgia
New Mexico
Louisiana
Nevada
Alaska
South Dakota
Ohio
Undergraduate Awards (One Year and More) per 100 FTE
Undergraduates – Public Bachelor’s and Masters, 2008-09
30.0
10.0
5.0
Sources: NCES, IPEDS Completions and Enrollment Surveys
Percent of Adults Aged 25-34 with College Degrees
– Associate and Higher – By County (2009)
68.0% - San Juan
1.6% - Costilla
20
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005-09 American Community Survey
Public 4-Year First-Time Undergraduates Directly Out of High School as
a Percent of Public High School Graduates, 2006-08 Annual Average
21
Colorado = 32.0%
Source: Colorado Department of Higher Education. Colorado Department of Education.
State Funding for Public Institutions of Higher Education
$6,000
$706
$700
$706
$653
$644
$602
$600
$555
$4,644
$29
$4,884
$151
$519
$4,451
$382
$4,323
$500
$3,928
$490
$3,000
$3,096
$555
$4,000
$3,885
$400
$300
$5,000
$602
$2,820
$653
$615
$555
$519
$490
$2,000
$200
$324
$1,000
State Funding per Resident Student FTE
Total State and ARRA Funding (in Millions)
$800
$100
$0
$-
General Fund
ARRA
Total
State Funding per Resident Student FTE
* Based on Governor Hickenlooper's November 1, 2011 FY 2012-13 Budget Request
Source: Colorado Department of Higher Education
Utilizing Appropriations and Legislative Council Enrollment Forecast
22
College Funding Split
Student vs. State
100%
90%
80%
32%
Student Share (Resident
Tuition)
70%
66%
60%
50%
40%
30%
State Share (General
Fund)
68%
20%
34%
10%
0%
2000-01
2011-12
23
Average Tuition Cost Per Resident Student
$9,000
$8,370
Research Colleges Ave. Tuition Per Resident
Student
Amount Per Resident Student
$8,000
$7,000
$6,000
$5,000
$4,462
$4,000
$3,128
$3,000
State Colleges Ave. Tuition Per Resident
Student
$3,613
$2,063
$2,000
$1,000
$1,707
Community Colleges Ave. Tuition Per Resident
Student
* FY 2011-12 is understated as it is based Long Bill data at 9%.
College governing boards increased tuition anywhere between 9% and 20% in FY 2011-12 not captured here.
24
Average Resident Student’s Share of College
(Tuition vs. State Funding)
$9,636
$6,523
68%
70%
All Governing Boards
(adjusted for inflation in 2011 dollars)
$9,154
$6,051
66%
60%
50%
40%
30%
34%
32%
$3,103
$3,113
20%
Fiscal Year
Student Share (Resident Tuition)
State Share (General Fund)
25