Stand for Children Associate Executive Director, Bri Buentello testified in opposition to HB26-1050, Optional Individualized Readiness Plan for School before the House Education Committee this week. Stand for Children Colorado testified against HB26-1050 because it would eliminate critical social-emotional monitoring for kindergarteners who appear academically ready but may still struggle with classroom skills like self-regulation and peer collaboration. The bill would also create unfair workload reductions primarily in affluent districts, incentivizing teachers to leave under-resourced schools where student needs and workload remain high. The bill passed the Education Committee 10-3 and will be considered by the full House next. Below is the prepared testimony.
“Thank you, Madam Chair Lukens, and members of the committee. My name is Bri Buentello, and I am the Associate Executive Director for Stand for Children Colorado.
We are here today to testify in respectful opposition to HB26-1050.
While we share this committee’s commitment to addressing teacher workload, we believe this bill treats the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) as a hurdle to be cleared rather than what it truly is: a vital blueprint for a child’s long-term success.
The KRA is one of our most powerful tools because it doesn’t just look at literacy; it looks at the whole child. It assesses social-emotional development, physical well-being, and executive functioning. These are the ‘readiness to learn’ skills—like self-regulation and peer collaboration—that dictate whether a child can actually thrive in a classroom environment.
By exempting students from Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) based on narrow academic benchmarks, we risk ignoring these critical social-emotional indicators. A child may be ‘on track’ with their letters, but if the KRA shows they are struggling with the social transitions of school, they still need the roadmap an ILP provides to ensure they stay on track.
The data shows us why this intentionality is so important. In Denver, roughly 61% of K-2 students are currently identified as ‘on track’ for third-grade reading. However, when those same students reach the third-grade CMAS assessment, only 42% are meeting state expectations.
There is a clear disconnect between being ‘on track’ in the early years and meeting expectations in third grade. If we remove the ILP requirement for students who seem fine on day one, we are removing the very monitoring system designed to prevent them from falling behind later.
We must also address the equity implications for our educators. Because student readiness scores are often tied to socioeconomic status, this bill creates a ‘workload windfall’ primarily for teachers in affluent districts. We are concerned this will inadvertently incentivize teachers to leave our most under-resourced schools—where the workload will remain high—for wealthier districts where the compliance burden is waived. We cannot support a policy that further tilts the scales against our high-needs communities.
Colorado’s ILP process is a national model for flexibility. We should be using the KRA data to deepen our support for students, not as a justification for doing less. Every child deserves a plan for growth, and every parent should have the choice to maintain that plan.
We respectfully urge a ‘no’ vote on HB26-1050. Thank you.”
