(1) There is created in the department the inclusive higher education pilot program to facilitate the establishment of inclusive higher education programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at certain Colorado institutions of higher education.
The pilot program shall operate at three pilot sites in Colorado, including two sites atfour-year institutions and one site at a community college. The pilot sites include the university of northern Colorado, the university of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Arapahoe community college.
The institutions of higher education participating in the pilot program shall developpilot programs at the pilot sites that provide inclusive higher education opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The inclusive higher education pilot program at each pilot site may:
Include an institutional assessment to determine training needs, technical assistance,and other capacity needed to provide a higher education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
Identify state and institution regulations, policies, and practices that foster or impedeinclusive higher education;
Offer programming and necessary supports for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that allow a student to take for credit or to audit a minimum of two on-campus undergraduate courses each semester in his or her chosen area of interest, and to take a course each semester that is designed to meet the needs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, resulting upon completion in the award of a certificate from the institution;
To the greatest extent possible, integrate students socially and academically into thenormative offerings of the institution and give the student all of the rights and responsibilities of a typically matriculating student;
Include peer mentoring;
Coordinate with available vocational rehabilitation supports through the departmentof labor and employment;
Be outcome focused, preparing the student for gainful competitive employment;
Include admissions standards that do not require a student to participate in a curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam that is administered nationwide;
Require the institution of higher education, if the institution has determined that thepilot program is sustainable, to become a certified transition program, as defined in the "Higher Education Opportunity Act", Pub.L. 110-315, giving students in the program access to federal financial aid opportunities; and
Require the institution of higher education to develop a five-year plan for sustainability, including enrollment projections for the inclusive higher education program.
In any fiscal year in which a pilot site or sites offer a pilot program pursuant to thisarticle and in which sufficient money is appropriated by the general assembly for the evaluation required pursuant to this subsection (4), JFK Partners shall evaluate the development and implementation of the inclusive higher education pilot programs at the pilot sites and shall provide a written report concerning the evaluation to the department.
The institutions of higher education participating in the pilot program, JFK Partners,and IN! are encouraged to participate annually in a statewide summit concerning inclusive higher education to share best practices among the pilot sites with the goal of promoting the development of high-quality inclusive higher education programs statewide.
The department shall allocate to the governing boards of the institutions of highereducation participating in and evaluating the pilot program money appropriated to the department by the general assembly for the 2016-17 fiscal year, and for each fiscal year thereafter through the 2020-21 fiscal year, for a limited purpose fee-for-service contract pursuant to section 23-18-308 to implement the pilot program.
Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, an institution of highereducation is not required to implement or operate a pilot program if sufficient money is not appropriated by the general assembly pursuant to this section. In addition, an institution of higher education may cease to operate the pilot program, and the department may request that the general assembly reallocate pilot program appropriations among the pilot sites.
Source: L. 2016: Entire article added, (SB 16-196), ch. 226, p. 863, § 1, effective June 6.